Articles of Incorporation - California

CALIFORNIA ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION PREPARATION PACKET

CUSTOM CAPITALIZATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL-PROVISIONS VERSION

Do not file this packet. It collects facts and drafting decisions for a
California corporation that may need more than a basic one-class filing.
California counsel must transfer approved terms into the current official
filing workflow or a counsel-approved attachment.

1. Packet Control

• Proposed corporation name: [________________________________]
• Matter number: [________________________________]
• Prepared by: [________________________________]
• Preparation date: [__/__/____]
• California counsel: [________________________________]
• Target filing date: [__/__/____]
• Current official filing page or form reviewed on: [__/__/____]
• Proposed filing version: [________________________________]

2. Entity Classification Gate

Select the proposed entity class:

• ☐ Ordinary general-stock corporation
• ☐ Close corporation
• ☐ Professional corporation
• ☐ Nonprofit or public-benefit entity — stop and use the correct workflow
• ☐ Bank, trust company, insurer, utility, or regulated entity
• ☐ Corporation requiring another agency's approval
• ☐ Foreign corporation rather than a new California corporation
• ☐ Classification unresolved

Business and regulated activities: [________________________________]

Excluded or separately regulated activities: [________________________]

Counsel-approved entity class: [________________________________]

Required official form, online workflow, or agency approval: [_________]

Do not use a general-stock purpose, share, liability, or signature field until
the entity class is resolved.

3. Name and Identity Review

• Proposed legal name: [________________________________]
• Alternate names checked: [________________________________]
• Name-search date and source: [________________________________]
• Restricted, licensed, professional, or governmental wording: [___________]
• Trademark or brand review: [________________________________]
• Domain and assumed-name plan: [________________________________]
• Counsel-approved filing name: [________________________________]

A preliminary name search is not recorded here as final approval.

4. Purpose and Duration

• Proposed business purpose: [________________________________]
• General-purpose language requested: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• Purpose limitation required by entity or license class: [________________]
• Perpetual duration requested: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• Limited duration or termination event: [________________________________]
• Agency or regulator approval attached: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A

Counsel-approved purpose and duration text: [__________________________]

5. Agent and Initial Addresses

Agent for Service of Process

• Agent type: ☐ Individual ☐ Registered corporate agent
• Exact legal name: [________________________________]
• California street address, if applicable: [_____________________________]
• Consent or service agreement confirmed: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• Current filing treatment verified: [________________________________]

Initial Office and Mailing Information

• Principal-office street address: [________________________________]
• Mailing address: [________________________________]
• Records address: [________________________________]
• Other address required by current workflow: [___________________________]

6. Custom Capitalization Plan

6.1 Authorized Shares

6.2 Rights Requiring Exact Drafting

For every class or series, address:

• dividend priority and participation;
• liquidation preference and participation;
• voting, class voting, protective provisions, and consent thresholds;
• conversion formula, adjustments, and procedure;
• redemption trigger, price, funding, and restrictions;
• seniority, parity, and junior relationships;
• board designation or observer rights;

• transfer, first-refusal, co-sale, drag-along, or other rights that belong in
  another agreement rather than the articles;

• blank-check or future-series authority, if proposed;

• fractional-share treatment; and
• amendment protection.

Securities and tax advisors: [________________________________]

Approved capitalization attachment: [________________________________]

No preferred or special class should be created by label alone.

7. Optional Supplemental Charter Provisions

Each option remains a planning item until California counsel supplies exact
current authority and filing language.

Do not insert a Delaware charter clause merely because it is familiar. The
selected provision must fit the California entity, current law, filing
workflow, securities structure, and related agreements.

8. Governance Document Allocation

Identify where each term belongs:

The articles should not silently absorb terms that require party consent,
separate signatures, recurring administration, or securities documentation.

9. Incorporator, Directors, and Execution

• Incorporator legal name: [________________________________]
• Incorporator address: [________________________________]
• Initial directors named in articles: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• Initial directors and addresses, if required: [__________________________]
• Authorized signer: [________________________________]
• Signer capacity: [________________________________]
• Signature method approved: [________________________________]
• Notarization or acknowledgment required for this filing: [______________]
• Penalty or declaration language required by current workflow: [_________]
• Delayed effectiveness or future event requested: [______________________]
• Counsel-approved execution text: [________________________________]

10. Filing Assembly

Submission method and account owner: [________________________________]

Certified copy or evidence requested: [________________________________]

11. Securities, Tax, and Ownership Workstream

Before any share is issued, record:

• initial purchasers and beneficial owners;
• number, class, price, and form of consideration;
• valuation and capitalization table;
• securities-law exemption and required notices;
• board and shareholder approvals;
• subscription, purchase, investor-rights, voting, or restriction agreements;
• tax elections and reporting;
• intellectual-property assignments;
• founder and service-provider vesting;
• stock ledger and certificate or uncertificated-share notices; and
• conflict, related-party, and fiduciary review.

Responsible advisors and deadlines: [________________________________]

The filing alone does not complete an equity issuance or organizational
closing.

12. Post-Filing Organization Plan

• Filing acceptance evidence: [________________________________]
• Initial board action: [________________________________]
• Bylaws: [________________________________]
• Officers: [________________________________]
• Banking authority: [________________________________]
• Tax and employer registrations: [________________________________]
• Initial ownership records: [________________________________]
• Licenses and permits: [________________________________]
• Beneficial-ownership or other reporting analysis: [_____________________]
• Statement or periodic report calendar: [________________________________]
• Foreign qualification: [________________________________]
• Insurance: [________________________________]

13. Counsel Completion Gate

• ☐ Entity class and regulated activity are resolved.
• ☐ The current official filing route and required fields were checked.

• ☐ Name, purpose, agent, addresses, incorporator, execution, and
  effectiveness fields are complete.

• ☐ Every share class and series is fully drafted and reconciled.

• ☐ Optional charter terms use current California-specific authority.
• ☐ Terms belonging in bylaws or separate agreements were moved there.
• ☐ Securities, tax, ownership, IP, and organizational actions are scheduled.
• ☐ Filing fee, attachments, and submission method are current.
• ☐ No unresolved field remains in the filing version.

Reviewing attorney: [________________________________]

California bar number: [________________________________]

Review date: [__/__/____]

Approved filing document and version: [________________________________]

End of preparation packet. Do not add an incorporator signature to this packet.