To become a corporation, the members of the board of the agency shall present to the Secretary of State an application signed by them which shall set forth:
The applications shall be subscribed and sworn to by each of the applicants before an officer authorized by the laws of this state to take acknowledgements to deeds. The Secretary of State shall examine the application presented to him, and, if he finds that it substantially complies with the requirements of this section, he shall receive and file it and record it in an appropriate book of records in his office. When the application has been made, filed and recorded as herein provided, the applicants shall constitute a corporation under the name proposed in the application, and the secretary of state shall make and issue to the applicants a certificate of incorporation pursuant to this chapter, and shall record the certificate with the application. There shall be no fees paid to the Secretary of State for any work done in connection with the incorporation above provided for.
Ala. Code § 33-12-3 (1975)