Skip to content

Community Enterprise Law

Legal tools for community businesses and nonprofits.

Menu
  • Entity Structure
    • Overview of Legal Entities
    • The Corporation
    • Adapting Legal Entities For a Sustainable Economy
    • New Types of For-Profit Entities
    • Cooperatives
    • Nonprofit Organizations
    • Participatory Governance Models
    • Certifications
  • Financing
    • Overview of Community-Based Financing
    • A Securities Law Primer
    • Registering Securities
    • Exemptions from Registration
    • Resale of Securities
    • Loan Funds, CDFIs, Investment and Business Development Clubs
    • The Crowdfund Act
    • Program-Related Investments
    • International Community-Based Financing Models
  • Employment
    • Employment Law and the Next Economy
    • Apprenticeships and the Law
    • Partners or Employees?
    • Volunteers or Employees?
    • Interns or Employees?
    • Independent Contractors or Employees?
  • Land and Housing
    • Vision, Goals, and Legal Framework for Economically Sustainable Housing
    • Legal Structure Models for Economically Sustainable Housing
    • Legal, Financial, and Tax Considerations Affecting Structure
    • Zoning and Housing
    • Landlord/Tenant Laws
    • Inclusionary Housing Laws
    • Boarding Houses, Hostels, and Short-Term Rentals
    • Subdivision Laws
    • Fair Housing Laws
    • Agricultural Land
    • Land Conservation
    • Commercial and Industrial Zoning
    • Financing
    • Property Taxes
    • Building Codes and Green Building
    • Environmental Laws
    • In Depth Profiles of Communities
    • Sample Document Library
    • Resources and Support Organizations
  • Enterprise Blog

Community Law Libraries

Community Enterprise Law contains four libraries of information on the following topics:

  • Entity Formation: Tools to help determine the right entity to create and sustain your community enterprise.
  • Financing: Tools to help navigate various options and opportunities for funding your community enterprise.
  • Employment: Tools to understand the rules around employment by your community enterprise.
  • Land and Housing: Tools to use when community enterprise involves buying or leasing land or physical structures.

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ: Community Enterprise Law was created by the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) to provide a forum for sharing, organizing, and making sense of information related to the laws relevant to building resilient communities. The information on this website is not legal advice, and should absolutely not be taken as true or accurate, especially because this is a collaborative space in which many people are contributing ideas and information. SELC does not have the capacity to monitor all information shared in this space, and therefore cannot attest to the quality and accuracy of the information. In addition, information on this page could become outdated, and laws vary from place to place. Finally, and most importantly, we’d like to repeat that the information contained here is NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Anyone who uses this website should verify this information independently and seek independent legal counsel before relying on any of this information. If you have read this entire paragraph, congratulations and thank you! Now you are warmed up and ready to dive into our resources!

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Get Started

  • Set Up a New Business or Nonprofit
  • Get Funding
  • Hire Employees
  • Access Land and Housing

Learn More

  • Get Legal Advice
  • Get More Legal Information
  • Attend an Event
  • Volunteer
  • Policy Advocacy
  • About Us

Enterprise Blog

  • An Introduction to the Investment Company Act of 1940

  • Community Capital Spotlight: Oregon’s Community Public Offering Exemption

  • Is Delaware the Best Place to Incorporate a Nonprofit?

  • Public Advertising to Wealthy Investors: The New SEC Rule 506(c) vs. California’s Qualified Purchaser Exemption

  • Investment Crowdfunding: One Step Closer

  • Delaware’s New Benefit Corporation Legislation

  • Welcome to Community Enterprise Law!

Community Enterprise Law 2025 . Powered by WordPress