2023 California Code › Corporations Code - CORP › TITLE 1 - CORPORATIONS › DIVISION 1 - GENERAL CORPORATION LAW › CHAPTER 2 - Organization and Bylaws › Section 202.

202. The articles of incorporation shall set forth:
(a) The name of the corporation; provided, however, that in order for the corporation to be subject to the provisions of this division applicable to a close corporation (Section 158), the name of the corporation must contain the word “corporation,” “incorporated,” or “limited” or an abbreviation of one of such words.
(b) (1) The applicable one of the following statements:
(A) The purpose of the corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which a corporation may be organized under the General Corporation Law of California other than the banking business, the trust company business or the practice of a profession permitted to be incorporated by the California Corporations Code; or
(B) The purpose of the corporation is to engage in the profession of ____ (with the insertion of a profession permitted to be incorporated by the California Corporations Code) and any other lawful activities (other than the banking or trust company business) not prohibited to a corporation engaging in such profession by applicable laws and regulations.
(2) In case the corporation is a corporation subject to the Banking Law (Division 1.1 (commencing with Section 1000) of the Financial Code), the articles shall set forth a statement of purpose which is prescribed in the applicable provision of the Banking Law.
(3) In case the corporation is a corporation subject to the Insurance Code as an insurer, the articles shall additionally state that the business of the corporation is to be an insurer.
(4) If the corporation is intended to be a “professional corporation” within the meaning of the Moscone-Knox Professional Corporation Act (Part 4 (commencing with Section 13400) of Division 3), the articles shall additionally contain the statement required by Section 13404.
The articles shall not set forth any further or additional statement with respect to the purposes or powers of the corporation, except by way of limitation or except as expressly required by any law of this state other than this division or any federal or other statute or regulation (including the Internal Revenue Code and regulations thereunder as a condition of acquiring or maintaining a particular status for tax purposes).
(c) The name and street address in this state of the corporation’s initial agent for service of process in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 1502.
(d) The initial street address of its principal office.
(e) The initial mailing address of the corporation, if different from the initial street address.
(f) If the corporation is authorized to issue only one class of shares, the total number of shares which the corporation is authorized to issue.
(g) If the corporation is authorized to issue more than one class of shares, or if any class of shares is to have two or more series:
(1) The total number of shares of each class the corporation is authorized to issue, and the total number of shares of each series which the corporation is authorized to issue or that the board is authorized to fix the number of shares of any such series;
(2) The designation of each class, and the designation of each series or that the board may determine the designation of any such series; and
(3) The rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions granted to or imposed upon the respective classes or series of shares or the holders thereof, or that the board, within any limits and restrictions stated, may determine or alter the rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions granted to or imposed upon any wholly unissued class of shares or any wholly unissued series of any class of shares. As to any series the number of shares of which is authorized to be fixed by the board, the articles may also authorize the board, within the limits and restrictions stated therein or stated in any resolution or resolutions of the board originally fixing the number of shares constituting any series, to increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any such series subsequent to the issue of shares of that series. In case the number of shares of any series shall be so decreased, the shares constituting such decrease shall resume the status which they had before the adoption of the resolution originally fixing the number of shares of such series.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 617, Sec. 7. (SB 1202) Effective January 1, 2023.)