At the State Level, Massachusetts does not require you to obtain a general business license. However, you may be required to obtain a sales and use tax record if you sell taxable goods or services. Most businesses need at least a sales and use tax registration certificate. Companies in certain professions or locations may also need other licenses.Forming a Massachusetts business is a requirement to do business in the state.
You don't need to reserve your company name, but it's a good idea to make sure it's available and will remain available while you apply for incorporation. You won't have to file statutes, but drafting the bylaws of your corporation is an essential step in forming your company. These are the plans you will use to govern operations.Massachusetts does not require you to disclose your company's formation and has no follow-up filing requirements. You can locate the main office of your LLC out of state, but you must have a Massachusetts address where your LLC records are kept.
You don't need to file an operating agreement to form your LLC in MA, but drafting one is an important step in forming your company.At the state level, Massachusetts does not have a general business license requirement. However, local licenses are often necessary depending on your business activity and location (zoning requirements). The Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensing oversees 31 licensing boards that regulate trades and professions, each of which issues one or more types of licenses.If you have employees, Massachusetts requires that all companies provide their employees with workers' compensation insurance, which companies attest by filing a special affidavit with the Department of Industrial Accidents. Depending on the nature of your business and its location, you may need to obtain environmental permits before you can conduct business.
Unfortunately, there is no central place to find out if you have met all of your licensing and permit requirements, so this part of running your business requires time and research.Like most factors in a company, many (if not most) business licenses and permits need constant maintenance or renewal. Depending on your industry, the nature of your company or the location of your company, you may need one or more licenses. In this state, you cannot use a name that is identical or similar to the name of an existing company. Massachusetts has implemented regulatory reforms to reduce bureaucracy and increase ease of doing business in the state.In conclusion, there are many types of licenses, both state and local, as well as professional, that are required to do business in Massachusetts.
There are also various permits and registrations that you may need to purchase before starting a business in Massachusetts. Because the rules can differ greatly from one local government to another, it's important that you contact each corresponding county or municipality to find out what they need from your business before it opens.
