FAQ: On the board of the licensee's nonprofit corporation, are we required to have a minimum number of board members/directors?

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In most states, a nonprofit corporation must have a minimum of three directors.  New Hampshire appears to require five. We note that recently, the FCC has been rejecting applications (such as transfer of control applications) where the board is less than the state minimum.

The following states permit nonprofit corporations with only one director:

  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Guam
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Louisiana
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • North Carolina
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon (religious and mutual benefit organizations only)
  • Pennsylvania
  • Puerto Rico
  • Virginia
  • US Virgin Islands
  • Washington

While your organization may incorporate in a different state than the one it is physically located, you may be required to file for a foreign corporation status in the state the organization is physically doing business is.  There are other laws, including the makeup of a board of directors that may be impacted.  Please check with an attorney or other subject matter expert on your state’s corporation law.

Also, most states that require 3 or more directors, have language that states that after the formation of the corporation, the size of the board cannot be reduced under the legal minimum.

Sources

State

Minimum Directors

Legal Citation

Alabama

1

AL Code § 10-3-2.09(a)

Alaska

3

AK Stat § 10.20.086(a)

Arizona

1

ARS 10-3803(a)

Arkansas

3

AR Code §4-28-211(b).

California

1

CORP §5151(a).

Colorado

1

CRS § 7-128-103(1)

Connecticut

3

CT Gen Stat §33-1082

Delaware

1

8 DE Code §141(b)

District of Columbia

3

DC Code §29-406.03

Florida

3

FL Stat §617.0803(1)

Georgia

1

GA Code §14-3-803(a)

Guam

1

18 Guam Code §10101

Hawaii

3

Hi Rev Stat §414D-133

Idaho

3

ID Code §30-30-603

Illinois

3

805 ILCS 105/108.10(a)

Indiana

3

IN Code §23-17-12-3(a)

Iowa

1

IA Code §504.803(1)

Kansas

1

KS Stat §17-6301(b)

Kentucky

3

KY Rev Stat §273.211(1)(a)

Louisiana

1

LA Rev Stat §12:1-803(A)

Maine

3

13-B ME Rev Stat §702(1)

Maryland

1

MD Corp Assoc Code Ann §2-402(a).

Massachusetts

1

MA Gen L ch 156d §8.03(a)

Michigan

3

MI Comp L §450.2505(1)(b)

Minnesota

3

MN Stat § 317A.203

Mississippi

3 (if incorporated after 1-1-2012)

MS Code §79-11-235(1)(b)

Missouri

3

MO Rev Stat §355.321

Montana

3

MT Code §35-2-415(2)

Nebraska

1

NE Code §21-286(a)

Nevada

1

NV Rev Stat §82.196

New Hampshire

5 (not related by family)

NH Rev Stat §292:6-a

New Jersey

3

NJ Rev Stat §15A:6-2

New Mexico

3

NM Stat §53-8-18(A)

New York

3

NY Not For Profit Corp L §702(a)

North Carolina

1

NC Gen Stat §55A-8-03

North Dakota

3

ND Century Code 10-33-28(1).

Ohio

3

Ohio Rev Code §1702.27(A)(1)

Oklahoma

1

18 OK Stat §18.1027(B)

Oregon

1 (religious & mutual benefit) or 3 (public benefit)

OR Rev Stat §65.307

Pennsylvania

1

15 PA Cons Stat §5723

Puerto Rico

1

PR Laws tit. 1, 3561(b)

Rhode Island

3

RI Gen L §7-6-23(a)

South Carolina

3

SC Code §33-31-803(a)

South Dakota

3

SD Codified L §47-23-14

Tennessee

3

TN Code §48-58-103(a)

Texas

3

TN Bus Orgs §22.204(a)

Utah

3

UT Code §16-6a-803(1)

Vermont

3

11 V.S.A. §8.03(a)

Virginia

1

VA Code §13.1-855

US Virgin Islands

1*

* - no specific law found

Washington

1

WA Rev Code §24.03.100

West Virginia

3

WV Code §31E-8-803(a)

Wisconsin

3

WI Stat §181.0803

Wyoming

3

WY Stat §17-19-803

 

Topics: 
LPFM eligibility and ownership questions
Answer Date: 
Sunday, March 20, 2022