Nonprofit Corporation Member Books and Records Inspection in Arizona

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Access and the two record tiers

Sections 10-11601(E) and 10-11602(A) let a member of record for at least six months immediately before the demand inspect current articles and bylaws, member-class resolutions, three years of member minutes and general communications, current directors and officers, the latest annual report, and an agreement among members. Inspection is during regular business hours at the principal office after at least five business days’ written notice to the corporation.

Section 10-11602(B) covers other excerpts from permanent board and member action records, accounting records, the member list, and the most recent financial statements showing assets, liabilities, and operations in reasonable detail. The six-month and notice conditions still apply. For this tier, subsection (C) also requires a good-faith demand for a proper purpose, a reasonably particular description of purpose and records, and records directly connected to that purpose. Inspection is at a reasonable location the corporation specifies.

Copies, statements, and court relief

A member's agent or attorney has the same inspection right. Section 10-11603 allows reasonable photographic or other copies and a charge for labor and materials no greater than the estimated production or reproduction cost. For the member record, the corporation may provide a list compiled no earlier than the demand date. Section 10-11601(D) also requires records kept in other forms to be convertible into writing within a reasonable time.

Section 10-11620 provides a separate written-demand route for the latest annual balance sheet and operations statement, alongside the conditional inspection of detailed statements in § 10-11602(B)(4). A certified public accountant's report accompanies statements the accountant reported on. Otherwise the president or accounting-records custodian must state the preparation basis and any inconsistency with the preceding year's basis. Articles or bylaws of a corporation organized primarily for religious purposes may provide otherwise.

If core-record access is refused, § 10-11604(A) permits a summary court order at corporate expense in the county of the corporation's known place of business. For other records, subsection (B) provides an expedited application after a reasonable-time refusal. An inspection order brings costs and reasonable attorney fees unless the corporation proves a good-faith, reasonable doubt about the right; a substantially denied request may shift costs to the member. The court may restrict record use or distribution.

What trips people up

The six-month condition reaches both tiers. Section 10-11602(A) places it on core-record access, and subsection (B) repeats it for the conditional records. The statute's religious-corporation exception permits articles or bylaws to limit or abolish this inspection right. Without express board permission, rural electric cooperative members cannot inspect the listed personnel, medical, attorney communications, litigation, and enforcement materials. This section does not govern condominium or planned-community corporations, or timeshare plans and associations subject to the cited Title 33 chapters (§ 10-11602(E)–(H)).

The member list has a use limit. Without board consent, § 10-11605 forbids obtaining or using it for a purpose unrelated to a member's interest. It also bars the specified solicitation, commercial use, and sale or purchase; its timeshare exception applies to the list rule too.

Common questions

Can my attorney inspect for me?

Yes. Section 10-11603(A) gives a member's agent or attorney the member's inspection and copying rights.

Does the corporation have to hand over its original member ledger?

Section 10-11603(D) allows the corporation to satisfy a demand for the member record with a member list compiled no earlier than the demand date. The demand still follows § 10-11602(B)–(C).

Statutes and sources

• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 10-11601: Official Arizona statute, accessed 2026-10-02.
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 10-11602: Official Arizona statute, accessed 2026-10-02.
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 10-11603: Official Arizona statute, accessed 2026-10-02.
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 10-11604: Official Arizona statute, accessed 2026-10-02.
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 10-11605: Official Arizona statute, accessed 2026-10-02.
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 10-11620: Official Arizona statute, accessed 2026-10-02.