§ 19-3B-108 — Principal Place of Administration

(a) Without precluding other means for establishing a sufficient connection with the designated jurisdiction, terms of a trust designating the principal place of administration are valid and controlling if:
(1) a trustee’s principal place of business is located in or a trustee is a resident of the designated jurisdiction; or
(2) all or part of the administration occurs in the designated jurisdiction.
(b) A trustee shall administer the trust at a place appropriate to its purposes, its administration, and the interests of the beneficiaries; provided, however, a trustee shall not be required to transfer the trust’s principal place of administration to another state or to a jurisdiction outside of the United States.
(c) Without precluding the right of the court to order, approve, or disapprove a transfer, the trustee may transfer the trust’s principal place of administration to another state or to a jurisdiction outside of the United States, provided that the transfer is to a place appropriate to the trust’s purposes, its administration and the interests of the beneficiaries.
(d) The trustee shall notify the qualified beneficiaries of a proposed transfer of a trust’s principal place of administration to another state or to a jurisdiction outside of the United States not less than 30 days before initiating the transfer. The notice of proposed transfer must include:
(1) the name of the jurisdiction to which the principal place of administration is to be transferred;
(2) the address and telephone number at the new location at which the trustee can be contacted;
(3) an explanation of the reasons for the proposed transfer;
(4) the date on which the proposed transfer is anticipated to occur; and
(5) the date, not less than 30 days after the giving of the notice, by which the qualified beneficiary must notify the trustee of an objection to the proposed transfer.
(e) The authority of a trustee under this section to transfer a trust’s principal place of administration to another state or to a jurisdiction outside of the United States terminates if a qualified beneficiary notifies the trustee of an objection to the proposed transfer on or before the date specified in the notice.
(f) In connection with a transfer of the trust’s principal place of administration, the trustee may transfer some or all of the trust property to a successor trustee designated in the terms of the trust or appointed pursuant to Section 19-3B-704.
(g) Unless otherwise designated in the trust instrument, the principal place of administration of a trust is the usual place where the day-to-day activity of the trust is carried on by the trustee or its representative who is primarily responsible for the administration of the trust. If the principal place of administration of the trust cannot be determined pursuant to the foregoing sentence, then it shall be determined as follows:
(1) If the trust has a single trustee, then the principal place of administration of the trust is the trustee’s residence or usual place of business.
(2) If the trust has more than one trustee, then the principal place of administration of the trust is (i) the usual place of business of the corporate trustee if there is but one corporate co-trustee, or (ii) the usual place of business or residence of the individual trustee who is a professional fiduciary if there is but one such person and no corporate co-trustee. If neither (i) nor (ii) apply, then the principal place of administration shall be the usual place of business or residence of any of the co-trustees.

Legislative History

(Act 2006-216, p. 314, §1.)