Corporation Charter Amendment and Name-Change Packet
WASHINGTON CORPORATION CHARTER AMENDMENT AND NAME-CHANGE PACKET
Classification comes first. Use for articles amending the articles of incorporation of a Washington domestic profit corporation. Do not use a charter amendment merely to change current registered-agent, annual-report, tax, licensing, foreign-registration, or bylaw information.
Scope gate. Excludes nonprofit, professional-service, social-purpose, regulated, insolvent, disputed-control, and defective-corporate-action matters unless Washington counsel supplies the correct route.
Keep any internal bylaw change separate and cross-reference the universal amendment to bylaws.
1. ENTITY AND CHANGE INTAKE
| Item | Current information | Proposed information |
|---|---|---|
| Exact corporate name | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| UBI number | [________________________________] | N/A |
| Formation date | [__/__/____] | N/A |
| Shares issued | ☐ Yes ☐ No | N/A |
| Authorized / outstanding shares | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Voting groups / classes / series | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Requested effective date | N/A | [__/__/____] |
Business reason: [____________________________________________________________]
Capitalization, contracts, financing, tax, licenses, or foreign registrations affected: [____________________________________________________________]
☐ Secretary of State record, original articles, every amendment/restatement, bylaws, stock ledger, voting agreements, and class/series terms reviewed.
☐ Proposed text is authorized under RCW 23B.10.010 and could lawfully appear in original articles when filed.
2. FILING CLASSIFICATION
| Change | Primary route to evaluate | Selected |
|---|---|---|
| Legal corporate name | Articles of Amendment under chapter 23B.10 RCW | ☐ |
| Authorized shares or charter rights | Articles of Amendment plus securities/tax review | ☐ |
| Consolidation of operative articles | Restated Articles under RCW 23B.10.070 | ☐ |
| Current registered agent or office | Dedicated registered-agent filing | ☐ |
| Officer/director or annual-report data | Annual-report process | ☐ |
| Governance provision found only in bylaws | Separate bylaw amendment | ☐ |
3. WASHINGTON APPROVAL GATE
Select and document the route that applies.
☐ Before share issuance — RCW 23B.10.050. Board adopted the amendment, or incorporators adopted it because initial directors were neither named nor elected.
☐ Board-only listed change — RCW 23B.10.020. The articles do not provide otherwise, and the exact statutory category is: [________________________________].
Washington expressly permits a board-only amendment changing the corporate name unless the articles provide otherwise. Do not treat that exception as authority for an unrelated charter change.
☐ Board and shareholders — RCW 23B.10.030. The board approved the amendment first, submitted it to shareholders, and made the required recommendation or informed shareholders why it proceeded without one.
Formation-date threshold gate
☐ Formed before August 1, 2024. Default approval is two-thirds of votes entitled to be cast and two-thirds of each other separately voting group; a public company's default is a majority. A valid different articles or board condition may apply, but the articles may not reduce the requirement below a majority of all votes entitled to be cast by each required voting group.
☐ Formed on or after August 1, 2024. Default approval is a majority of votes entitled to be cast and a majority of each other separately voting group, unless the articles or board require a greater vote.
| Voting group | Votes entitled | Votes for | Required threshold | Approved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Designation] | [____] | [____] | [____] | ☐ |
| [Designation] | [____] | [____] | [____] | ☐ |
☐ Separate voting-group rights under RCW 23B.10.040 and every articles- or board-imposed threshold independently reviewed.
☐ Meeting notice went to each shareholder, regardless of voting entitlement, stated that amendment consideration was a purpose, and included or accompanied a copy of the amendment.
Board resolution
The Board adopts the amendment in Section 4, directs shareholder submission where required, and authorizes [NAME/TITLE] to complete and file the Articles of Amendment after every condition is satisfied.
| Director | Vote | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | ☐ For ☐ Against ☐ Abstain | [________________] | [__/__/____] |
| [Name] | ☐ For ☐ Against ☐ Abstain | [________________] | [__/__/____] |
4. AMENDMENT TEXT AND NAME CHECK
| Article / section | Existing text | Action | Complete final text |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Designation] | [Text] | ☐ Replace ☐ Add ☐ Delete | [Text] |
| [Designation] | [Text] | ☐ Replace ☐ Add ☐ Delete | [Text] |
Proposed legal name: [________________________________]
☐ Washington entity records checked on [__/__/____].
