1. The five "purposes" of BCH must be a part of your constitution.

2. Your chapter name MUST include the term "Back Country Horsemen". The use of the term "Association" as part of a chapter name IS NOT PERMITTED OR ACCEPTED by BCH of America as an appropriate name for a local organization of the BCHA. 
  a. There must be a minimum of 15 dues paying
      members to form and maintain affiliate status.
  b. If the dues paying membership falls below 15, the
      affiliate will become inactive. The paid members
      become members at large.

3. If your state has a state BCH organization, you must affiliate with it and pay dues to it and to the BCHA in the amount set by them.

4. Affiliate membership is available to a BCH chapter in a state with no BCH state organization. An affiliate member is permitted one voting delegate on the BCHA National Board of Directors. No matter how many affiliated BCH chapters a state has, that state will have only one (1) voting delegate on the BCHA National Board. The selection of the voting delegate is left to the affiliate chapters of the state. Two or more chapters within a state should form a state organization.

5. Conditional acceptance may be granted prior to the National Board of Directors meeting if all requirements for affiliation are met as confirmed by the National Expansion Coordinator and the National Board Review Committee (Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Past Chair and Expansion Coordinator). Conditional acceptance allows the newly organized chapter to use the name of Back Country Horsemen, pursue the goals and objectives of BCH, and receive the support and guidance of BCH of America.

6. Any group desiring to affiliate with the BCHA should submit an Application for Membership to the appropriate state organization or directly to the BCHA, P. O. Box 1367, Graham WA 98338 if there is not a state BCH organization. Your application for membership must as an Affiliate member for the BCHA include: 
    a. A formal application for membership
    b. Your club constitution and/or bylaws
    c. A list of officers with addresses and telephone
        numbers
    d. A list of members with addresses
    e. Dues for membership at time of application. An
        individual is one membership and a family is two
        memberships.
        i. Dues are paid with the Application for
           Membership for the year they are accepted for
           Affiliate Membership in the BCHA.
        ii. Dues are calculated and paid based on the
            membership as of December 31st and are due
            and payable on that date. Dues will be
            delinquent 30 days before the National Board
            meeting. Founding State organizations and
            Affiliate memberships are to send their dues
            with their application. Those dues will be for
            the year in which they are paid. 

7. Your chapter name MUST include the term "Back Country Horsemen". The use of this organizational structure has proven to be very effective, in that it allows individual chapters a high degree of autonomy while keeping each other informed and working toward the same objectives. Considerable political influence can, and has been, generated to aid individual chapters, especially on land management issues. The interchange of ideas, methods, newsletters and social contacts also contributes to a strong, healthy organization.