Start an LLC in Essex County, Massachusetts

Doing business in Essex County

Essex County, on the North Shore, had 28,628 establishments and 323,694 jobs in 2024, third among Massachusetts counties, with about 824,000 residents. It mixes old mill cities such as Lawrence, Haverhill and Lynn with coastal towns like Gloucester, Marblehead and Newburyport, so the companies we form range from manufacturers and fishing businesses to restaurants and seasonal rentals. Average annual pay was $75,548.

Land records are split. Lawrence, Andover, Methuen and nearby towns record at the Essex North office at 1 Union Street in Lawrence. Salem, Lynn, Beverly, Peabody, Gloucester and most other towns record at Essex South, whose main office is at 100 Cummings Center in Beverly. A property LLC in Haverhill or Newburyport should confirm the district before scheduling a closing.

Lawrence and Lynn have large Spanish-speaking business communities, which is one reason this site offers every service page in Spanish. Business certificates go to each city or town clerk, and Lynn's clerk is at 3 City Hall Square.

Essex County Registry of Deeds

Massachusetts registries of deeds record deeds, mortgages and other land documents. If your LLC or corporation buys, sells or finances property in Essex County, the documents are recorded at the district office for the property's town. The registry does not form companies or issue business certificates.

Essex County business numbers

Establishments, employment and pay are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (private and public, all industries); population is the Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.

Sales tax and local permits in Essex County

Massachusetts charges one statewide sales and use tax of 6.25 percent (c. 64H, § 2), so a business in Essex County collects the same rate as one anywhere else in the Commonwealth. There is no county business license. Trade names are filed as business certificates with the clerk of each city or town where you have an office (c. 110, § 5), and building, zoning and board of health permits come from the town.

Forming the company, step by step

• Search the name on the Corporations Division's records and pick an LLC or corporate ending.
• File the Certificate of Organization ($500 for an LLC) or Articles of Organization ($275 for a corporation with up to 275,000 shares) with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
• Name a resident or registered agent with a Massachusetts street address. Ours is $199 a year.
• Get an EIN from the IRS, then open a business bank account in the exact registered name.
• File a business certificate with your city or town clerk if you will trade under a different name.
• File the annual report each year: $500 for an LLC on its anniversary, $100 online for a corporation.