DBA · Massachusetts

How to File a Business Certificate for an LLC in Massachusetts

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 6, 2026

Short answer

Massachusetts requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to file a business certificate. The certificate is filed with the clerk of every city or town where the business has an office. An LLC or corporation trading only under its own registered name does not file.

Massachusetts Business Certificate at a Glance

Requirement: Required
Where to file: City or town clerk
Fee: Varies by city or town
How long it lasts: 4 years
Newspaper notice: None found
File online: Not confirmed

How an LLC Files

An LLC files a business certificate with the city or town clerk in each city or town where it has an office.

Filing needs a sworn (verified) statement.

A certificate on file must be followed by a sworn statement to the same clerk when an owner leaves the business, an owner moves, or the business changes location.

Cost and Renewal

The state sets a default of $1.00, which each city or town may change. Massachusetts law sets a $1 filing fee only where the city or town has not set its own fee by bylaw or ordinance. Ask the city or town clerk for the fee it charges.

The registration has a 4-year term.

The certificate must be renewed every four years for as long as the business runs, or it lapses.

Publication

We found no publication step for an LLC's business certificate filing in Massachusetts.

If you skip it

Trading under an unfiled name is punishable by a fine of up to $300 for each month the violation continues.

Sole proprietors

Massachusetts requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to file a business certificate. The certificate is filed with the clerk of every city or town where the business has an office. A partnership trading under a name that includes the true surname of any partner does not file.

A sole proprietor files a business certificate with the city or town clerk in each city or town where the business has an office.

Filing needs a sworn (verified) statement.

The registration has a 4-year term.

The certificate must be renewed every four years for as long as the business runs, or it lapses.

We found no publication step for a sole proprietor's business certificate filing in Massachusetts.

Trading under an unfiled name is punishable by a fine of up to $300 for each month the violation continues.

Requirement	Required
Where to file	City or town clerk
Fee	Varies by city or town
How long it lasts	4 years
Newspaper notice	None found
File online	Not confirmed

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: Massachusetts requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to file a business certificate. The certificate is filed with the clerk of every city or town where the business has an office. An LLC or corporation trading only under its own registered name does not file.
: An LLC files a business certificate with the city or town clerk in each city or town where it has an office. Filing needs a sworn (verified) statement.
: The state sets a default of $1.00, which each city or town may change. Massachusetts law sets a $1 filing fee only where the city or town has not set its own fee by bylaw or ordinance. Ask the city or town clerk for the fee it charges.
: The registration has a 4-year term. The certificate must be renewed every four years for as long as the business runs, or it lapses.
: We found no publication step for an LLC's business certificate filing in Massachusetts.
: Trading under an unfiled name is punishable by a fine of up to $300 for each month the violation continues.
: Massachusetts requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to file a business certificate. The certificate is filed with the clerk of every city or town where the business has an office. A partnership trading under a name that includes the true surname of any partner does not file. A sole proprietor files a business certificate with the city or town clerk in each city or town where the business has an office.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's filing office publishes about registering a business name, with the sources this page cites. A filing here does not register a federal trademark, and fees and forms change between our reviews. Confirm with the office named on this page before you file.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Massachusetts sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter110/Section5M.G.L. c. 110, s. 5, Certificates of persons conducting businesses; contents; filing; fees; index
malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter110/Section6M.G.L. c. 110, s. 6, Certificates; application of Sec. 5
malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleI/Chapter4/Section7M.G.L. c. 4, s. 7, Definitions of statutory terms
malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleVI/Chapter262/Section34M.G.L. c. 262, s. 34, Fees of city and town clerks

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.