Nonprofit Corporation Member Books and Records Inspection in Oregon
At a glance
| Eligible member and corporation | Chapter 65 corporation member; religious articles/bylaws and specified political or social-action public benefit articles may restrict identified rights (§ 65.774(1),(5)) |
|---|---|
| Routine records | Current articles/bylaws, member-rights resolutions, 3 years of member minutes/communications, leader contacts, recent annual financials/reports, annual registry report (§§ 65.771(5), .774(1)) |
| Purpose-conditioned records | Other member/board/committee action excerpts, accounting records and membership list under proper-purpose conditions (§ 65.774(2)–(3)) |
| Demand form and notice | Written notice of demand at least 5 business days ahead for both tiers; conditional demand particularizes purpose and records (§ 65.774(1)–(3)) |
| Purpose, tenure, and connection | Conditional tier: good faith, proper purpose, reasonable particularity and direct connection; no member-tenure threshold stated (§ 65.774(3)) |
| Place, representatives, and delivery | Reasonable time and corporation-specified reasonable location; agent or attorney same rights; recent member list may be furnished (§§ 65.774(1)–(2), .777(1),(4)) |
| Copies, conversion, and cost | Records convertible into writing within reasonable time; reasonable photographic/other copies; labor/material charge capped at estimated production or reproduction cost (§§ 65.771(4), .777(2)–(3)) |
| Member list and confidentiality | Board-consent limits unrelated/commercial/sale use; meeting list has separate written-demand route; religious and specified political/social-action corporations may restrict list access (§§ 65.224, .774(5), .782) |
| Financial statements | Last three annual statements and accountant reports, if any, kept among routine inspectable records; no standalone statement-delivery clock stated (§§ 65.771(5)(g)–(h), .774(1)) |
| Court remedy and special rules | Circuit court in principal-office county or registered-office county; summary core order, other-record order, prevailing-party fees discretionary; 5-day corporate hearing notice unless court changes it (§ 65.781) |
Requirements one by one
Two records tiers
Oregon ORS 65.774(1) lets a member inspect and copy the records described in ORS 65.771(5) after written notice at least five business days before inspection. These include current articles and bylaws, member-rights resolutions, three years of member minutes and written communications, current director and officer contacts, up to three annual financial statements and accountant reports, and the latest annual registry report. Inspection is at a reasonable time and corporation-specified location.
Other member, director, and committee action excerpts, accounting records, and the membership list use § 65.774(2). Written notice remains due five business days ahead; subsection (3) adds good faith, a proper purpose, a reasonably particular description, and a direct connection between records and purpose. The corporation may supply a member list compiled no earlier than the demand. An agent or attorney shares the inspection right.
Copies, lists, and relief
Records kept in another form must be convertible to writing within a reasonable time. Reasonable photographic or other copies are included. The corporation may charge labor and material costs, no more than estimated production or reproduction cost. Without board consent, ORS 65.782 limits unrelated, commercial, and sale or purchase uses of a member list. ORS 65.224 separately governs a meeting list, its demand and copying rights, and an injunction route if refused.
If the corporation denies a qualifying demand, ORS 65.781 allows the circuit court in the principal-office county, or the registered-office county if there is no Oregon principal office, to order access. It may summarily order core records at corporate expense. The court may award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party and restrict use or distribution. The corporation ordinarily receives at least five days’ hearing notice, unless the court fixes another period.
What trips people up
Articles or bylaws of a religious corporation may limit or abolish the § 65.774 member right. Articles of a public benefit corporation organized primarily for political or social action may limit contributor-identity and membership-list access under the conditions in § 65.774(5)(b). Recent financial statements, if any, are among the routine records; the cited section does not create a separate mailing deadline for them.
Statutes and sources
- Or. Rev. Stat. § 65.771: Oregon Legislature, accessed 2026-10-02.
- Or. Rev. Stat. § 65.774: Oregon Legislature, accessed 2026-10-02.
- Or. Rev. Stat. § 65.777: Oregon Legislature, accessed 2026-10-02.
- Or. Rev. Stat. § 65.781: Oregon Legislature, accessed 2026-10-02.
- Or. Rev. Stat. § 65.782: Oregon Legislature, accessed 2026-10-02.
- Or. Rev. Stat. § 65.224: Oregon Legislature, accessed 2026-10-02.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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