Nonprofit Corporation Membership Exit and Termination in Ohio

Short answer Ohio lets a nonprofit corporation's regulations address admission, voluntary withdrawal, censure, suspension, and termination of membership. Membership may be terminated as law, the articles, or the regulations provide; the corporation must record the fact and date, and member rights generally cease unless its articles or regulations provide otherwise.

State

Ohio

Statute checked

October 3, 2026

Sources

4 statutes

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At a glance

Governing law and covered members	Ohio nonprofit corporation law; members hold rights under articles or regulations (§§ 1702.01(G), 1702.13).
Documents, classes, and decision maker	Regulations may set membership qualifications, exit, discipline, dues, classes, and rights; consult the articles and regulations for the decision maker (§§ 1702.11(A)(2)-(4), 1702.13(G)).
Transfer of membership rights	The membership provision specifies termination and member rights, without a transfer procedure; consult the articles and regulations (§§ 1702.11(A)(4), 1702.13).
Voluntary resignation	Regulations may provide for voluntary withdrawal; termination follows law, articles, or regulations (§§ 1702.11(A)(2), 1702.13(C)).
Expulsion, suspension, and termination	Regulations may cover censure, suspension, and termination; § 1702.13(C) defers termination manner to law, articles, or regulations.
Notice and opportunity to respond	The cited membership provisions set no fixed advance-notice or hearing schedule; check the corporation's articles and regulations (§§ 1702.11(A)(2), 1702.13(C)).
Rights and records after exit	Record the fact and date of termination; member rights and privileges cease unless articles or regulations provide otherwise (§ 1702.13(C)-(D)).
Dues and prior commitments	Regulations may address member fees and dues; the cited exit provision does not settle prior balances (§§ 1702.11(A)(3), 1702.13(C)-(D)).
Challenge period and remedy	The cited membership provisions give no special challenge period or review route; resolve any dispute under the applicable documents and law (§§ 1702.11(A)(2), 1702.13(C)).

Requirements one by one

Documents and exit decisions

Ohio calls its corporation-wide rules “regulations.” Section 1702.11(A)(2) expressly permits regulations to cover “voluntary withdrawal, censure, and suspension of members, and the termination of membership.” Section 1702.13(C) also recognizes termination in the manner provided by law, articles, or regulations. Neither provision identifies a universal decision maker or a fixed notice and hearing sequence for these events. Read the corporation's documents before sending a resignation or making a discipline decision.

Record and rights after termination

Under § 1702.13(C), the corporation records the fact and date of termination in its membership records. Section 1702.13(D) makes the member's rights and privileges in the corporation and its property cease on termination unless the articles or regulations say otherwise. The member record also identifies admission date and membership class under § 1702.13(A).

What trips people up

Section 1702.11(A)(3) permits regulations to address fees and dues, but § 1702.13(C)-(D) concerns membership status and rights. A person should check the governing documents and any existing commitment before assuming exit clears an unpaid amount. Under § 1702.14, directors are treated as members for statutory purposes when the corporation has no members as such; that rule does not create a separate member-exit procedure.

Common questions

Does a suspension end membership? Section 1702.11(A)(2) names suspension separately from termination. Check the regulations for the consequence of a particular action.

Can a former member keep voting? Section 1702.13(D) ends rights and privileges on termination unless the articles or regulations provide otherwise.

Where is termination recorded? Section 1702.13(C) requires the corporation to record the fact and date in its membership records.

Statutes and sources

Ohio Rev. Code § 1702.01(G)-(H), as amended by 129th G.A. H.B. 267, official enrolled act accessed October 3, 2026.
Ohio Rev. Code § 1702.11(A)(2)-(4), as amended by 126th G.A. H.B. 699, official enrolled act accessed October 3, 2026.
Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1702.13-.14, as amended by 123rd G.A. H.B. 597, official enrolled act accessed October 3, 2026.

Source links

Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.

Ohio Rev. Code § 1702.01(G)-(H) · accessed 2026-10-03

Ohio Rev. Code § 1702.11(A)(2)-(4) · accessed 2026-10-03

Ohio Rev. Code § 1702.13(A), (C)-(D), (G) · accessed 2026-10-03

Ohio Rev. Code § 1702.14 · accessed 2026-10-03

This page gives general information about ordinary nonprofit corporation membership law, not advice about a specific resignation, suspension, expulsion, or termination. Articles, bylaws, member class, specialized association law, and the facts of a particular decision may affect the result. A statutory procedure does not decide whether a particular decision was fair or lawful. Check current governing documents and official law with a licensed adviser before acting.

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