When it comes to actually “signing” llc formation documents required to form a limited liability company in a state, the laws generally do not require that a member (owner) sign the filing documents.  The laws do require that an ORGANIZER sign it.  So a person must sign it but that person can be an owner, a lawyer, a document filing services company agent or anyone you desire to sign them as long as it is an actual person.

Now, this question also raises another issue because I assume it is being driven by the desire for the owner of a business to keep his or her ownership private. One of the benefits of having a limited liability company in MOST states is that owners of the LLC business are not a matter of public record.

This is important to some owners.  First, there may be private investors and these investors do not want to be disclosed as related to a business.  Second, there are just silent partners of a business.  Third there are active member managers who just do not want their ownership to be disclosed as a matter of public record.

In many states, members are not required to be disclosed in the public filing documents.  But there are a handful of states that require the disclosure of names and addresses of members and managers. When this disclosure is required to be on the official formation documents, it becomes a matter of public record.  In some states, there is a separate llc filing requirement to list members and managers and states vary whether they make these filings available to the public.

You will need to check with your particular state to determine its rules.

The process of LLC formation generally covers the LLC filing and processing of such filing by a state agency to officially create an LLC (which is a legal entity known as a limited liability company) in that particular state.

In most states, the owners (also known as the members) are not required to be identified or appointed in the formation documents. And, if this is not a requirement, you should not list your members on these documents for privacy purposes.  LLC filing documents become a matter of public record.

All the state has is the LLC name, a registered agent and the name of a person who is the organizer. The registered agent can be an owner but is not required to be.  Many business owners choose to use a registered agent service.  An organizer is the person who submits the filing documents but this person is not required to be an owner.  It can be a lawyer or a person at a document filing service who is preparing your LLC formation documents.

This means that it is up to you, after your limited liability company has been created, to officially admit yourself and any other owners as members of the legal entity.  This can be done in several ways but the most common way is through the company’s initial LLC Operating Agreement. In this document, you will establish how ownership of your LLC is structured (usually with membership units) and then set forth who owns how many membership units in the company.  Other details include the required capital contributions, member names and addresses, and parameters for what ownership gives a member in terms of financial rights and voting rights.