Does Alabama require an operating agreement?
No. Alabama's LLC law doesn't require an LLC to have one: the limited liability company agreement governs relations among the members and between them and the company, and to the extent it doesn't provide for a matter, the chapter governs it; members' duties can be expanded, restricted or eliminated only by a written agreement (Ala. Code § 10A-5A-1.08(a)). It's still worth having. Without one, the Alabama Limited Liability Company Law decides how profits are shared, who can act for the LLC and what happens when a member leaves, and banks often ask to see a signed agreement before opening an account for an LLC.
The Alabama Limited Liability Company Law lets the agreement be oral or implied as well as written (Ala. Code § 10A-5A-1.02(l)). A signed, written agreement is still the only kind a bank, a court or a new member can read.
The Alabama Limited Liability Company Law calls an operating agreement a “limited liability company agreement” (Ala. Code § 10A-5A-1.02(l)). It's the same document; when you choose Alabama, the template uses that name for the title.
Alabama's LLC law and this template
Alabama LLCs are governed by the Alabama Limited Liability Company Law (Code of Alabama, Title 10A, Chapter 5A) (Ala. Code § 10A-5A-1.01 et seq.). Where your agreement is silent, the act's default rules apply. Where the act lets a limited liability company agreement change one of its rules, your agreement controls.
Choose Alabama in the form and the agreement names the State of Alabama as the LLC's home and governing law, refers to the Certificate of Formation filed with the Alabama Secretary of State, and defines “the Act” as the Alabama Limited Liability Company Law. Everything else adapts to your answers: one member or several, run by the members or by managers, with or without a buyout when a member dies.
What the Alabama agreement covers
The agreement follows the order most operating agreements use: formation, name, principal office, registered agent, purpose and term; each member's contribution and, with several members, capital accounts and percentage interests; how profits, losses and cash are shared; management by the members or by managers, with the major decisions that need every member's consent; taxes, books, records and a separate bank account; transfers, new members, withdrawal and what happens when a member dies; and dissolution. Schedule A lists each member's contribution and share.
Forming and keeping an Alabama LLC
The operating agreement stays with the LLC's records; these are the filings that go to the state. Check that the name is free first with our Alabama LLC name search.
| Alabama | |
|---|---|
| Forming the LLC | Certificate of Formation, $200, filed with the Alabama Secretary of State |
| Name must end with | “Limited Liability Company”, “L.L.C.”, “LLC” |
| Recurring report | Business privilege tax return each year (no separate report) |
| State tax or fee | Business privilege tax based on net worth (no return needed if $100 or less) (unconfirmed) |
| Newspaper notice | Not required |
| Name reservation | $28 online ($25 by mail), 1 year |
| Good standing certificate | Certificate of Existence, $27.75 online ($25 by mail) |
How to finish your Alabama agreement
- Type the LLC's name exactly as it appears on its Certificate of Formation, ending included.
- Fill in or strike out anything left as a blank line, and make Schedule A's percentages add up to 100%.
- Have every member read and sign it. Electronic signatures count, and members can sign separate copies.
- Keep the signed agreement with the LLC's records; don't send it to the Alabama Secretary of State. Give each member a copy.
For an LLC with one owner, see the single-member operating agreement; with partners, the multi-member version explains shares, voting and buyouts.
Sources
Checked on 2026-10-08 against the state's own pages:
- https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=10A-5A-1.01
- https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=10A-5A-1.08
- https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=10A-5A-1.02
- https://www.alabamainteractive.org/sos/introduction_input.action
- https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/individual-corporate/alabama-business-privilege-tax-and-corporate-share-tax/
- https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/form-files/FeeSchedule.pdf
Common questions
Does Alabama require an LLC operating agreement?
No. Alabama's LLC law doesn't require one, but it's worth having: without it, the Alabama Limited Liability Company Law's default rules decide how profits are shared and who can act for the LLC.
Do I file the operating agreement with the Alabama Secretary of State?
No. The Alabama Secretary of State receives the Certificate of Formation; the operating agreement is an internal document that stays with the LLC's records.
What does Alabama call an operating agreement?
The Alabama Limited Liability Company Law calls it a “limited liability company agreement”. It's the same document, and the template titles it that way when you choose Alabama.
Is this Alabama operating agreement template free?
Yes. There's no sign-up and no email address, and the agreement is built in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to us.