ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
An example of general articles of incorporation
The document that must be filed with an appro-
priate government agency, commonly the office of
the SECRETARY OF STATE, if the owners of a busi-
ness want it to be given legal recognition as a cor-
poration.
Articles of incorporation, sometimes called
a certificate of incorporation,must set forth cer-
tain information as mandated by statute.
Although laws vary from state to state, the pur-
poses of the corporation and the rights and lia-
bilities of shareholders and directors are typical
provisions required in the document. Official
forms are prescribed in many states.
Once the articles of incorporation are filed
with the secretary of state, corporate existence
begins. In some jurisdictions, a formal certificate
of incorporation attached to a duplicate of the
articles must be issued to the applicant before
the business will be given legal status as a сorporation.
