Code of Virginia
Chapter 10 - Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act
§ 13.1-819. Articles of incorporation

A. The articles of incorporation shall set forth:
1. A corporate name for the corporation that satisfies the requirements of § 13.1-829.
2. If the corporation is to have no members, a statement to that effect.
3. If the corporation is to have one or more classes of members, any provision which the incorporators elect to set forth in the articles of incorporation or, if the articles of incorporation so provide, in the bylaws designating the class or classes of members, stating the qualifications and rights of the members of each class and conferring, limiting or denying the right to vote.
4. If the directors or any of them are not to be elected or appointed by one or more classes of members, a statement of the manner in which such directors shall be elected or appointed, and a designation of ex officio directors, if any.
5. The address of the corporation's initial registered office (including both (i) the post-office address with street and number, if any, and (ii) the name of the city or county in which it is located), and the name of its initial registered agent at that office, and that the agent is either (i) an individual who is a resident of Virginia and either a director of the corporation or a member of the Virginia State Bar or (ii) a domestic or foreign stock or nonstock corporation, limited liability company or registered limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth.
B. The articles of incorporation may set forth:
1. The names and addresses of the individuals who are to serve as the initial directors;
2. Provisions not inconsistent with law:
a. Stating the purpose or purposes for which the corporation is organized;
b. Regarding the management of the business and regulation of the affairs of the corporation;
c. Defining, limiting and regulating the powers of the corporation, its directors, and its members; and
d. Any provision that under this Act is required or permitted to be set forth in the bylaws.
C. The articles of incorporation need not set forth any of the corporate powers enumerated in this Act.
D. Provisions of the articles of incorporation may be made dependent upon facts objectively ascertainable outside the articles of incorporation in accordance with subsection L of § 13.1-804.
E. Except as provided in subsection A of § 13.1-855, whenever a provision of the articles of incorporation is inconsistent with a bylaw, the provision of the articles of incorporation shall be controlling.
Code 1950, § 13.1-231; 1956, c. 428; 1958, c. 564; 1975, c. 500; 1982, c. 182; 1985, c. 522; 1986, c. 622; 1993, c. 113; 2000, c. 162; 2001, cc. 517, 541; 2007, c. 925.

Structure Code of Virginia

Code of Virginia

Title 13.1 - Corporations

Chapter 10 - Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act

§ 13.1-801. Short title

§ 13.1-802. Reservation of power to amend or repeal

§ 13.1-803. Definitions

§ 13.1-804. Filing requirements

§ 13.1-804.1. Filing with the Commission pursuant to reorganization

§ 13.1-805. Issuance of certificate by Commission; recordation of documents

§ 13.1-806. Effective time and date of document

§ 13.1-807. Correcting filed articles

§ 13.1-808. Evidentiary effect of copy of filed document

§ 13.1-809. Certificate of good standing

§ 13.1-810. Notices and other communications

§ 13.1-810.1. Number of members

§ 13.1-811. Penalty for signing false documents

§ 13.1-812. Unlawful to transact or offer to transact business as a corporation unless authorized

§ 13.1-813. Hearing and finality of Commission action; injunctions

§ 13.1-814. Shares of stock and dividends prohibited

§ 13.1-814.1. Special provisions for community associations

§ 13.1-815. Fees to be collected by Commission; payment of fees prerequisite to Commission action; exceptions

