Nonprofit Corporation Membership Exit and Termination in Connecticut

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Document rules and transfers

The certificate names any member classes, while the certificate or bylaws set each class's selection method, qualifications, and rights (§ 33-1055). Under § 33-1056(a), the bylaws supply admission, retention, withdrawal, and expulsion rules. They must be reasonable, germane to the corporation's purposes, and equally enforced among members. The statute gives no universal board-only expulsion vote.

Section 33-1056(d) bars voluntary and involuntary transfer of membership or rights arising from it unless the certificate or bylaws provide otherwise. Under subsection (e), death, voluntary withdrawal, or expulsion ordinarily ends membership and all rights and privileges in the corporation and its property, subject to contrary document terms.

Remaining amounts due

Under § 33-1057(a)–(b), fines and dues require specially adopted bylaw authority, including two-thirds voting thresholds for affected member classes. Under § 33-1058(a), member liability with respect to membership is limited to duly imposed fines and penalties, and dues or assessments to which the member assented or that were properly imposed or levied. The effect of an exit on a particular amount turns on whether the obligation arose validly before departure.

What trips people up

Section 33-1056(c) allows the certificate to condition membership on good standing in another organization and to treat loss of that standing as sufficient cause for expulsion. The bylaw rules still must satisfy subsection (a)'s reasonableness, purpose, and equal-enforcement conditions. That section states no fixed advance notice or hearing interval; read the applicable bylaws before taking action.

The certificate must state if there are no members or only members without voting rights (§ 33-1055). A membership certificate merely evidences membership; it does not override the transfer rule in § 33-1056(d).

Common questions

Can a member transfer membership to a family member? Only if the certificate or bylaws permit it. Section 33-1056(d) covers voluntary and involuntary transfers alike.

Does a former member keep a vote or property privilege? Under the default in § 33-1056(e), rights and privileges cease after death, withdrawal, or expulsion, unless the governing documents provide otherwise.

Statutes and sources

• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 33-1055, classes; accessed October 3, 2026.
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 33-1056, membership rules; accessed October 3, 2026.
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 33-1057, dues and fines; accessed October 3, 2026.
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 33-1058, liability; accessed October 3, 2026.