(a) A record authorized or required to be delivered to the Secretary of State for filing under this title shall be captioned to describe the record’s purpose, be in a medium permitted by the Secretary of State, and be delivered to the Secretary of State. If the filing fees have been paid, unless the Secretary of State determines that a record does not comply with applicable laws, the Secretary of State shall file the record.

(b) Upon request and payment of the requisite fee, the Secretary of State shall send to the requester a certified copy of a requested record.

(c) Except for original articles of organization and except as otherwise provided in Sections 17701.14 and 17702.06, a record delivered to the Secretary of State for filing under this title may specify a delayed effective date. Subject to Section 17702.06, a record filed by the Secretary of State is effective as follows:

(1) If the record does not specify a delayed effective date, on the date the record is filed as evidenced by the Secretary of State’s endorsement of the date on the record.

(2) If the record specifies a delayed effective date, on the date specified in the record. A delayed effective date specified in the record shall not be more than 90 days after the date the record is filed.

(d) In the case of a delayed effective date, the instrument may be prevented from becoming effective by a certificate stating that by appropriate action it has been revoked and is null and void. This certificate shall be executed in the same manner as the original instrument and shall be filed before the delayed effective date.

(e) In the case of a merger agreement or certificate of merger, a certificate revoking the earlier filing need only be executed on behalf of one of the constituent parties to the merger. If no revocation certificate is filed, the instrument becomes effective on the date specified.

(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 419, Sec. 20. (SB 323) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 32 of Ch. 419.)