Llc Operating Agreement
Self-Guided Legal Forms
Self-Guided LLC Operating Agreement
Create one basic operating agreement for a straightforward domestic LLC without paying for investor-style provisions or a company-records package. This $5.99 form separates sole-member and multi-member governance, keeps ownership, voting, allocations, and distributions on one fixed percentage record, and covers ordinary management, transfers, dissolution, and signatures. Separate consents, schedules, banking resolutions, ledgers, records kits, buyouts, capital calls, vesting, and special rights are intentionally reserved for higher levels.
Also called: self guided llc operating agreement, single member llc operating agreement, multi member llc operating agreement.
What you walk away with
A clean multi-page PDF and DOCX after you finish — not a web-form dump. Preview the document before you pay.
- PDF export
- DOCX export
- E-sign included
- No subscription
For domestic LLCs formed in any U.S. state or the District of Columbia. The selected formation state attaches Locke Direct's state module for governing law, terminology, venue, electronic records, and nonwaivable-law orientation. The package does not replace formation filings, annual reports, franchise taxes, licenses, registered-agent duties, tax elections, bank forms, or legal and tax review when the company's facts require them.
Jurisdiction details
See how this document starts in your state
Choose the state where the document will be used. The state page shows the maintained coverage level, local-rule limits, and a builder link with the canonical state code already selected.
When this fits
Use this document when…
- A new single-member LLC needs a basic written governance record separating the owner from the company
- Two to five owners have agreed on fixed percentages and need ordinary majority decisions plus unanimous approval for fundamental changes
- An existing straightforward LLC is adopting its first written operating agreement without settling a dispute or changing contested rights
- A manager-managed company needs the operating agreement itself to identify who may run ordinary operations
- Owners want a legally structured starting point while understanding that companion records and negotiated provisions are separate products
Before you start
Information you will need
- The domestic formation state, exact LLC name, formation status and date, file number, offices, and registered agent
- Every member's legal identity, notice record, admission date, signature capacity, and individual or domestic-entity status
- Fixed percentage interests that are each greater than zero and total exactly 100 percent
- Completed or conditionally due cash and specifically described property contributions
- Member-managed or manager-managed authority and the complete manager record when managers are used
- Authorized bank signers, tax classification, partnership representative record, fiscal year, and accounting method
- The status of initial organizational actions, any earlier agreement, and every signer capacity
What you receive
- One basic LLC Operating Agreement with distinct sole-member and multi-member provisions
- A fixed-percentage ownership and contribution record inside the agreement
- PDF download for review, recordkeeping, and signature
- Editable DOCX download for permitted final corrections
- Electronic-signature and wet-signature compatible execution blocks
Document questions
Questions about this document
What is a Self-Guided LLC Operating Agreement?
Create one basic operating agreement for a straightforward domestic LLC without paying for investor-style provisions or a company-records package. This $5.99 form separates sole-member and multi-member governance, keeps ownership, voting, allocations, and distributions on one fixed percentage record, and covers ordinary management, transfers, dissolution, and signatures. Separate consents, schedules, banking resolutions, ledgers, records kits, buyouts, capital calls, vesting, and special rights are intentionally reserved for higher levels.
How do I create a Self-Guided LLC Operating Agreement?
A new single-member LLC needs a basic written governance record separating the owner from the company; Two to five owners have agreed on fixed percentages and need ordinary majority decisions plus unanimous approval for fundamental changes; An existing straightforward LLC is adopting its first written operating agreement without settling a dispute or changing contested rights
What should a Self-Guided LLC Operating Agreement include?
The domestic formation state, exact LLC name, formation status and date, file number, offices, and registered agent; Every member's legal identity, notice record, admission date, signature capacity, and individual or domestic-entity status; Fixed percentage interests that are each greater than zero and total exactly 100 percent; Completed or conditionally due cash and specifically described property contributions; Member-managed or manager-managed authority and the complete manager record when managers are used
Special situations
- The operating agreement does not create the LLC. A pending or not-yet-filed company receives conditional effectiveness language and still must complete the formation-state filing.
- A property contribution may require a separate assignment, deed, title record, third-party consent, valuation record, or tax review. Listing property on Schedule B does not complete those steps.
- A corporate or S corporation selection is only a record of the intended or existing classification. The required tax election is separate and ownership must qualify for it.
- A sole member should coordinate death or incapacity planning separately. This package preserves continuity language but does not name an automatic successor or create a funded buyout.
- Disputed ownership, specialized LLC statutes, foreign or trust ownership, preferred economics, capital calls, vesting, special allocations, custom voting, and buy-sell rights stop the Tier 1 workflow. The basic product also omits separate consents, resolutions, schedules, ledgers, and records checklists.
Product scope
Choose the right LLC operating agreement scope
Current level
This Self-Guided Legal Forms product
Generates one basic operating agreement with distinct sole-member and multi-member branches and a formation-state module.
Not included at this level
- Initial consent or manager appointment
- Banking resolution, ownership ledger, or company-records checklist
- Preferred economics, capital calls, vesting, or special voting rights
- Buyout formulas, rights of first refusal, drag/tag rights, or deadlock procedures
Next level · $14.99
Customized LLC Operating Agreement
Customize management, voting, contributions, transfers, distributions, and dissolution.
- Customized governance and member rights
- Separate organizational and company-record companion documents
- Advanced contribution, transfer, buyout, and dissolution terms
Frequently asked questions
Is this one generic agreement with singular words swapped for plural words?
No. A one-member answer renders the sole-member authority, written-action, transfer, tax, and succession provisions. Two through five members render the percentage-voting, meeting, unanimous fundamental-action, transfer-approval, admission, continuation, and partnership-administration provisions.
What fixed rules come with Tier 1?
There is one class of fixed percentage interests. Voting, profits, losses, and distributions use the same percentages; ordinary member decisions use more than 50 percent; fundamental actions and member admissions require unanimous approval; and there are no mandatory future contributions or automatic buyouts.
Why does ownership have to total exactly 100 percent?
The same ownership record controls votes, allocations, distributions, Schedule A, the written consent, and the ledger. Final generation is blocked when the entered total is not exactly 100 because those records would otherwise contradict each other.
Does the $5.99 product include a manager appointment or banking resolution?
No. It delivers only the operating agreement. Separate manager appointments, initial consents, banking resolutions, ownership ledgers, contribution schedules, and company-records checklists are higher-level companion documents.
Can I use this for preferred investors or a custom founder deal?
No. Preferred returns, distribution waterfalls, special allocations, vesting, different voting and economic interests, veto rights, drag/tag rights, buy-sell terms, valuation formulas, and capital calls require a customized or advanced product.
Will this form my LLC or obtain an EIN?
No. The formation filing and EIN application are separate. This basic agreement may record whether formation is complete or pending, but it does not submit a filing, obtain an EIN, or supply the separate organizational consent used to authorize those actions.
Can an LLC owned by another business use it?
A domestic entity member is supported when the exact entity name, entity type, formation state, authorized representative, representative title, and signing capacity are recorded. Foreign, tax-exempt, retirement-account, and specialized trust ownership require another workflow.
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Not legal advice
Locke Direct helps structure documents and workflows. It does not replace a qualified lawyer for complex, unusual, or high-risk situations.
Last reviewed August 1, 2026.