LegalDocsBuilder Browse documents

Illinois LLC operating agreement

Create a Illinois LLC operating agreement built on 805 ILCS 180. Illinois does not require an LLC to adopt an operating agreement, but without one the Act supplies default rules for issues the agreement leaves unanswered. The finished PDF states your ownership, management, voting, allocation, and distribution terms expressly, so the statute's default rules only apply where you leave them in place. Sign it electronically or print it — no notarization is required in Illinois.

805 ILCS 180 Last verified 2026-07-22

Statutory citations and default rules on this page were checked against the official Illinois code on 2026-07-22.

What this tool covers — and doesn't. It generates an operating agreement for an ordinary Illinois LLC with one to four members signing electronically, or any number of members signing on paper. It does not form or register your LLC, and it can't be used for professional-licensed practices, Series LLCs, or statutory public benefit LLCs — those need terms this generator doesn't produce (you'll be screened out with an explanation, not a broken document).

Every state page is built from that state's LLC Act, verified against the official legislature or code source — not a syndicated template. The citation and the last-verified date are shown before you enter anything, and the finished agreement names the governing Act. The date records the most recent legal review.

Two ways to sign

Sign electronically (Secure Relay)

Each member signs in their own browser. The document and signatures travel inside the link itself — pass it by QR code or by sending the link; nothing is uploaded. When the last member signs, everyone gets the completed PDF from the same link.

Print and sign

Download the PDF, print it, and have every member sign and date the execution page. No state adds a notary or witness requirement to an operating agreement; the product uses member signatures as evidence of assent.

Federal law generally prevents a signature or agreement from being denied legal effect solely because it is electronic (15 U.S.C. § 7001).

Go to the form

Questions about Illinois operating agreements

Do I need an operating agreement for my LLC in Illinois?

Illinois does not require an operating agreement — your LLC exists once its formation filing is effective. But without one, 805 ILCS 180 decides everything by default: equal per-capita shares, and ordinary decisions pass by a per-capita vote. An operating agreement replaces those defaults with terms you actually chose, and it's a document banks or counterparties may ask to see.

Is this template actually specific to Illinois?

Yes — the agreement is drafted against 805 ILCS 180, verified 2026-07-22. State law genuinely differs here: Illinois's default distribution rule is equal per-capita shares; ordinary decisions default to a per-capita vote; amendment defaults to all members. The generated agreement states each of these expressly instead of leaving them to the statute, and its governing-law clause names Illinois.

What should an LLC operating agreement include?

At minimum: who the members are and what each contributed; how profits and losses are allocated; when distributions happen; whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed; voting thresholds for ordinary decisions, amendments, admitting members, and dissolution; transfer restrictions; what happens when a member leaves; dissolution and winding-up; recordkeeping; and a signature for every member. This generator covers each of these, with Illinois-specific defaults where you don't choose otherwise.

Member-managed vs. manager-managed — which do I choose?

Member-managed means every member has authority to act for the LLC — the usual choice when all owners work in the business. Manager-managed concentrates authority in one or more named managers (who may or may not be members) — common with passive investors or when one person runs operations. Most states default to member-managed unless the agreement says otherwise, so a manager-managed LLC must state it expressly — this generator does (in Wisconsin the statute demands that express statement, Wis. Stat. § 183.0407). Which fits your company depends on facts this tool can't judge; if control is contested, that's a question for a lawyer, not a template.

Does an LLC operating agreement have to be notarized in Illinois?

No. No US state requires an operating agreement to be notarized or witnessed — Illinois included. Each member simply signs. That's why the generated document has no notary block: adding one would imply a formality the law doesn't impose.

Do I have to file my operating agreement with the state?

No — in every state the operating agreement is an internal company record. Your LLC is formed by a separate filing (articles of organization or certificate of formation); the agreement itself is never submitted to the Secretary of State. Keep the signed original with your company records and give each member a copy.

Can I sign my operating agreement electronically?

Yes, in every state. Electronic signatures on operating agreements are valid nationwide under the federal ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001) and each state's electronic-transactions law, and no state's exclusion list covers an operating agreement. This tool's Secure Relay signing keeps everything in the document link itself — nothing is uploaded or stored. LLCs with five or more members print and sign on paper instead, only because the relay carries up to four signers.

I'm the only member — do I really need an operating agreement?

