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Create your Pennsylvania operating agreement
Answer a few questions, download the PDF. No card, no account.
Required by state law
No, but recommended
Filed with the state
No, kept with your records
Governing law
Pennsylvania Limited Liability Company Law of 2016 (15 Pa.C.S. Chapter 89)
What Pennsylvania law says
Pennsylvania does not require an operating agreement by law, but every LLC should have one. Without it, Pennsylvania's default LLC rules decide how profits are split and what happens when a member leaves.
Source: Pennsylvania Limited Liability Company Law of 2016 (15 Pa.C.S. Chapter 89).
The agreement is not filed with the state. Your LLC is created by filing the Certificate of Organization with the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations; the operating agreement is the private contract between the members that sits alongside it.
How it fits with your Pennsylvania filings
The operating agreement stays private, but it has to agree with what is on the public record. If your Certificate of Organization says the LLC is manager-managed, the agreement should name the managers and say what they can decide.
Pennsylvania LLCs file an Annual Report every year. It is due between January 1 and September 30 each year. When a member joins or leaves, or managers change, amend the agreement first, then update the state's records in your next Annual Report.
What to include in a Pennsylvania operating agreement
- 01
Ownership
Each member, what they contributed and their percentage.
- 02
Profits and losses
How they are allocated and when money is distributed.
- 03
Management
Member-managed or manager-managed, matching your Certificate of Organization.
- 04
Decisions
Voting rights, and what needs a majority or everyone.
- 05
Transfers
Whether a member can sell their share, and to whom.
- 06
Leaving and closing
What happens when a member leaves, dies or the LLC closes.
Single-member or multi-member
Single-member: short and simple. Its main job is to show the LLC is separate from you: its own money, its own decisions, its own records. Banks often ask for it.
Multi-member: this is where the agreement earns its keep. Spell out ownership percentages, who decides what, how money comes out, and what happens if a member wants to leave. Most disputes between co-owners are about something the agreement did not say.
Create your Pennsylvania operating agreement free
Our generator asks about your members, ownership and management, then writes a Pennsylvania operating agreement you can download as a PDF. If you form your LLC with us, the agreement is included in the $399.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Is an operating agreement required in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania does not require an operating agreement by law, but every LLC should have one. Without it, Pennsylvania's default LLC rules decide how profits are split and what happens when a member leaves.
Do I file my Pennsylvania operating agreement with the state?
No. The Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations receives your Certificate of Organization, not the operating agreement. Every member signs the agreement and the LLC keeps it with its records.
Does a single-member Pennsylvania LLC need an operating agreement?
It is worth having. It shows the LLC is a business separate from you, which supports your liability protection, and banks often ask for it when you open a business account.
Can I write my own Pennsylvania operating agreement?
Yes. Use our free generator, choose Pennsylvania, answer the questions and download the PDF. For investors, unusual profit splits or a dispute, have a lawyer review it.
Does a Pennsylvania operating agreement need to be notarized?
No. Notarizing is not required. Every member signs it and keeps a copy.
