Does Missouri require an operating agreement?
Yes. The member or members of a limited liability company shall adopt an operating agreement containing whatever provisions they consider appropriate, subject only to the act and other law; it can be written or oral among all the members, but a sole member's must be a written declaration (§ 347.015(13)) (RSMo § 347.081.1). Use the form above to write it, and have every member sign it.
The Missouri Limited Liability Company Act lets the agreement be oral or implied as well as written (RSMo § 347.015(13)). A signed, written agreement is still the only kind a bank, a court or a new member can read.
Missouri's LLC law and this template
Missouri LLCs are governed by the Missouri Limited Liability Company Act (RSMo sections 347.010 to 347.187) (RSMo §§ 347.010–347.187). Where your agreement is silent, the act's default rules apply. Where the act lets an operating agreement change one of its rules, your agreement controls.
Choose Missouri in the form and the agreement names the State of Missouri as the LLC's home and governing law, refers to the Articles of Organization filed with the Missouri Secretary of State, and defines “the Act” as the Missouri Limited Liability Company Act. 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 Missouri 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 a Missouri 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 Missouri LLC name search.
| Missouri | |
|---|---|
| Forming the LLC | Articles of Organization, $45 online ($100 by mail) (unconfirmed), filed with the Missouri Secretary of State |
| Name must end with | “limited company”, “limited liability company”, “LC”, “LLC”, “L.C.”, “L.L.C.” |
| Newspaper notice | Not required |
| Name reservation | $20 (unconfirmed), 60 days (renewable up to 180 days total) |
| Good standing certificate | Certificate of Good Standing, $5 (unconfirmed) |
How to finish your Missouri agreement
- Type the LLC's name exactly as it appears on its Articles of Organization, 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 Missouri 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://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneChapter.aspx?chapter=347
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=347.081
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=347.015
- https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=347.179&bid=18508
Common questions
Does Missouri require an LLC operating agreement?
Yes. The member or members of a limited liability company shall adopt an operating agreement containing whatever provisions they consider appropriate, subject only to the act and other law; it can be written or oral among all the members, but a sole member's must be a written declaration (§ 347.015(13)).
Do I file the operating agreement with the Missouri Secretary of State?
No. The Missouri Secretary of State receives the Articles of Organization; the operating agreement is an internal document that stays with the LLC's records.
Is this Missouri 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.