As we've touched on before, one of the most important tasks that would-be limited liability companies, limited partnerships, nonprofit corporations and corporations must complete at the outset of operations is filing with the Corporations Division of the Georgia Secretary of State.
Specifically, in order to gain legal recognition, these prospective businesses must file what are known as Articles of Incorporation. For those unfamiliar with this term, Articles of Incorporation essentially serve as a sort of charter that both verifies the existence of the corporation and sets forth some basic information about it.
Here in Georgia, Articles of Incorporation filed with the state for business corporations must provide the following information:
- Corporate name
- Authorized share information, meaning the number of shares the corporation is authorized to issue
- Address and county of the registered office of the corporation and the name of the registered agent working there
- Mailing address of the initial principal office of the corporation
- Addresses and names of every incorporator
It's important to note that the informational requirements for Articles of Incorporation filed with the state for nonprofit corporations, meaning those enterprises formed for a "charitable, educational, religious, literary or scientific purpose," are slightly different:
- They do not need to include authorized share information
- They must include language indicating whether there will be members
- They must include language stating that organization is "pursuant to the Georgia Nonprofit Corporation Code"
It's important to understand that these are only the basic requirements for Articles of Incorporation under state law and that there are other items that can -- and perhaps should -- be included. To that end, those looking to form any of the aforementioned business entities should strongly consider consulting with an experienced legal professional.
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