Memorial Day

We at CLAS invite you to join us this Memorial Day Weekend in remembering and honoring those who have sacrificed so much so that we all have the freedom to enjoy our lives and pursue our dreams. Say thank you to all the veterans you know. They have earned it and deserve our gratitude.

We wish you and your families a wonderful holiday weekend.

CA SOS Eliminating 60 Different Certificates of Filing

Effective Monday, May 19, 2014, the California Secretary of State will no longer issue certificates reflecting specific filings in a business entity's history.

You may instead request a Certificate of Filing of All Documents or a certified copy of a particular filing. (A Certificate of Filing of All Documents is currently identified as a Certificate of Listing.)

This change affects you if you are requesting a Certificate of Listing or a certificate regarding a specific change such as a merger, etc. Some filing agencies require a Certificate reciting a specific change in a company's filing history (e.g., name change, conversion, etc.). California will no longer provide a Certificate reciting a single historical filing.

The new Certificate of Filing of All Documents will list all filings made for the business entity on the records of the SOS. These will be in chronological order, from the oldest filing to the newest. They will start with the initial formation, registration or conversion filing. Each listed filing will include:

1. The document type of the filing (e.g., Formation, Registration, Amendment, Merger, Conversion, Termination, Statement of Information, etc.). Note: the specific title of the document will not be listed (e.g., Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Dissolution, Certificate of Merger, etc.)
2. The file date and the effective date of the filing.
3. The prior name of the business entity, if the filing changed the name of the business entity. Note: the entity names or entity types in a merger or conversion filing, or any other details contained within a filing, will not be listed in the new Certificate of Filing of All Documents. If you require such information, you may request a plain or certified copy of that filing.

The Secretary of State's Business Entities Records Order Form, http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/pdf/be_ircform.pdf, will be updated after the close of business on Friday, May 16, 2014. On that form, “Certificate of Filing” will be removed and “Certificate of Listing” will be changed to “Certificate of Filing of All Documents."

The fee for a Certificate of Filing of All Documents is $5.00 for each document listed.

Requests for a "Certificate of Filing" or a "Certificate of Listing" received on or after May 19, 2014, will receive the new “Certificate of Filing of All Documents.” This means service companies do not have to change their service request forms, but should understand what they will receive.

Requests for a "Certificate of Filing" of a single document received in the SOS office before May 19, 2014, will be processed/completed.

You can find additional information in the Notice of Change page of the California Secretary of State's website. You can also contact CLAS for assistance.

May 2014 State Holiday Closing Schedules

State closures for holidays

Please note, states sometimes make last-minute changes to their holiday closing schedules. We will update this list as we become aware of any changes.

Want to learn more about a holiday? Just click on the links.

Date	State	Holiday
Tuesday, May 6	Indiana	Primary Election Day
Thursday, May 8	Missouri	Truman Day
Friday, May 9	South Carolina	Confederate Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 13	West Virginia	Primary Election Day
Friday, May 23	Maryland	Service Reduction Day
Monday, May 26	All	Memorial Day

April 2014 State Holiday Closing Schedules

State closures for holidays

Please note, states sometimes make last-minute changes to their holiday closing schedules. We will update this list as we become aware of any changes.

Want to learn more about a holiday? Just click on the links.

Date	State	Holiday
Wednesday, April 16	District of Columbia	D.C. Emancipation Day
Friday, April 18	Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee	Good Friday
Monday, April 21	Maine, Massachusetts	Patriot's Day
Friday, April 25	Nebraska	Arbor Day
Monday, April 28	Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi	Confederate Memorial Day

CLAS will be closed for Presidents' Day

CLAS will be closed Monday, February 17, 2014, for Presidents' Day.

We'll return Tuesday, February 18, 2014. Please let us know if you'd like to plan ahead.

Secretary of State Offices Weather Alerts

Closures in Delaware, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia

Jurisdictions that will be closed Thursday, February 13, 2014, due to weather include: the Delaware Division of Corporations; Washington D.C. federal and government offices; and the Connecticut, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia SOS offices.

For Delaware, the Extraordinary Condition Rules will be in place for all business entity filings which require today's file date.

This means the document must be presented for filing within 2 business days of the end of the Extraordinary Condition. The file date and time MUST be requested when the document is presented for filing. A Written Waiver will be issued by the Secretary of State's office and attached to the document as part of the official record.

For Emergency Filings requiring confirmation of filing today, a $2,500 special processing fee will be charged by the Division of Corporations. Processing will depend on all necessary technology functioning properly, and the filing will be processed as quickly as possible.

If you need help with filings in any of these jurisdictions, just contact your CLAS service representative at 800.952.5696 with your questions or concerns. We'll be glad to help!

California Fictitious Business Name / Assumed Name filings

If you file Fictitious Business Name statements in California...

...make sure you (or your service company) are aware of the recent changes to the filing requirements. These requirements were amended by California Assembly Bill 1325, Laws of 2013, effective January 1, 2014.

Due to the wording of the amendment, actual requirements may vary in each county. You can contact us for assistance with understanding your specific requirements. In general, the following changes apply:

1. Filers must present personal I.D. in the form of a California driver's license or other government I.D. acceptable to the county clerk to adequately determine the identity of the registrant or filing agent.
2. County clerks may require registrants to sign an affidavit of identity.
3. County clerks may require filing agents to sign an affidavit of identity declaring that the registrant has authorized the agent to file on behalf of the registrant.
4. Registrants that are corporations, LLCs and LLPs must file a status certificate from the Secretary of State certifying to the existence and good standing of the registrant.