What is an incorporation document?
To legally form a corporation, a company must file an incorporation document with a state government. This document can also be known as a formation document or charter. Each state sets its own incorporation requirements, which typically include the company’s name, purpose, duration, authorized capital (classes and shares of stock), and agent for service of process. Below is a list of commonly used names for incorporation documents, including some of the states that use each:
Certificate of Incorporation (DE, NY, NJ)
Articles of Incorporation (CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MN, NV, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, UT)
Certificate of Formation (TX)
Articles of Organization (MA)
Over time, it is common for a company to modify all or part of its original charter. The updated filing is called an amendment and/or a restatement. Amendments and restatements are often filed to increase the number of shares the company can issue, change its governance structure, or change other information from its original charter.
Where can I find the company’s state and date of incorporation?
State of Incorporation: You can typically find this information on the first page under Article II of the Incorporation document, and it is also often found in the stamp inserted by the state agency when the charter is filed.
Date of Incorporation: The date of incorporation is typically the filed date of the charter. The filed date of the charter can be found in the electronic or physical stamp.