A single-member LLC gets no vote-related benefit from an agreement, but a bank or lender may ask for one, it documents that the company is separate from you, and it fixes what happens to the company if you die or become incapacitated. This generator produces a single-member form — a sole member's declaration where Illinois law shapes it that way — not a multi-member template with the names swapped.

Will an operating agreement protect my personal assets?

No — no operating agreement can promise or create protection for personal assets. An LLC's liability rules come from statute, and courts can still reach personal assets through veil-piercing, alter-ego, fraudulent-transfer, and bankruptcy doctrines in every state. What an operating agreement does is document that the company is operated separately from its owners. How far Illinois law limits a member's personal creditors from reaching the company is a separate question — Illinois's statute makes a charging order the creditor's exclusive remedy, though it doesn't expressly address single-member LLCs — and it is a description of current law, not a promise.

How are profits, losses, and votes handled if the agreement is silent?

If an operating agreement doesn't answer a question, 805 ILCS 180 does. In Illinois: equal per-capita shares for distributions; a per-capita vote for ordinary decisions; all members to amend. This generator doesn't leave the important ones silent — it always writes profit-and-loss allocation expressly (most states have no statutory allocation default at all, only a distribution default, and the two are not the same thing).

Is this really free? What happens to my information?

Free, with no account and no paywall before the download. The document is assembled in your browser; your answers and signatures travel in the link itself and are not stored on any server. If you choose email delivery after signing, the completed link is processed in memory only to send the email and is then discarded — there is nothing for us to keep, sell, or produce. If you lose the link, the document is gone, so save it and download the PDF.

Operating agreements for Illinois LLCs are governed by 805 ILCS 180 (content on this page last verified 2026-07-22). Illinois does not require an operating agreement — your LLC exists once its formation filing is effective. Electronic signatures on the agreement are valid under applicable state electronic-transactions law and the federal ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7001. The agreement is an internal record and is not filed with any Illinois agency.

Create your Illinois operating agreement

LegalDocsBuilder provides general legal information and document automation, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. This generator states Illinois default rules as verified on 2026-07-22; it does not guarantee enforceability or any particular legal outcome, and it is not a substitute for advice about your situation.

1

Eligibility

Has the LLC already been formed (formation document filed with the state)?

This generator produces an agreement for an LLC that already exists or is being formed concurrently. If you haven't filed yet, you can still prepare the agreement — just make sure the effective date is on or after the filing date.

Will the LLC provide a professionally licensed service — for example law, medicine, dentistry, accounting, architecture, or engineering?

Licensed professions are governed by each profession's board on top of LLC law — ownership, naming, and liability rules this generator can't produce. If you're unsure, check whether your service requires a state license to perform.

Is this a Series LLC (an LLC intended to hold separate 'series' with separate assets and liability)?

A series structure needs more than an operating agreement — separate records, asset segregation, and in most states a filed designation or certificate language. An agreement alone never creates the shield.

Has the LLC elected statutory public-benefit status?

Public-benefit LLCs must state the specific public benefit in their operating agreement, and some terms can't be altered — content this generator doesn't collect. Ordinary LLCs with a mission are fine; this only means the formal statutory election.

2

Your LLC

Use the exact legal name shown on the formation filing.

3

Members and ownership

Percentages must total 100. The agreement allocates profits and losses expressly by these figures; the generator performs no tax calculation, and you should review allocation terms with a tax adviser.

State what each member has contributed. If a member is promising a future contribution, say so — the agreement will record it as a signed written promise, the only enforceable form in several states.

4

Management

Who manages the LLC?

Manager-managed must be stated expressly in the agreement — the generator does that. Managers can be members or outsiders; you'll name them next.

5

Money: allocations and distributions

This sets distributions, not tax allocations. Profit-and-loss allocation is stated separately.

6

Decisions: voting and amendments

Preloaded values are Illinois's statutory defaults (a per-capita vote; amendments all members). Change them and the agreement's stated terms govern instead.

Unanimous is at or above every state's floor; choose a lower threshold only if all members accept it now.

The agreement restricts transfers by default: a member may transfer economic rights, but a transferee becomes a member only with the consent the agreement states. Preloaded consent: all members.

8

Existing agreements

Do the members already have an operating agreement of any kind — including an oral understanding or a way of operating everyone treats as agreed?

Most states recognize oral and implied operating agreements, so a new written one doesn't automatically replace old terms unless it says so. If yes, your agreement will include an express supersession clause, and you'll confirm before download that replacing the prior terms is what everyone intends.