§ 13.1-815.1. Charter and entrance fees for corporations

§ 13.1-816. Fees for filing documents or issuing certificates

§ 13.1-817. Repealed

§ 13.1-818. Incorporators

§ 13.1-819. Articles of incorporation

§ 13.1-820. Issuance of certificate of incorporation

§ 13.1-821. Liability for preincorporation transactions

§ 13.1-822. Organization of corporation

§ 13.1-823. Bylaws

§ 13.1-824. Emergency bylaws

§ 13.1-825. Purposes

§ 13.1-826. General powers

§ 13.1-827. Emergency powers

§ 13.1-828. Ultra vires

§ 13.1-829. Corporate name

§ 13.1-830. Reserved name

§ 13.1-831. Registered name

§ 13.1-832. Repealed

§ 13.1-833. Registered office and registered agent

§ 13.1-834. Change of registered office or registered agent

§ 13.1-835. Resignation of registered agent

§ 13.1-836. Service on corporation

§ 13.1-837. Members

§ 13.1-838. Annual meeting

§ 13.1-839. Special meeting

§ 13.1-840. Court-ordered meeting

§ 13.1-841. Corporate action without meeting

§ 13.1-842. Notice of meeting

§ 13.1-843. Waiver of notice

§ 13.1-844. Record date

§ 13.1-844.1. Conduct of the meeting

§ 13.1-844.2. Remote participation in annual and special meetings

§ 13.1-845. Members' list for meeting

§ 13.1-846. Voting entitlement of members

§ 13.1-847. Proxies

§ 13.1-847.1. Voting procedures and inspectors of elections

§ 13.1-848. Corporation's acceptance of votes

§ 13.1-849. Quorum and voting requirements for voting groups

§ 13.1-850. Action by single and multiple voting groups

§ 13.1-851. Change in quorum or voting requirements

§ 13.1-852. Voting for directors; cumulative voting

§ 13.1-852.1. Member or director agreements

§ 13.1-852.2. Voting agreements

§ 13.1-853. Requirement for and duties of board of directors

§ 13.1-854. Qualification of directors

§ 13.1-855. Number and election of directors

§ 13.1-856. Election of directors by certain classes of members

§ 13.1-857. Terms of directors generally

§ 13.1-858. Staggered terms of directors

§ 13.1-859. Resignation of directors

§ 13.1-860. Removal of directors

§ 13.1-861. Judicial review of elections

§ 13.1-862. Vacancy on board of directors

§ 13.1-863. Compensation of directors

§ 13.1-864. Meetings of the board of directors

§ 13.1-865. Action without meeting of board of directors

§ 13.1-866. Notice of board of directors' meetings

§ 13.1-867. Waiver of notice by director

§ 13.1-868. Quorum and voting by directors

§ 13.1-869. Committees

§ 13.1-870. General standards of conduct for directors

§ 13.1-870.1. Limitation on liability of officers and directors; exception

§ 13.1-870.2. Limitation on liability of officers and directors; additional exception

§ 13.1-871. Director conflict of interests

§ 13.1-871.1. Business opportunities

§ 13.1-872. Required officers

§ 13.1-873. Duties of officers

§ 13.1-874. Resignation and removal of officers

§ 13.1-875. Definitions

§ 13.1-876. Authority to indemnify

§ 13.1-877. Mandatory indemnification

§ 13.1-878. Advance for expenses

§ 13.1-879. Repealed

§ 13.1-879.1. Court orders for advances, reimbursement or indemnification

§ 13.1-880. Determination and authorization of indemnification

§ 13.1-881. Indemnification of officers

§ 13.1-882. Insurance

§ 13.1-883. Application of article

§ 13.1-884. Authority to amend articles of incorporation

§ 13.1-885. Amendment of articles of incorporation by directors

§ 13.1-886. Amendment of articles of incorporation by directors and members

§ 13.1-887. Voting on amendments by voting groups

§ 13.1-887.1. Amendment prior to organization

§ 13.1-888. Articles of amendment

§ 13.1-889. Restated articles of incorporation

§ 13.1-890. Repealed

§ 13.1-891. Effect of amendment of articles of incorporation

§ 13.1-892. Amendment of bylaws by board of directors or members

§ 13.1-893. Bylaw provisions increasing quorum or voting requirements for directors

