California Corporations Code – Statement of Information

As business lawyers in Orange County California, we believe it is important to keep our small business clients up to date with the latest California Codes that apply to their small business corporations.

California Corporations Code section 1502 describes critical legal requirements that are placed upon small business corporations.  The Secretary of State requires a certain amount of transparency from the owners and operators of the corporation. This statute defines several important aspects of this obligation.

California Corporations Code Section 1502

California Corporations Code 1502 – Orange County Business Lawyer – Statement of Information

California Corporations Code – 1502.  (a) Every corporation shall file, within 90 days after the filing of its original articles and annually thereafter during the applicable filing period, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, a statement containing all of the following:

(1) The name of the corporation and the Secretary of State’s file number.

(2) The names and complete business or residence addresses of its incumbent directors.

(3) The number of vacancies on the board, if any.

(4) The names and complete business or residence addresses of its chief executive officer, secretary, and chief financial officer.

(5) The street address of its principal executive office.

(6) The mailing address of the corporation, if different from the street address of its principal executive office.

(7) If the address of its principal executive office is not in this state, the street address of its principal business office in this state if any.

(8) If the corporation chooses to receive renewal notices and any other notifications from the Secretary of State by electronic mail instead of by United States mail, the corporation shall include a

valid electronic mail address for the corporation or for the corporation’s designee to receive those notices.

(9) A statement of the general type of business that constitutes the principal business activity of the corporation (for example, manufacturer of aircraft; wholesale liquor distributor; or retail department store).

(b) The statement required by subdivision (a) shall also designate, as the agent of the corporation for the purpose of service of process, a natural person residing in this state or a corporation that has complied with Section 1505 and whose capacity to act as an agent has not terminated. If a natural person is designated, the statement shall set forth that person’s complete business or residence street address. If a corporate agent is designated, no address for it shall be set forth.

(c) If there has been no change in the information in the last filed statement of the corporation on file in the Secretary of State’s office, the corporation may, in lieu of filing the statement required by subdivisions (a) and (b), advise the Secretary of State, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, that no changes in the required information have occurred during the applicable filing period.

(d) For the purposes of this section, the applicable filing period for a corporation shall be the calendar month during which its original articles were filed and the immediately preceding five calendar months. The Secretary of State shall provide a notice to each corporation to comply with this section approximately three months prior to the close of the applicable filing period. The notice shall state the due date for compliance and shall be sent to the last address of the corporation according to the records of the Secretary of State or to the last electronic mail address according to the records of the Secretary of State if the corporation has elected to receive notices from the Secretary of State by electronic mail. The failure of the corporation to receive the notice is not an excuse for failure to comply with this section.

(e) Whenever any of the information required by subdivision (a) is changed, the corporation may file a current statement containing all the information required by subdivisions (a) and (b). In order to change its agent for service of process or the address of the agent, the corporation must file a current statement containing all the information required by subdivisions (a) and (b). Whenever any statement is filed pursuant to this section, it supersedes any previously filed statement and the statement in the articles as to the agent for service of process and the address of the agent.

(f) The Secretary of State may destroy or otherwise dispose of any statement filed pursuant to this section after it has been superseded by the filing of a new statement.

(g) This section shall not be construed to place any person dealing with the corporation on notice of, or under any duty to inquire about, the existence or content of a statement filed pursuant to this section.

(h) The statement required by subdivision (a) shall be available and open to the public for inspection. The Secretary of State shall provide access to all information contained in this statement by means of an online database.

(i) In addition to any other fees required, a corporation shall pay a five-dollar ($5) disclosure fee when filing the statement required by subdivision (a). One-half of the fee shall be utilized to further the provisions of this section, including the development and maintenance of the online database required by subdivision (h), and one-half shall be deposited into the Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund established in Section 2280.

(j) A corporation shall certify that the information it provides pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) is true and correct. No claim may be made against the state for inaccurate information contained in the statements.

What if I need help understanding California Corporations Code Section 1502?

It is important to understand that failure to follow the rules and use the correct form prescribed by the Secretary of State, can result in a corporation being fined and ultimately put out of business.

If you are not sure how to properly complete the California Statement of Information or have questions about the code, please call the Business Lawyers in Orange County at 714-634-4838.