(a) Unless otherwise provided, any corporation, not of a business character, may alter or amend its charter whenever not less than three fourths in number of its members, in case of corporations having no central or general governing body, or where such corporations have a central or general governing body, then whenever not less than three fourths of the first four principal officers of such central or general governing body, shall file in the office of the judge of probate of the county wherein the original declaration of incorporation was filed or in cases where the charter was granted by an act of the Legislature, prior to the adoption of the Constitution in 1901, in the Office of the Secretary of State, a declaration in writing signed by them setting forth:
(1) When such corporation was organized, its name and what changes, if any, it is desired to make in such name;
(2) The purposes of such corporation as the same are set forth in the original declaration of incorporation, and the alterations and the amendments thereof, if any are desired;
(3) If it is desired to increase its powers as to the holding of real estate in area and value and of personal property in value, such declaration shall set forth the limitations prescribed as to these matters in the original articles of incorporation, and any amendments heretofore made thereto, and shall also set forth the increase in area of real property it is desired to acquire and hold, together with the purposes for which it is desired, and the increase in value of personal property desired to be acquired and held, and the purpose for which it is desired, and if such purposes as so declared are not violative of any of the laws or public policies of the State of Alabama, the filing of such declaration shall authorize and empower such corporation to acquire and hold such additional real estate and personal property.
But no such change or alteration in the charter or the character of any corporation shall authorize it to exercise any power or to do any acts which similar corporations are not authorized to do under the laws existing at the time such alteration or amendment may be made, nor to decrease its capital stock below the minimum fixed by existing laws.
(b) The declaration provided in subsection (a) shall be verified by the affidavit of some one or more of the signers, stating that the statements contained therein are true, and the signers thereof signed the same in the presence of affiant, or acknowledged their signatures thereto to him; and upon the filing of such declaration in the office of the judge of probate or Secretary of State, as the case may be, it shall be the duty of such officer to issue a certificate, certifying that such corporation under its new name and style, is duly authorized to do business with the powers and capacity conferred after such alterations and amendments. Such declaration and certificate must be recorded in the office of the judge of probate or the Secretary of State, in and from which the same are filed and issued.
(c) The provisions of this section are cumulative and shall not be construed to repeal or supersede any laws not directly inconsistent herewith.
Structure Code of Alabama