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HomeCorporations CodeCh. 11§ 1103 Merger Approval Filing Requirements

§ 1103 Merger Approval Filing Requirements

Corporations Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 1103 Merger Approval Filing Requirements

This law tells how a merger is approved by a company's board and shareholders, files the merger agreement, and when it becomes official.

Key Takeaways

  • •A merger needs board approval and either shareholder approval meeting the required vote percentage or board-only approval under specific sections.
  • •If new equity securities are issued, the filing must state whether shareholder approval was needed and if it was obtained.
  • •Once the merger agreement and certificates are filed, the merger becomes effective and the companies become one legal entity.

Example

Two California companies, Alpha Corp and Beta Inc, want to merge. Alpha's board approves the deal and then gets the required shareholder votes from each class of its stock. Beta's board also approves it without a shareholder vote because its articles allow that. After the paperwork is filed with the Secretary of State, the two become one company called AlphaBeta.

Because Alpha's shareholders voted enough shares to meet the percentage the law requires, and Beta's board approved it alone, the merger can be filed. Once the filing is accepted, AlphaBeta legally exists as a single corporation.

How to Calculate

Required vote percentage × Total outstanding shares of that class = Minimum number of shares that must vote

  1. Identify the total number of outstanding shares for the class of stock being voted on.
  2. Determine the percentage of those shares the law requires to approve the merger (e.g., 50% or 66%).
  3. Multiply the total shares by the required percentage to get the minimum number of shares that must vote.

Alpha Corp has 1,000,000 shares of common stock. The merger needs at least 50% of those shares to vote in favor.

Result: 500,000 shares must vote for the merger to be approved.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 1103 Merger Approval Filing Requirements

After approval of a merger by the board and any approval of the outstanding shares (Section 152) required by Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 1200), the surviving corporation shall file a copy of the agreement of merger with an officers’ certificate of each constituent corporation attached stating the total number of outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote on the merger, that the principal terms of the agreement in the form attached were approved by that corporation by a vote of a number of shares of each class which equaled or exceeded the vote required, specifying each class entitled to vote and the percentage vote required of each class, or that the merger agreement was entitled to be and was approved by the board alone under the provisions of Section 1201. If equity securities of a parent of a constituent corporation are to be issued in the merger, the officers’ certificate of that constituent corporation shall state either that no vote of the shareholders of the parent was required or that the required vote was obtained. The merger and any amendment of the articles of the surviving corporation contained in the merger agreement shall thereupon be effective (subject to subdivision (c) of Section 110 and subject to the provisions of Section 1108) and the several parties thereto shall be one corporation. The Secretary of State may certify a copy of the merger agreement separate from the officers’ certificates attached thereto. (Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 773, Sec. 1. Effective September 29, 2006.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

mergerboard approvalshareholder approvalofficers’ certificatesurviving corporationSection 1201

Related Statutes

  • § 1110 Parent-Subsidiary Merger Rules
  • § 6014 Merger Filing Requirements
  • § 905 Corporate Amendment Filing Requirements
  • § 1101 Corporate Merger Agreement Requirements
  • § 1106 Merger Agreement Evidence Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Corporations Code. Section 1103.
View Official Source