LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeCorporations CodeCh. 1§ 173 Officers' Certificate Definition

§ 173 Officers' Certificate Definition

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

§ 173 Officers' Certificate Definition

This law explains what counts as an “Officers’ certificate” – it must be signed by certain top officials of an organization.

Key Takeaways

  • •An Officers’ certificate needs two signatures: one from a chairperson/president/vice president and one from a secretary/CFO/treasurer or their assistants.
  • •Any one person from each of those two groups can sign – you don’t need all of them.
  • •The rule has been in effect since Jan. 1 2016 after the 2015 amendment.

Example

A small business wants to borrow money from a bank and needs to submit an Officers’ certificate with the loan paperwork.

The certificate is only valid if it is signed by the chairperson, president, or any vice president, and also signed by the secretary, chief financial officer, treasurer, or an assistant secretary/assistant treasurer.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 173 Officers' Certificate Definition

“Officers’ certificate” means a certificate signed and verified by the chairperson of the board, the president or any vice president and by the secretary, the chief financial officer, the treasurer or any assistant secretary or assistant treasurer. (Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 98, Sec. 2. (SB 351) Effective January 1, 2016.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

Officers’ certificatechairperson of the boardpresidentvice presidentsecretarychief financial officertreasurerassistant secretaryassistant treasurer

Related Statutes

  • § 12241 Corporate Officer Certificates
  • § 313 Corporate Officer Signing Authority
  • § 5062 Officer Certificate Definition
  • § 5214 Corporate Officer Signing Authority
  • § 7214 Corporate Officer Signing Authority

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Corporations Code. Section 173.
View Official Source