Section 401.
Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 401.
in effect(a)
Before any corporation issues any shares of any class or series of which the rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions, or any of them, or the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of the series, are not set forth in its articles but are fixed in a resolution adopted by the board pursuant to authority given by its articles, an officers’ certificate shall be executed and filed, setting forth: (1) a copy of the resolution; (2) the number of shares of the class or series; and (3) that none of the shares of the
class or series has been issued.
(b)
After any certificate of determination has been filed, but before the corporation issues any shares of the class or series covered thereby, the board may alter or revoke any right, preference, privilege, or restriction fixed or determined by the resolution set forth therein by the adoption of another resolution appropriate for that purpose and the execution and filing of an officers’ certificate setting forth a copy of the resolution, and stating that none of the shares of the class or the series affected has been issued.
(c)
After any certificate of determination has been filed, the board may, if authorized in the articles pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 202, increase or decrease the number of shares constituting any series, by the adoption of another resolution appropriate for that purpose and the execution and filing of an officers’
certificate setting forth a copy of the resolution, the number of shares of the series then outstanding and the increase or decrease in the number of shares constituting the series. If any certificate of determination has been incorporated in restated articles filed pursuant to Section 910, the action authorized by this subdivision may, notwithstanding Section 902, be accomplished by an amendment of the articles approved by the board alone.
(d)
After shares of a class or series have been issued, the provisions of the resolution set forth in a certificate of determination may be amended only by the adoption and approval of an amendment in accordance with Section 902, 903, or 904 and the filing of a certificate of amendment in accordance with Sections 905 and 908. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a certificate to increase or decrease the number of shares of a series also may be filed as permitted by subdivision (c).
(e)
A provision in a certificate of determination being amended pursuant to subdivision (b), (c), or (d) shall be identified in the amendment in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 907.
(f)
If a certificate is filed pursuant to subdivision (c) to decrease the number of shares of a series to zero, the certificate of determination whereby the series was established is thereupon no longer in force and the series is no longer an authorized series of the corporation.
(g)
If the rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the class or series contain a supermajority vote provision, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 710, subject to Section 710, the officers’ certificate shall also state that the provision has been approved by the shareholders in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section
710.
References
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 202.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 910.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 902.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 903.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 904.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 905.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 908.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 907.
referencesCal. Corporations Code - CORP § 710.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026