Louisiana LLC Operating Agreement
Set out who owns your Louisiana 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.
Maintained by Rapi Stack · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified 2026 · Not legal advice.
Louisiana LLC act rules · as of 2026
- Required by law?
- No — but strongly recommended
- Recognized form
- "any agreement, written or oral, of the members" — La. R.S. 12:1301(A)(16) (for a single-member LLC: any written agreement between the member and the company memorializing its affairs)
- Governing act
- Louisiana Limited Liability Company Law
Without an agreement: Absent a written provision, interim distributions are made equally to the members (per capita) — La. R.S. 12:1324. Source: La. R.S. 12:1301(A)(16) · verify ↗.
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Why your Louisiana LLC needs this — even single-member
- It overrides the default rules. Without an agreement, the Louisiana Limited Liability Company Law 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.
Louisiana law
No — Louisiana does not require an operating agreement (as of 2026): No requirement to adopt an operating agreement (the chapter, La. R.S. 12:1301-1370, has no official short title); the statute's default rules apply when there is none, and several defaults may be varied only in a WRITTEN operating agreement.. But without one, the default rules of the Louisiana Limited Liability Company Law decide ownership, management, and profit questions for you — which is why one is strongly recommended even for single-member LLCs. Source: La. R.S. 12:1301(A)(16). Check the current Louisiana LLC rules before relying on any default.
Frequently asked questions
Is an operating agreement required in Louisiana?
No — Louisiana does not require an operating agreement (as of 2026): No requirement to adopt an operating agreement (the chapter, La. R.S. 12:1301-1370, has no official short title); the statute's default rules apply when there is none, and several defaults may be varied only in a WRITTEN operating agreement.. But without one, the default rules of the Louisiana Limited Liability Company Law decide ownership, management, and profit questions for you — which is why one is strongly recommended even for single-member LLCs. Source: La. R.S. 12:1301(A)(16).
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 Louisiana agency records it.
Can the agreement be oral in Louisiana?
Louisiana's statute recognizes: "any agreement, written or oral, of the members" — La. R.S. 12:1301(A)(16) (for a single-member LLC: any written agreement between the member and the company memorializing its affairs) (La. R.S. 12:1301(A)(16)). 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 Louisiana compare? See which states actually require an operating agreement, every claim cited to the state LLC act.
How Louisiana compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Louisiana: La. R.S. 12:1301(A)(16) ↗.
- Louisiana 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).
The rest of what Louisiana requires
The figures below are Louisiana's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full Louisiana page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- No statutory limit La. Rev. Stat. §9:3251 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 30 days after move-out La. Rev. Stat. §9:3251 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 10 days La. Rev. Stat. §9:3251 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 5 days to pay or quit La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701; La. Civ. Code art. 2728 ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $5,000 La. C.C.P. art. 4911; La. R.S. 13:5200 et seq. (city court small claims); La. R.S. 13:2590 (JP fees) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Justice of the Peace Court (rural wards) or the small claims division of a City Court · filing fee Set locally by each court under La. R.S. 13:2590; commonly ~$75-$150 including service. Ask the individual JP or city court clerk. La. C.C.P. art. 4911; La. R.S. 13:5200 et seq. (city court small claims); La. R.S. 13:2590 (JP fees) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- No statutory limit Louisiana Laws ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Required to transfer a vehicle title Louisiana OMV ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization not-required La. Civ. Code arts. 2989 & 2993 ↗
- Recording a deed · as of 2026
- Clerk of Court, ex officio parish recorder of conveyances and mortgages (La. R.S. 13:750; in Orleans Parish the clerk of civil district court is parish recorder, La. R.S. 44:181) · 2 witnesses La. Civ. Code arts. 1833, 1839, 2502 ↗
LLC operating agreement in other states
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