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If you're incorporating as a C-Corp or S-Corp, chances are you have to create corporate bylaws. Most states require you to memorialize your bylaws and, even in the states where there is no such requirement, having bylaws is a great idea. After all, corporate bylaws define your business' structure, roles, and specifies how your company will conduct its affairs.

Creating and following your own bylaws is also a key ingredient of corporate compliance.  Along with keeping meeting minutes and regularly filing taxes, following your bylaws allows you to create unique rules and keep your business debts and assets separate from your personal ones.

Check our chart below to find out if your state requires you to create bylaws for your corporation:

State                Bylaws Required?     
Alabama Yes
Alaska No
Arizona Yes
Arkansas Yes
California No
Colorado No
Connecticut Yes
Delaware Yes
District of Columbia (DC)   Yes
Florida Yes
Georgia Yes
Hawaii Yes
Idaho Yes
Illinois Yes
Indiana Yes
Iowa Yes
Kansas No
Kentucky Yes
Louisiana No
Maine Yes
Maryland Yes
Massachusetts Yes
Michigan No
Minnesota No
Mississippi Yes
Missouri No
Montana Yes
Nebraska Yes
Nevada No
New Hampshire Yes
New Jersey Yes
New Mexico Yes
New York Yes
North Carolina Yes
North Dakota No
Ohio No
Oklahoma Yes
Oregon Yes
Pennsylvania No
Rhode Island No
South Carolina Yes
South Dakota Yes
Tennessee Yes
Texas Yes
Utah No
Vermont Yes
Virgnia Yes
Washington Yes
West Virginia Yes
Wisconsin No
Wyoming Yes

 

 

 

Keep in mind that you do not actually need to file these bylaws in any state. Simply create them, keep them with your records, and, by all means, follow them. You can visit our Corporate Compliance Center or our Incorporation Learning Center for more information.

 

This article contains general legal information and does not contain legal advice. Rocket Lawyer is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. The law is complex and changes often. For legal advice, please ask a lawyer.


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