§ 53-17-20 — Transacting business without certificate of authority

A. No foreign corporation transacting business in this state without a certificate of authority shall be permitted to maintain any action, suit or proceeding in any court of this state, until the corporation has obtained a certificate of authority. Nor shall any action, suit or proceeding be maintained in any court of this state by any successor or assignee of the corporation on any right, claim or demand arising out of the transaction of business by the corporation in this state, until a certificate of authority has been obtained by the corporation or by a corporation which has acquired all or substantially all of its assets. B. The failure of a foreign corporation to obtain a certificate of authority to transact business in this state does not impair the validity of any contract or act of the corporation, and does not prevent the corporation from defending any action, suit or proceeding in any court of this state. C. A foreign corporation which transacts business in this state without a certificate of authority is liable to this state, for the years or parts thereof during which it transacted business in this state without a certificate of authority, in an amount equal to all fees and franchise taxes which would have been imposed upon the corporation had it applied for and received a certificate of authority to transact business in this state as required by the Business Corporation Act, and thereafter filed all annual reports required by it, plus all penalties for failure to pay the fees and franchise taxes, plus a civil penalty of two hundred dollars ($200) for each offense.

Legislative History

1953 Comp., § 51-30-19, enacted by Laws 1967, ch. 81, § 121; 1969, ch. 22, §