Find legal forms, law schools, and legal resources
Try “residential lease” — forms for your state are shown first.
Tennessee official formation packet
Download the Tennessee articles of organization packet used to create an LLC with the state. This is the official formation document plus support files, not an operating agreement.
A Tennessee formation packet built around the official articles of organization, with customer support and lifetime updates if the official form is revised.
This is the articles of organization you file with the state to create the LLC. It is a public record, not the internal ownership contract.
One $9.99 purchase covers instant download, email support, and replacement files if we update this packet.
Most banks and multi-member LLCs still need a separate operating agreement. It is not filed with these articles.
This state packet includes 2 documents in print-ready PDF format. Labels describe each file's role, not the internal filename.
Articles vs operating agreement
This packet is built around the official Tennessee articles of organization. Filing it with the state creates the LLC as a public legal entity.
The $9.99 price is not for inventing a government form. It covers the current official blank, companion files, email support, and lifetime updates if the official form changes.
This is not an operating agreement. Articles create the company; the operating agreement is the internal contract among members.
Need the internal rulebook too? After you file, most customers also download a member-managed or manager-managed operating agreement for Tennessee.
Researched filing overview
Tennessee uses official Form SS-4270, Articles of Organization, revised January 2025, to form a domestic LLC. Pay $50 per member, $300 minimum and $3,000 maximum, separately to Tennessee.
File on TNCaB, by mail, or in person. The registered office must be a Tennessee street address, not a P.O. box. A professional, series, or obligated-member LLC uses extra designations on the same blank. After formation, file the annual report on or before the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year closes, usually April 1 for a calendar-year LLC, using the same fee scale.
What happens before, during, and after the state filing. This product is the public formation document, not a filing service.
Choose a distinguishable Tennessee name and a registered agent with a Tennessee street address. A P.O. box is not enough.
File official Form SS-4270, revised January 2025, on TNCaB, by mail, or in person. The state fee is $50 per member, $300 minimum and $3,000 maximum, paid separately. This product does not file for you. A professional, series, or obligated-member LLC uses extra designations on the same blank.
Tennessee requires an annual report on or before the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year closes, usually April 1 for a calendar-year LLC. That later fee uses the same $50-per-member, $300-minimum scale. Adopt a written operating agreement. An EIN is separate.
Read the filing notes and statute excerpts here. The official articles of organization preview follows below.
Quick answer
An articles of organization form is the document that one must complete and submit to the state to establish the creation of an LLC within Tennessee.
An articles of organization form is the document that one must complete and submit to the state to establish the creation of an LLC within Tennessee. It sets forth the name of the proposed company and contact information for its registered agent, among other details. It may include other provisions, provided that they are not inconsistent with state law. It comes complete with instructions and filing information for creating an LLC within the state.
Tennessee accepts the filing of an articles of organization form via U. S. mail, walk-in, or online via the Secretary of State's online system for e-filing documents.
The requirements for naming an LLC within the state are set forth in Tenn. Code Ann. § 48-249-106. The name of the LLC must contain the words "limited liability company," the abbreviation "L. L. C." or "LLC". The name must be distinguishable from those of all other entities on file with the state. It may not infringe on any active trademark registered with the state or the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office. One may search online Tennessee's trademark database and the USPTO's trademark database.
One may determine the availability of a proposed business name for use within Tennessee by querying the state's official Business Name Availability tool.
Tennessee imposes a minimum fee of $300 for the filing and processing of an articles of organization form. If the articles submitted to the state declare more than six (6) members, the fee increases by $50 per member starting at the 7th member up to a maximum of $3000.
The statutory authority for an LLC within the state is the Tennessee Revised Limited Liability Company Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 48-249-101 et seq).
The statutory requirements for a valid articles of organization filing are codified in Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 48-249-201 and 202. The text of the statutes read as follows:
§ 48-249-201 . Formation. (a) Formation. One (1) or more persons acting as organizers may form an LLC by filing articles for the LLC with the secretary of state that contain the information required by § 48-249-202. Unless a delayed effective date, or an occurrence of a future event, is specified in the articles, the LLC is formed and its existence begins when the articles are filed with the secretary of state. [....]
§ 48-249-202 . Articles of organization. (a) Mandatory contents. The articles shall set forth: (1) A name for the LLC that satisfies the requirements of § 48-249-106; (2) The street address and zip code of the initial registered office of the LLC, the county in which the office is located, and the name of its initial registered agent at that office; (3) The street address and zip code of the principal executive office of the LLC (and a mailing address such as a post office box if the United States postal service does not deliver to the principal executive office), and the county in which the office is located; (4) A statement as to whether the LLC will be member-managed, manager-managed, or director-managed; (5) If the LLC will have more than six (6) members at the date of filing of the articles, a statement of the number of members at the date of the filing of the articles; (6) If, under § 48-249-114(f), one (1) or more members are personally liable for all of the debts, obligations and liabilities of the LLC, the information required in § 48-249-114(f); (7) If the existence of the LLC is to begin upon a future date, or the occurrence of a specific event, the future date or a description of the specific event; except that, in no event may the future date, or the actual occurrence of the specific event, be more than ninety (90) days after the filing of the articles in compliance with § 48-249-201; (8) If the LLC, while being formed under Tennessee law, is not to engage in business in Tennessee, a statement that the LLC is prohibited from engaging in business in Tennessee; and (9) If the duration of the LLC is to be limited to a specific period of time or term of years, such limitation and the future date on which dissolution is to occur or the term of years shall be stated in the articles.
Ready to download the Tennessee packet? Checkout delivers the formation files immediately. The operating agreement is a separate product if you need ownership and management rules.
Get the Tennessee Packet — $9.99Illustrative sample layout for review before purchase — the licensed packet contains the current filing document and instructions.
TENNESSEE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION
If you are not 100 percent satisfied after purchase, contact us for a full refund. Lifetime updates apply if we replace this packet. This guarantee is about the product and support, not a promise that a particular filing will be accepted.
No. The articles of organization is the public filing that creates the LLC. An operating agreement is a separate internal contract that sets ownership, voting, profit splits, and management. Most customers need both.
Yes. This packet is built around Articles of Organization, Limited Liability Company. If the state later revises the official blank, lifetime updates cover a replacement packet.
When the state publishes a free official form, that blank is still free on the government site. This product packages the current form we carry, any companion files listed on this page, email support, and lifetime updates if we replace the packet. It is not a filing service and it does not pay the state’s filing fee.
This packet currently includes 2 documents in print-ready PDF format. The list on this page is the customer-facing inventory.
Tennessee generally does not file the operating agreement with these articles, but banks, lenders, and multi-member LLCs almost always want one. Choose member-managed if every owner will run the company, or manager-managed if appointed managers will run it.
No. ILRG provides self-help forms and information. You complete the documents and file them with the state, or use the official online portal where that is required. Consult a licensed attorney for tax elections, professional-license entities, or unusual ownership structures.
No. The Articles of Organization fee is $50 per member, $300 minimum and $3,000 maximum, paid separately. The later annual report uses the same scale and is due by the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year closes.