SealFormsFree legal templates, cited to each state’s statute

Jurisdiction of this form

Kentucky, United States

Kentucky LLC Operating Agreement

Set out who owns your Kentucky LLC, who manages it, and how profits are split — and download a print-ready PDF. Single-member or multi-member. Free, no signup. The preview updates as you type.

Reflects current Kentucky rules · 2026Official source linkedFree PDF · no signup · nothing uploaded

Maintained by the SealForms editorial team · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified 2026 · Not legal advice.

Kentucky LLC act rules · as of 2026

Required by law?
No — but strongly recommended
Recognized form
"any agreement, written or oral, among all of the members" — KRS 275.015(21) (for a single-member LLC, includes written documents or agreements between the sole member and the company)
Governing act
Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act (KRS ch. 275; short title per KRS 275.001)

Without an agreement: Profits and losses allocated on the basis of the agreed value, as stated in company records, of the contributions made by each member — KRS 275.205. Source: KRS 275.015(21) (definition); KRS 275.180 (written-agreement requirements for certain waivers) · verify ↗.

Fill in the details

My documents
Optional clauses

Tick the terms you want. They appear in the document under “Additional terms”.

No card. No trial. No surprise subscription — ever. Free, no signup — nothing you type is uploaded; it all runs in your browser. What “free” means here

Your entries auto-save in this browser (only on your device). Drawn signatures ship in the PDF; the Word file keeps the signature line blank. When at least one party has signed, the PDF and Word file end with a signature certificate (who signed, when, and a SHA-256 fingerprint you can check later). If you use “Send to the other party”, the document travels inside the link you share — not through us.

Live preview · updates as you type

Operating Agreement

of __________ · State of Kentucky

This Operating Agreement (the "Agreement") is made effective __________ by the member(s) of __________ (the "Company"), a limited liability company organized under the Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act (KRS ch. 275; short title per KRS 275.001), with its principal office at __________ .

1. Formation & purpose. The Company was formed under Kentucky law by filing its formation document with the state. Its purpose is: __________ , and any other lawful activity under the Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act (KRS ch. 275; short title per KRS 275.001).

2. Members & ownership. The membership interests are: __________ — ____%; __________ — ____%. For a single-member company, the sole member holds 100% and the second line is left blank.

3. Management. The Company is __________ . If manager-managed, the manager is __________ , who may bind the Company in the ordinary course of business; major decisions (admitting members, selling substantially all assets, dissolution, amending this Agreement) require the consent of members holding a majority of the membership interests.

4. Capital contributions. The members have contributed: __________ . No member is required to make additional contributions without their written consent.

5. Allocations & distributions. Profits and losses are allocated, and distributions made, in proportion to the ownership percentages in Section 2, at the times the members (or manager) determine, subject to the Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act (KRS ch. 275; short title per KRS 275.001)'s limits on distributions.

6. Records, amendment & law. The Company keeps its records at the principal office; each member may inspect them. This Agreement may be amended only in writing signed by all members. It is governed byKentucky law and is binding on the members, their successors, and assigns.

Member 1 signature / date
Member 2 signature / date

Generated with SealFormsReflects Kentucky law · verified 2026

Pick a contact

    Contacts live only in this browser. Manage contacts

    Why your Kentucky LLC needs this — even single-member

    • It overrides the default rules. Without an agreement, the Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act (KRS ch. 275; short title per KRS 275.001) decides how profits are split and who can act for the company — not you.
    • It protects limited liability. A written agreement is core evidence that the LLC is a real, separate entity.
    • Banks and lenders ask for it. Opening a business account or getting a loan routinely requires it.

    Kentucky law

    No — Kentucky does not require an operating agreement (as of 2026): No requirement to adopt an operating agreement; KRS ch. 275 default rules govern absent an agreement.. But without one, the default rules of the Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act (KRS ch. 275; short title per KRS 275.001) decide ownership, management, and profit questions for you — which is why one is strongly recommended even for single-member LLCs. Source: KRS 275.015(21) (definition); KRS 275.180 (written-agreement requirements for certain waivers). Check the current Kentucky LLC rules before relying on any default.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is an operating agreement required in Kentucky?

    No — Kentucky does not require an operating agreement (as of 2026): No requirement to adopt an operating agreement; KRS ch. 275 default rules govern absent an agreement.. But without one, the default rules of the Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act (KRS ch. 275; short title per KRS 275.001) decide ownership, management, and profit questions for you — which is why one is strongly recommended even for single-member LLCs. Source: KRS 275.015(21) (definition); KRS 275.180 (written-agreement requirements for certain waivers).

    Does a single-member LLC need an operating agreement?

    It is not usually legally required, but yes in practice: a written agreement helps prove the LLC is a separate entity (protecting limited liability), is routinely requested by banks and lenders, and controls what happens if you bring in a partner or pass the business on. For a single member, it is a short document — this template works for that case.

    Does the operating agreement get filed with the state?

    No. Unlike the formation certificate (articles of organization), the operating agreement is an internal document — you sign it, keep it with your records, and give each member a copy. Banks, lenders, and courts may ask to see it, but no Kentucky agency records it.

    Can the agreement be oral in Kentucky?

    Kentucky's statute recognizes: "any agreement, written or oral, among all of the members" — KRS 275.015(21) (for a single-member LLC, includes written documents or agreements between the sole member and the company) (KRS 275.015(21) (definition); KRS 275.180 (written-agreement requirements for certain waivers)). Even where oral or implied agreements count, put yours in writing — proving an oral term in a dispute between members is exactly the fight the document exists to prevent.

    How does Kentucky compare? See which states actually require an operating agreement, every claim cited to the state LLC act.

    How Kentucky compares

    Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Kentucky: KRS 275.015(21) (definition); KRS 275.180 (written-agreement requirements for certain waivers) ↗.

    • Kentucky is one of 47 of 51 jurisdictions that leave the operating agreement optional (statutory default rules apply without one) (4 require an LLC to have an operating agreement).

    LLC operating agreement in other states

    More Kentucky legal forms

    Different state? See LLC operating agreements by state →