Does New Mexico require an operating agreement?
No. New Mexico's LLC law doesn't require an LLC to have one: the act defines an operating agreement as a written agreement providing for the conduct of the company's business and affairs, and that agreement as amended in writing (NMSA 1978, § 53-19-2(O)). It's still worth having. Without one, the New Mexico Limited Liability Company Act 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.
Under the New Mexico Limited Liability Company Act, the agreement must be in writing (NMSA 1978, § 53-19-2(O)).
New Mexico's LLC law and this template
New Mexico LLCs are governed by the Limited Liability Company Act (NMSA 1978, Chapter 53, Article 19) (NMSA 1978, §§ 53-19-1 to 53-19-74). 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 New Mexico in the form and the agreement names the State of New Mexico as the LLC's home and governing law, refers to the Articles of Organization filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State, and defines “the Act” as the New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico LLC name search.
| New Mexico | |
|---|---|
| Forming the LLC | Articles of Organization, $50 (unconfirmed), filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State |
| Name must end with | “limited liability company”, “limited company”, “L.L.C.”, “LLC”, “L.C.”, “LC”, “("limited" may be abbreviated "ltd." and "company" "co.")” |
| Newspaper notice | Not required |
| Good standing certificate | Certificate of Good Standing (unconfirmed) |
How to finish your New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4400/index.do
- https://enterprise.sos.nm.gov/
- https://www.sos.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20180215_SOS_Celebrates_Passage_of_SB225.pdf
- https://businessportal.nm.gov/maintain/file-reports/
Common questions
Does New Mexico require an LLC operating agreement?
No. New Mexico's LLC law doesn't require one, but it's worth having: without it, the New Mexico Limited Liability Company Act's default rules decide how profits are shared and who can act for the LLC.
Do I file the operating agreement with the New Mexico Secretary of State?
No. The New Mexico Secretary of State receives the Articles of Organization; the operating agreement is an internal document that stays with the LLC's records.
Is this New Mexico 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.