California LLC Operating Agreement Template

An LLC operating agreement in California defines how your limited liability company is managed, how profits are distributed among members, and what happens if a member leaves or the company dissolves. In California, an LLC operating agreement is not legally required but strongly recommended — California requires LLCs to pay an $800 annual minimum franchise tax. The default rules are governed by California Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (Corp. Code §17701.01+).

Without an operating agreement, California's default LLC statutes govern your business — and these default rules rarely align with what members actually intend. For example, default rules may require equal profit-sharing regardless of capital contributions, allow any member to bind the company, or impose restrictive dissolution triggers. A properly drafted operating agreement overrides these defaults. California does not currently offer series LLCs, which not available. Use our LLC operating agreement generator to create a California-compliant agreement.