Does South Dakota require an operating agreement?
No. South Dakota's LLC law doesn't require an LLC to have one: all members of an LLC may enter into an operating agreement, which need not be in writing, to regulate the company's affairs and the conduct of its business and to govern relations among the members, managers and company; a person who becomes a member is deemed to assent to it, and where it doesn't provide otherwise, the chapter governs (SDCL 47-34A-103(a)). It's still worth having. Without one, the South Dakota 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.
The South Dakota Limited Liability Company Act lets the agreement be oral or implied as well as written (SDCL 47-34A-101(14), 47-34A-103(a)). A signed, written agreement is still the only kind a bank, a court or a new member can read.
South Dakota's LLC law and this template
South Dakota LLCs are governed by the South Dakota Limited Liability Company Act (SDCL chapter 47-34A) (SDCL 47-34A-101 et seq.). 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 South Dakota in the form and the agreement names the State of South Dakota as the LLC's home and governing law, refers to the Articles of Organization filed with the South Dakota Secretary of State, and defines “the Act” as the South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota LLC name search.
| South Dakota | |
|---|---|
| Forming the LLC | Articles of Organization, $150 online ($165 on paper), filed with the South Dakota 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.")” |
| Recurring report | $55 online ($70 on paper) each year (due the 1st of the anniversary month) (unconfirmed) |
| Newspaper notice | Not required |
| Name reservation | $25, 120 days |
| Good standing certificate | Certificate of Good Standing, $20 online ($35 on paper) |
How to finish your South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/47-34A-1202.html
- https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/47-34A-103.html
- https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/47-34A-101.html
- https://sosenterprise.sd.gov/BusinessServices/
- https://sdsos.gov/general-information/filing-fees.aspx
- https://sdsos.gov/business-services/corporations/contact.aspx
- https://sosenterprise.sd.gov/BusinessServices/Business/AnnualReportInstr.aspx
- https://sdsos.gov/docs/business/domesticllcannualreport20250701.pdf
- https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/59-11-25
Common questions
Does South Dakota require an LLC operating agreement?
No. South Dakota's LLC law doesn't require one, but it's worth having: without it, the South Dakota 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 South Dakota Secretary of State?
No. The South Dakota Secretary of State receives the Articles of Organization; the operating agreement is an internal document that stays with the LLC's records.
Is this South Dakota 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.