Limited Liability Company

An operating agreement is a document which describes the operations of the LLC and sets forth the agreements between the members (owners) of the business. All LLC's with two or more members should have an operating agreement. This document is not required for an LLC, but it's a good idea in any case.

Most states do not require LLCs to have this document, so many LLCs choose not to draft one. While it may not be a requirement to have an operating agreement, it's actually in the best interest of an LLC to draft one.

Get together with your co-owners and a lawyer, if you think you should (it's never a bad idea), and figure out what you want to cover in your agreement. Then, to create an LLC operating agreement yourself, all you need to do is answer a few simple questions and make sure everyone signs it to make it legal.

If there is no operating agreement, you and the co-owners will not be suitably equipped to reach any settlements concerning misunderstandings over management and finances. Worse still, your LLC will be required to follow any of your state's default operating conditions.

An LLC can be structured to be taxed in the same manner as a partnership however the owners or partners of a partnership are jointly and severally liable for the debts and obligations of the partnership.The operating agreement is a separate document and is an agreement between the owners of the LLC.

Pursuant to California Corporation's Code §17050, every California LLC is required to have an LLC Operating Agreement. Next to the Articles of Organization, the LLC Operating Agreement is the most important document in the LLC.

Call, write or visit the secretary of state's office in the state in which the LLC does business. Call, email, write or visit the owner of the company for which you want to see the LLC bylaws or operating agreement.

A limited liability company can choose to have officers in charge of everyday operations, but is not required to do so. Officers will serve under either members in the LLC or managers in the LLC. Managers or members can also be officers.

Unlike the articles of organization, an operating agreement generally is not required in order to form an SMLLC, nor is it filed with the state. Instead, an operating agreement is optionalthough recommended. If you choose to have one, you'll keep it on file at your business's official location.