§ 13.1-893.1. Definitions

§ 13.1-894. Merger

§ 13.1-895. Action on plan of merger

§ 13.1-896. Articles of merger

§ 13.1-897. Effect of merger

§ 13.1-897.1. Abandonment of a merger

§ 13.1-898. Repealed

§ 13.1-898.1:1. Definitions

§ 13.1-898.2. Domestication

§ 13.1-898.3. Action on plan of domestication by a domestic corporation

§ 13.1-898.4. Articles of domestication

§ 13.1-898.5. Surrender of articles of incorporation upon domestication

§ 13.1-898.6. Effect of domestication

§ 13.1-898.7. Abandonment of domestication

§ 13.1-899. Sale of assets in regular course of business

§ 13.1-900. Sale of assets other than in regular course of business

§ 13.1-901. Sale of certain real property by incorporated educational institutions

§ 13.1-902. Dissolution by directors and members

§ 13.1-903. Dissolution by directors

§ 13.1-904. Articles of dissolution

§ 13.1-905. Revocation of dissolution

§ 13.1-906. Effect of dissolution

§ 13.1-907. Distribution and plan of distribution of assets

§ 13.1-908. Known claims against dissolved corporation

§ 13.1-908.1. Other claims against dissolved corporation

§ 13.1-908.2. Court proceedings

§ 13.1-908.3. Director duties

§ 13.1-909. Grounds for judicial dissolution

§ 13.1-910. Receivership or custodianship

§ 13.1-911. Decree of dissolution

§ 13.1-912. Articles of termination of corporate existence

§ 13.1-913. Termination of corporate existence by incorporators or initial directors

§ 13.1-914. Automatic termination of corporate existence

§ 13.1-915. Involuntary termination of corporate existence

§ 13.1-916. Reinstatement of a corporation that has ceased to exist

§ 13.1-917. Survival of remedy after termination of corporate existence

§ 13.1-918. Repealed

§ 13.1-919. Authority to transact business required

§ 13.1-920. Consequences of transacting business without authority

§ 13.1-921. Application for certificate of authority

§ 13.1-922. Amended certificate of authority

§ 13.1-923. Effect of certificate of authority

§ 13.1-924. Corporate name of foreign corporation

§ 13.1-925. Registered office and registered agent of foreign corporation

§ 13.1-926. Change of registered office or registered agent of a foreign corporation

§ 13.1-927. Resignation of registered agent of foreign corporation

§ 13.1-928. Service of process on foreign corporation

§ 13.1-928.1. Merger of foreign corporation authorized to transact business in Commonwealth

§ 13.1-928.2. Entity conversion of foreign corporation authorized to transact business in Commonwealth

§ 13.1-929. Withdrawal of foreign corporation

§ 13.1-930. Automatic revocation of certificate of authority

§ 13.1-931. Involuntary revocation of certificate of authority

§ 13.1-931.1. Reinstatement of foreign corporation whose certificate of authority has been withdrawn or revoked

§ 13.1-932. Corporate records

§ 13.1-933. Inspection of records by members

§ 13.1-934. Scope of inspection right

§ 13.1-935. Court-ordered inspection

§ 13.1-935.1. Inspection of records by directors

§ 13.1-936. Annual report of domestic and foreign corporations

§ 13.1-936.1. Annual registration fees to be paid by domestic and foreign corporations; penalty for failure to pay timely

§ 13.1-936.2. Collection of unpaid bills for registration fees

§ 13.1-937. Application to existing corporations

§ 13.1-938. Application to certain social, patriotic and benevolent societies incorporated before year 1900; reports by such societies

§ 13.1-939. Saving provision

§ 13.1-940. Repealed

§ 13.1-941. Repealed

§ 13.1-941.01. Repealed

§ 13.1-944.1. Definitions

§ 13.1-944.2. Entity conversion

§ 13.1-944.3. Plan of entity conversion

§ 13.1-944.4. Action on plan of entity conversion

§ 13.1-944.5. Articles of entity conversion

§ 13.1-944.6. Effect of entity conversion

§ 13.1-944.7. Abandonment of entity conversion

§ 13.1-945. Property title records

§ 13.1-946. Reserved