Articles of Incorporation

What are articles of incorporation?

The formation document of a corporation is called its articles of incorporation. Typically, it includes basic information about the corporation:

• Name, address, and signature of the incorporator(s)
• The corporation’s full name and principal address
• Business purpose
• Name and address of registered agent (representative in the state available to accept legal documents)

Articles of incorporation are typically created by or under the supervision of an attorney. In most states, they must be filed with the Secretary of State before they go into effect, at which time they become public record.

Why are articles of incorporation important?

Articles of incorporation (or a charter or equivalent document) must be filed with any state in which the entity does business to establish a corporate status, whether for-profit or non-profit. Here are some advantages of incorporating:

• Corporate status assures that commercial, legal, and governmental entities can contact a business for transactions, to serve legal papers on it, or to provide notices.
• Incorporation protects the assets of owners, officers, and members from the entity’s liabilities and debts.
• Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) are similar to corporations in the protections they offer and the requirements to file founding documents.

How can you use “articles of incorporation” in a sentence?

Articles of incorporation are required to acquire corporate status for a business or non-profit, like an HOA.