Virginia Law

Article 15. Records and Reports.

A. A corporation shall keep as permanent records minutes of all meetings of its members and board of directors, a record of all actions taken by the members or board of directors without a meeting, and a record of all actions taken by a committee of the board of directors in place of the board of directors on behalf of the corporation.

B. A corporation shall maintain appropriate accounting records.

C. A corporation or its agent shall maintain a record of its members, in a form that permits preparation of a list of the names and addresses of all members, in alphabetical order by class, if any.

D. A corporation shall maintain its records in written form or in another form capable of conversion into written form within a reasonable time.

E. A corporation shall keep a copy of the following records:

1. Its articles or restated articles of incorporation, all amendments to them currently in effect, and any notices to members referred to in subdivision L 5 of § 13.1-804 regarding facts on which a filed document is dependent;

2. Its bylaws or restated bylaws and all amendments to them currently in effect;

3. Resolutions adopted by its board of directors creating one or more classes of members, and fixing their relative rights, preferences, and limitations;

4. The minutes of all members' meetings, and records of all action taken by members without a meeting, for the past three years;

5. All written communications to members generally within the past three years;

6. A list of the names and business addresses of its current directors and officers; and

7. Its most recent annual report delivered to the Commission under § 13.1-936.

Code 1950, § 13.1-228; 1956, c. 428; 1975, c. 500; 1985, c. 522; 2007, c. 925.

A. Subject to subsection C of § 13.1-934, a member of a corporation is entitled to inspect and copy, during regular business hours at the corporation's principal office, any of the records of the corporation described in subsection E of § 13.1-932 if he gives the corporation written notice of his demand at least five business days before the date on which he wishes to inspect and copy.

B. A member of a corporation is entitled to inspect and copy, during regular business hours at a reasonable location specified by the corporation, any of the following records of the corporation if the member meets the requirements of subsection C and gives the corporation written notice of his demand at least five business days before the date on which he wishes to inspect and copy:

1. Excerpts from minutes of any meeting of the board of directors, records of any action of a committee of the board of directors while acting in place of the board of directors on behalf of the corporation, minutes of any meeting of the members, and records of action taken by the members or board of directors without a meeting, to the extent not subject to inspection under subsection A;

2. Accounting records of the corporation; and

3. The record of members.

C. A member may inspect and copy the records identified in subsection B only if:

1. He has been a member of record for at least six months immediately preceding his demand;

2. His demand is made in good faith and for a proper purpose;

3. He describes with reasonable particularity his purpose and the records that he desires to inspect; and

4. The records are directly connected with his purpose.

D. The right of inspection granted by this section may not be abolished or limited by a corporation's articles of incorporation or bylaws.

E. This section does not affect:

1. The right of a member to inspect records if the member is in litigation with the corporation, to the same extent as any other litigant; or

2. The power of a court, independently of this Act, to compel the production of corporate records for examination.

1985, c. 522; 2007, c. 925.

A. A member's agent or attorney has the same inspection and copying rights as the member he represents.

B. The right to copy records under § 13.1-933 includes, if reasonable, the right to receive copies by xerographic or other means, including copies through an electronic transmission if available and so requested by the member.

C. The corporation may impose a reasonable charge, covering the costs of labor and material, for copies of any documents provided to the member. The charge may not exceed the estimated cost of production, reproduction, and transmission of the records.

D. The corporation may comply with a member's demand to inspect the record of members under subdivision B 3 of § 13.1-933 by providing the member with a list of its members that was compiled no earlier than the date of the member's demand.

1985, c. 522; 2007, c. 925.

A. If a corporation does not allow a member who complies with subsection A of § 13.1-933 to inspect and copy any records required by that subsection to be available for inspection, the circuit court in the city or county where the corporation's principal office is located, or, if none in this Commonwealth, where its registered office is located, may summarily order inspection and copying of the records demanded at the corporation's expense upon application of the member.

B. If a corporation does not within a reasonable time allow a member to inspect and copy any other record, the member who complies with subsections B and C of § 13.1-933 may apply to the circuit court in the city or county where the corporation's principal office is located, or, if none in this Commonwealth, where its registered office is located, for an order to permit inspection and copying of the records demanded. The court shall dispose of an application under this subsection on an expedited basis.

C. If the court orders inspection and copying of the records demanded, it may also order the corporation to pay the member's costs, including reasonable counsel fees, incurred to obtain the order if the member proves that the corporation refused inspection without a reasonable basis for doubt about the right of the member to inspect the records demanded.

D. If the court orders inspection and copying of the records demanded, it may impose reasonable restrictions on the use or distribution of the records by the demanding member.

1985, c. 522.

A. A director of a corporation is entitled to inspect and copy the books, records, and documents of the corporation at any reasonable time to the extent reasonably related to the performance of his duties as a director, including duties as a member of a committee, but not for any other purpose or in any manner that would violate any duty to the corporation.

B. The circuit court of the city or county where the corporation's principal office or, if none in the Commonwealth, its registered office is located may order inspection and copying of the books, records, and documents upon application of a director who has been refused such inspection rights, unless the corporation establishes that the director is not entitled to such inspection rights. The court shall dispose of an application under this subsection on an expedited basis.