☐ Trademark, trade-name, domain, licensing, contract, financing, and foreign-jurisdiction conflicts separately reviewed.
A name search or reservation is a dated administrative check, not a guarantee of acceptance or legal rights.
5. ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT REVIEW — RCW 23B.10.060
| Required filing fact | Verified value |
|---|---|
| Current corporate name | [________________________________] |
| UBI number | [________________________________] |
| Complete text of each amendment | [________________________________] |
| Exchange/reclassification implementation / N/A | [________________________________] |
| Adoption date | [__/__/____] |
| Board/incorporator or shareholder approval statement | [________________________________] |
| Requested effective date / filing date | [________________________________] |
| Authorized person | [________________________________] |
☐ Approval checkbox and adoption date match the corporate records.
☐ Shareholder-approved filing states due approval under RCW 23B.10.030 and 23B.10.040.
☐ Board/incorporator filing states that shareholder approval was not required.
☐ Any exchange, reclassification, or cancellation implementation terms are included if not contained in the amendment itself.
6. RESTATEMENT ALTERNATIVE — RCW 23B.10.070
☐ Restatement considered because the operative articles are fragmented.
☐ Any new board-only amendment was adopted by the board; any new shareholder-required amendment was adopted under RCW 23B.10.030.
☐ Restated text and the required certificate statements are complete and executed.
☐ Duly adopted restated articles will supersede the original articles and all amendments.
7. FILING AND ACCEPTANCE
As of 2026-07-29, the official form revised June 2025 states a $30 standard filing fee and an optional additional $100 expedited-service fee. A specified future effective date cannot be more than 90 days after receipt. Recheck the current form, fees, filing channel, and instructions immediately before submission.
| Item | Record |
|---|---|
| Filing method | [Online/Mail/In person] |
| Submission date | [__/__/____] |
| Filing / expedited fee | $[________] as of [__/__/____] |
| Filed / effective date | [________________________________] |
| Secretary of State confirmation | [________________________________] |
☐ Accepted copy and payment record saved.
☐ Rejection corrections remain within approved authority; material changes return for renewed approval.
8. CONFORMING RECORDS AND NOTICE LOG
☐ Minute book, operative articles, bylaws, stock ledger, capitalization table, certificates, equity plans, and authority records updated.
☐ Banks, insurers, contracts, lenders, landlords, vendors, customers, payroll, benefits, tax agencies, licenses, permits, trade names, and foreign registrations reviewed for separate notice or amendment.
| Recipient / system | Required action | Owner | Due | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | [Action] | [Name] | [__/__/____] | ☐ |
| [Name] | [Action] | [Name] | [__/__/____] | ☐ |
9. COMPLETION CERTIFICATE
The undersigned confirms that the filing was correctly classified; the articles, bylaws, and equity records were reviewed; every required incorporator, board, shareholder, voting-group, and contractual approval was documented; the accepted filing is retained; and conforming updates are complete or assigned.
Authorized person: [________________________________]
Signature: [________________________________] Date: [__/__/____]
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
- Washington Legislature — chapter 23B.10 RCW
- Washington Secretary of State — Profit Corporation Articles of Amendment
Statutes, form, and stated fees verified 2026-07-29; recheck all filing facts immediately before submission.
About This Template
Corporate documents govern how a company makes decisions, records them, and handles disputes between owners, directors, and officers. Proper corporate paperwork is what lets a business take advantage of limited liability, pass clean audits, and survive an acquisition or investor review. Skipping formalities like written resolutions and signed consents is one of the fastest ways for a business owner to lose personal asset protection.
Important Notice
This template is provided for informational purposes. It is not legal advice. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Last updated: July 2026
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