Document Genius

Free Arizona Corporate Bylaws Template

Corporate bylaws set the internal rules your Arizona corporation runs on, from board votes to officer duties. Build yours in minutes with Document Genius's step-by-step questionnaire.

  • Download as PDF and Word
  • E-sign included

How It Works

1

Select Your Template

Choose the state or form type you need to start.

2

Fill In Your Details

Answer a few simple questions to customize your form.

3

Get Your Form

Download or print your custom document in PDF or Word.

What Are Corporate Bylaws in Arizona?

Corporate bylaws are the internal rulebook an Arizona corporation adopts to govern itself. Under Arizona Revised Statutes section 10-206, the board of directors must adopt initial bylaws for the corporation.

Beyond that, the statute is permissive. Arizona corporate bylaws may carry any provision for managing the business and regulating the corporation’s affairs, as long as it does not conflict with Arizona law or your articles of incorporation.

Arizona Requirements for Corporate Bylaws

The state keeps its bylaws rules short, so three points cover almost everything a new corporation needs.

Who Adopts the Initial Bylaws

Arizona hands this job to the board rather than the incorporators. Section 10-206(A) states that the board of directors shall adopt initial bylaws for the corporation. Most Arizona corporations therefore handle it at the first organizational meeting of the board.

Who Can Amend or Repeal Them

Both the board and the shareholders can. Section 10-1020 gives the board power to amend or repeal bylaws, subject to two limits: the articles of incorporation may reserve that power exclusively to shareholders, or the shareholders may state expressly that the board cannot amend a particular bylaw. Shareholders keep their own amendment power either way, even when the board also holds it.

Where the Bylaws Must Be Kept

Arizona is unusually flexible here. Section 10-1601(E) requires a corporation to keep its current bylaws, including all amendments in effect, at its principal office, its known place of business, or its agent’s office. That third option helps corporations managed from outside the state.

Do You File Corporate Bylaws in Arizona?

No. Arizona corporate bylaws stay inside the company and never go to the Arizona Corporation Commission. The Commission receives your articles of incorporation instead.

That does not make bylaws optional, though. Section 10-206(A) still directs the board to adopt them, and section 10-1601 still requires a current copy to be kept on hand.

Keep a signed, dated copy of your bylaws with your corporate records, along with every amendment. Because Arizona lets you store them at your agent’s office, confirm who holds the current version before an audit or a financing round.

How to Adopt Corporate Bylaws in Arizona

Adopting bylaws is a board action, not a filing, so the sequence is short.

  1. Form the corporation. File your articles of incorporation with the Arizona Corporation Commission first, since the board named in those articles adopts the bylaws.
  2. Draft the bylaws. Cover meetings, quorum, director terms, officer roles, and how shares are handled.
  3. Hold the organizational board meeting. This is where the board takes up the bylaws.
  4. Adopt them by board resolution. Record the vote in your minutes so the adoption date is clear.
  5. Sign and date the final version. Signatures are not required by statute, but they help show who approved what.
  6. Store the current copy at your principal office, your known place of business, or your agent’s office.