Start an LLC in Hampden County, Massachusetts

Doing business in Hampden County

Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley along the Connecticut River, had 18,727 establishments and 202,129 jobs in 2024, the largest business base in Western Massachusetts. Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee and Westfield are its cities, and the county has about 464,000 residents. Average annual pay was $62,834. Health care, manufacturing and distribution are major employers, and Springfield and Holyoke have large Spanish-speaking communities.

The Hampden County Registry of Deeds is at 50 State Street in Springfield, with a satellite office at 59 Court Street in Westfield. Property LLCs buying multifamily buildings in Springfield or Holyoke record there.

The Springfield City Clerk charges $50 for a business certificate at City Hall, Room 123. Holyoke, Chicopee and Westfield each keep their own records.

Hampden 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 Hampden County, the documents are recorded at the district office for the property's town. The registry does not form companies or issue business certificates.

Hampden 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 Hampden County

Massachusetts charges one statewide sales and use tax of 6.25 percent (c. 64H, § 2), so a business in Hampden 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.