CHAPTER 8. Amendment of Articles [12500. - 12510.]

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP 8.

in effect

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12500. Section 12500.

(a) By complying with the provisions of this chapter, a corporation may amend its articles from time to time, in any and as many respects as may be desired, so long as its articles as amended contain only such provisions as it would be lawful to insert in original articles filed at the time of the filing of the amendment or as authorized by Section 12504 and, if a change in the rights of members or an exchange, reclassification or cancellation of memberships is to be made, such provisions as may be necessary to effect such change, exchange, reclassification or cancellation. It is the intent of the Legislature in adopting this section to exercise to the fullest extent the reserve power of the state over corporations and to authorize any amendment of the articles covered by the preceding sentence regardless of whether any provision contained in the amendment was permissible at the time of the original incorporation of the corporation. (b) A corporation shall not amend its articles to add any statement or to alter any statement which may appear in the original articles of the initial street address and initial mailing address of the corporation, the names and addresses of the first directors, or the name and address of the initial agent, except to correct an error in the statement or to delete the information after the corporation has filed a statement under Section 12570.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12501. Section 12501.

Any amendment of the articles may be adopted by a writing signed by a majority of the incorporators so long as: (a) No directors were named in the original articles; (b) No directors have been elected; and (c) The corporation has no members.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12502. Section 12502.

(a) Except as provided in this section or Section 12503, amendments may be adopted if approved by the board and approved by the members before or after the approval by the board. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the following amendments may be adopted by approval of the board alone: (1) An amendment extending the corporate existence or making the corporate existence perpetual, if the corporation was organized prior to August 14, 1929. (2) An amendment deleting the initial street address and initial mailing address of the corporation, the names and addresses of the first directors, or the name and address of the initial agent. (3) Any amendment, at a time the corporation has no members. (4) Any amendment authorized in the articles pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 12313 fixing the rights, privileges, preferences, restrictions, and conditions attaching to any wholly unissued class of memberships. (5) Any amendment authorized in the articles pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 12313 fixing the designation, number of memberships and the rights, privileges, preferences, restrictions, and conditions attaching to any wholly unissued series of memberships, or an increase or decrease in the number of memberships of any series. (c) Whenever the articles require for corporate action the approval of a particular class of members or of a larger proportion of, or all of, the votes of any class, or of a larger proportion of, or all of, the directors, than is otherwise required by this part, the provision in the articles requiring a greater vote shall not be altered, amended or repealed except by the class or the greater vote, unless otherwise provided in the articles.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12503. Section 12503.

(a) An amendment shall also be approved by the members (Section 12224) of a class, whether or not the class is entitled to vote thereon by the provisions of the articles, if the amendment would do any of the following: (1) Materially and adversely affect the rights, privileges, preferences, restrictions or conditions of that class as to voting, dissolution, redemption or transfer, or the obligations of that class, in a manner different than such action affects another class. (2) Materially and adversely affect such class as to voting, dissolution, redemption or transfer by changing the rights, privileges, preferences, restrictions or conditions of another class. (3) Increase the number of memberships authorized for the class. (4) Increase the number of memberships authorized for another class. (5) Effect an exchange, reclassification or cancellation of all or part of the memberships of the class. (6) Authorize a new class of memberships. (b) An amendment shall also be approved by the members of a series whether or not the series is entitled to vote thereon by the articles or bylaws if the series is adversely affected by the amendment in a different manner than other shares of the same class.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12504. Section 12504.

(a) A corporation may amend its articles to change its status to that of a nonprofit public benefit corporation, a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation, a nonprofit religious corporation, a business corporation, or a social purpose corporation by complying with this section and the other sections of this chapter. (b) Except as authorized by Section 12501 or unless the corporation has no members, an amendment to change its status to a nonprofit public benefit corporation or a nonprofit religious corporation shall: (1) be approved by the members (Section 12224), and the fairness of the amendment to the members shall be approved by the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation pursuant to Section 25142; or (2) be approved by the members (Section 12224) in an election conducted by written ballot pursuant to Section 12463 in which no negative votes are cast; or (3) be approved by 100 percent of the voting power. (c) Amended articles authorized by this section shall include the provisions which would have been required (other than the initial street address and initial mailing address of the corporation and the name of the initial agent for service of process if a statement has been filed pursuant to Section 12570), and may in addition only include those provisions which would have been permitted, in original articles filed by the type of corporation (nonprofit public benefit, nonprofit mutual benefit, nonprofit religious, business, or social purpose) into which the corporation is changing its status. (d) At the time of filing a certificate of amendment to change status to a nonprofit public benefit corporation, the Secretary of State shall make available the filed certificate to the Attorney General.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12505. Section 12505.

