Minn. Stat. § 308B.235: Existence

§ 308B.235 Existence

Statute text

Extracted from the Revisor of Statutes; first captured here October 15, 2026. Formatting and whitespace are normalized. Extraction can contain errors; the linked official text controls.

Subdivision 1. Commencement upon filing.

The existence of a cooperative shall commence when the articles are filed with the secretary of state.

Subdivision 2. Duration.

A cooperative shall have a perpetual duration unless the cooperative provides for a limited period of duration in the articles.

History: 2003 c 105 art 1 s 16

Notes & interpretation Not part of the law

Verified against sources: October 15, 2026Last edited: October 15, 2026

In plain language#

Existence begins when the articles are filed with the secretary of state (subd. 1). Duration is perpetual unless the articles provide a limited period (subd. 2). ^{P1, § 308B.235}

How it works in practice#

"Filed" has a defined meaning: a signed document that meets the chapter's requirements, delivered with the required fee, and endorsed and recorded by the secretary of state (§ 308B.005, subd. 12). Practically, the cooperative cannot act as a cooperative before then. The organizers' pre-filing role is not addressed here.
A limited duration must be written into the articles (§ 308B.215, subd. 1(a)(4)). Without it, the default is perpetual. A cooperative that wants to end sooner can dissolve (§ 308B.901).
A perpetual cooperative must still renew every year after its first calendar year, or risk involuntary dissolution (§ 308B.121).

Contents of the articles: § 308B.215
Annual renewal: § 308B.121

Sources

P1 Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 308B (Cooperative Associations), Office of the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. revisor.mn.gov (primary; accessed October 15, 2026)

formation articles