ARTS-PC Instructions (REV 06/2019)
2019 California Secretary of State
bizfile.sos.ca.gov
Instructions for Completing the
Articles of Incorporation of a Professional Corporation (Form ARTS-PC)
To form a professional corporation in California, you must file Articles of Incorporation with the California Secretary of
State.
Before submitting the completed form, contact the California professional state board or agency that controls your
profession to find out if your profession is authorized to be a professional corporation in California and if there are any
specific corporate name style rules. For more information, go to the California Department of Consumer Affair website
at www.dca.ca.gov/about_dca/entities.shtml.
Form ARTS-PC has been created for ease in filing, however, you can compose your own document, provided it meets
statutory requirements
Before submitting the completed form, you should consult with a private attorney for advice about your specific
business needs and whether additional article provisions for the corporation are needed.
Please note, once filed, all information contained within this form (including addresses) is a public record and is
accessible by the general public.
Fees:
Filing Fee: The fee for filing Articles of Incorporation of a Professional Corporation is $100.00.
Faster Service Fee:
- Counter and guaranteed expedite services are available only for documents submitted in person (drop off) to our
Sacramento office.
- Counter Drop Off: A separate, non-refundable $15.00 counter drop off fee is required if you submit in person
(drop off) your completed document at our Sacramento office. The $15.00 counter drop off fee provides priority
service over documents submitted by mail. The special handling fee is not refundable whether the document is
filed or rejected.
- Guaranteed Expedite Drop Off: For more urgent submissions, documents can be processed within a
guaranteed timeframe for a non-refundable fee instead of the counter drop off fee. For detailed information about
this faster processing service through our Preclearance and Expedited Filing Services, go to
www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/service-options.
Copies: Upon filing, we will return one (1) plain copy of your filed document for free, and will certify the copy upon request
and payment of an additional $5 certification fee. To obtain additional copies or certified copies of the filed document,
include payment for copy fees and certification fees at the time the document is submitted. Additional copy fees are $1.00
for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page. For certified copies, there is an additional $5.00 certification fee, per
copy.
Payment Type: Check(s) or money orders should be made payable to the Secretary of State. Do not send cash by
mail. If submitting the document in person in our Sacramento office, payment also may be made by credit card (Visa or
Mastercard®).
Processing Times: For current processing times, go to www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/processing-times.
If you are not completing this form online, please type or legibly print in black or blue ink. Complete the Articles of
Incorporation of a Professional Corporation (Form ARTS-PC) as follows:
Enter the name of the proposed California
Professional Corporation exactly as it is
to appear on the records of the California
Secretary of State.
The proposed name must meet the name-style requirements of
the law that governs the profession for which the professional
corporation is engaged. For more information, contact the
California state board or agency that controls your profession.
There are legal limitations on what name can be used for the
corporation. For general corporation name requirements and
restrictions or for information on reserving a corporation name
prior to submitting Form ARTS-PC, go to
www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/name-availability.