(a) Upon adoption of an amendment, the corporation shall file a certificate of amendment, which shall consist of an officers’ certificate stating: (1) The wording of the amendment or amended articles is in accordance with Section 12507; (2) That the amendment has been approved by the board; (3) If the amendment is one for which the approval of the members (Section 12224) or the approval of 100 percent of the voting power is required, that the amendment was approved by the required vote of members; and (4) If the amendment is one which may be adopted with approval by the board alone, a statement of the facts entitling the board alone to adopt the amendment. (b) In the event of an amendment of the articles pursuant to a merger, the filing of the officers’ certificate and agreement pursuant to Section 12535 shall be in lieu of any filing required under this chapter.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12506. Section 12506.

In the case of amendments adopted by the incorporators under Section 12501, the corporation shall file a certificate of amendment signed and verified by a majority of the incorporators which shall state that the signers thereof constitute at least a majority of the incorporators, that directors were not named in the original articles and have not been elected, that the corporation has no members and that they adopt the amendment or amendments therein set forth.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12507. Section 12507.

The certificate of amendment shall establish the wording of the amendment or amended articles by one or more of the following means: (a) By stating that the articles shall be amended to read as therein set forth in full. (b) By stating that any provision of the articles, which shall be identified by the numerical or other designation given it in the articles or by stating the wording thereof, shall be striken from the articles or shall be amended to read as set forth in the certificate. (c) By stating that the provisions set forth therein shall be added to the articles. If the purpose of the amendment is to reclassify, cancel, exchange, or otherwise change outstanding memberships the amended articles shall state the effect thereof on outstanding memberships.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12508. Section 12508.

Upon the filing of the certificate of amendment, the articles shall be amended in accordance with the certificate and any change, reclassification or cancellation of memberships shall be effected, and a copy of the certificate, certified by the Secretary of State, is prima facie evidence of the performance of the conditions necessary to the adoption of the amendment.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12509. Section 12509.

A corporation formed for a limited period may at any time subject to the expiration of the term of its corporate existence, extend the term of its existence by an amendment to its articles removing any provision limiting the term of its existence and providing for perpetual existence. If the filing of the certificate of amendment providing for perpetual existence would be prohibited if it were original articles by the provisions of Section 12302, the Secretary of State shall not file such certificate unless, by the same or a concurrently filed certificate of amendment, the articles of such corporation are amended to adopt a new available name. For the purpose of the adoption of any such amendment, persons who have been functioning as directors of such corporation shall be considered to have been validly elected even though their election may have occurred after the expiration of the original term of the corporate existence.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12510. Section 12510.

(a) A corporation may restate in a single certificate the entire text of its articles as amended by filing an officers’ certificate entitled “Restated Articles of Incorporation of (insert name of corporation)” which shall set forth the articles as amended to the date of filing of the certificate, except that the signatures and acknowledgments of the incorporators and any statements regarding the effect of any prior amendment upon memberships and any provisions of agreements of merger (other than amendments to the articles of the surviving corporation) and the names, addresses, signatures and acknowledgments of the first directors and the initial street address and initial mailing address of the corporation and of the initial agent for service of process shall be omitted (except that the initial street address and initial mailing address of the corporation and the names and addresses of the initial agent for service of process and the first directors shall not be omitted prior to the time that the corporation has filed a statement under Section 12570). Such omissions are not alterations or amendments of the articles. The certificate may also itself alter or amend the articles in any respect, in which case the certificate must comply with Sections 12505 and 12506, as the case may be, and Section 12507. (b) If the certificate does not itself alter or amend the articles in any respect, it shall be approved by the board and shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter relating to an amendment of the articles not requiring approval of the members (Section 12224). If the certificate does itself alter or amend the articles, it shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter relating to the amendment or amendments so made. (c) Restated articles of incorporation filed pursuant to this section shall supersede for all purposes the original articles and all amendments filed prior thereto.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026