C. If an order is issued, the court may include provisions protecting the corporation from undue burden or expense and prohibiting the director from using information obtained upon exercise of the inspection rights in a manner that would violate a duty to the corporation and may also order the corporation to reimburse the director for his reasonable costs, including reasonable counsel fees, incurred in connection with the application if the director proves that the corporation refused inspection without a reasonable basis for doubt about the director's right to inspect the records demanded.

2007, c. 925.

A. Each domestic corporation, and each foreign corporation authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth, shall file, within the time prescribed by this section, an annual report setting forth:

1. The name of the corporation, the address of its principal office and the state or country under whose laws it is incorporated;

2. The address of the registered office of the corporation in the Commonwealth, including both (i) the post office address with street and number, if any, and (ii) the name of the county or city in which it is located, and the name of its registered agent in the Commonwealth at such address; and

3. The names and post office addresses of the directors and the principal officers of the corporation.

B. The report shall be made on forms prescribed and furnished by the Commission, and shall supply the information as of the date of the report.

C. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the annual report of a domestic or foreign corporation shall be filed with the Commission on or before the last day of the twelfth month next succeeding the month in which it was incorporated or authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth, and on or before such date in each year thereafter. The report shall be filed no earlier than three months prior to its due date each year. If the report appears to be incomplete or inaccurate, the Commission shall return it for correction or explanation. Otherwise the Commission shall file it in the clerk's office. At the discretion of the Commission the annual report due date for a corporation may be extended, on a monthly basis for a period of not less than one month nor more than 11 months, at the request of its registered agent of record or as may be necessary to distribute annual report due dates of corporations as equally as practicable throughout the year on a monthly basis.

Code 1950, §§ 13-9, 13-11, 13-32, 13-213, 13.1-282, 13.1-283; 1956, c. 428; 1958, c. 418; 1975, c. 500; 1981, c. 523; 1985, c. 522; 1987, c. 2; 1997, c. 216; 2007, c. 925; 2010, c. 753.

A. Every domestic corporation and every foreign corporation authorized to conduct its affairs in the Commonwealth shall pay into the state treasury on or before the last day of the twelfth month next succeeding the month in which it was incorporated or authorized to conduct its affairs in the Commonwealth, and by such date in each year thereafter, an annual registration fee of $25, provided that for a domestic corporation that became a domestic corporation by conversion from a domestic stock corporation or by domestication from a foreign corporation that was authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth at the time of the conversion or domestication, the annual registration fee shall be paid each year on or before the date on which its annual registration fee was due prior to the conversion or domestication. At the discretion of the Commission, the annual registration fee due date for a corporation may be extended, on a monthly basis for a period of not less than one month nor more than 11 months, at the request of its registered agent of record or as may be necessary to distribute annual registration fee due dates of corporations as equally as practicable throughout the year on a monthly basis.

The annual registration fee shall be irrespective of any specific license tax or other tax or fee imposed by law upon the corporation for the privilege of carrying on its business in the Commonwealth or upon its franchise, property, or receipts. Nonstock corporations incorporated before 1970 that were not liable for the annual registration fee therefor shall not be liable for an annual registration fee hereafter.

B. Each year, the Commission shall ascertain from its records each domestic corporation and each foreign corporation authorized to conduct its affairs in the Commonwealth, as of the first day of the second month next preceding the month in which it was incorporated or authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth and shall assess against each such corporation the annual registration fee herein imposed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for a domestic corporation that became a domestic corporation by conversion from a domestic stock corporation or by domestication from a foreign corporation that was authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth at the time of the domestication, the assessment shall be made as of the first day of the second month preceding the month in which its annual registration fee was due prior to the conversion or domestication. In any year in which a corporation's annual registration fee due date is extended pursuant to subsection A, the annual registration fee assessment shall be increased by a prorated amount to cover the period of extension. A statement of the assessment, when made, shall be forwarded by the clerk of the Commission to the Comptroller and to each such corporation.

C. Any domestic or foreign corporation that fails to pay the annual registration fee herein imposed within the time prescribed shall incur a penalty of $10, which shall be added to the amount of the annual registration fee due. The penalty shall be in addition to any other penalty or liability imposed by law.

D. The fees paid into the state treasury under this section shall be set aside as a special fund to be used only by the Commission as it deems necessary to defray all costs of staffing, maintaining and operating the office of the clerk of the Commission, together with all other costs incurred by the Commission in supervising, implementing and administering the provisions of Part 5 (§ 8.9A-501 et seq.) of Title 8.9A, this title, except for Chapters 5 (§ 13.1-501 et seq.) and 8 (§ 13.1-557 et seq.) and Article 7 (§ 55.1-653 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 55.1, provided that one-half of the fees collected shall be credited to the general fund. The excess of fees collected over the projected costs of administration in the next fiscal year shall be paid into the general fund prior to the close of the fiscal year.

1988, c. 405; 1991, c. 311; 1997, c. 216; 2007, c. 925; 2010, c. 753; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 487.

The registration fee with penalty and interest shall be enforceable, in addition to existing remedies for the collection of taxes, levies and fees, by action in equity, in the name of the Commonwealth, in the appropriate circuit court. Venue shall be in accordance with § 8.01-261.

1988, c. 405.