Corporate bylaws are a company's foundational governing document. They lay out how things should run day-to-day and the processes for making important decisions. They serve as a legal contract between the corporation and its shareholders, directors, and officers and set the protocol for how the organization operates.
Creating by-laws When incorporating under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (NFP Act), you have to create by-laws. They set out the rules for governing and operating the corporation. They can be modified at a later date as the needs of the corporation change.
Corporations Code - CORP. TITLE 1 - CORPORATIONS. DIVISION 1 - GENERAL CORPORATION LAW.
The Delaware corporate code covers most of the topics normally addressed in the Bylaws. Therefore, if the Certificate of Incorporation sets forth the authorized number of directors there is no legal requirement that a corporation have bylaws.
It is important to realize, however, that bylaws are not required as a matter of law with one exception. Bylaws are required when the articles of incorporation do not specify the number of directors in a corporation.
By-laws Adoption. – Every corporation formed under this code, must, within one month after receipt of official notice of the issuance of its certificate of incorporation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, adopt a new code of by-laws for its government not inconsistent with this code.
California corporate bylaws are the agreed-upon rules for your corporation's operations. Bylaws create an organizational structure for your company and outline policies for appointing directors and officers, holding shareholder and board meetings, and handling conflicts of interest, among other issues.
California corporate name In such cases, the name must end with "Corporation," "Company," "Incorporated," "Limited" or an abbreviation thereof. The name must not be likely to mislead the public.
There's also the fact that if you don't list the number of directors in your Articles of Incorporation, you're legally required to list that information in your bylaws (see California Corp Code § 212). The bottom line: corporate bylaws are not legally required, but they're pretty much essential for your corporation.
Overall, a corporation has more structure and requires you to follow more formalities than with an LLC. See our article on how to form a California Corporation. A California LLC is formed by filing articles of organization with the state of California.