Start an LLC in Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Doing business in Suffolk County

Suffolk County is small in area but dense in business. It is made up of Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop, and it counted 33,364 establishments and 713,809 jobs in 2024. Its average annual pay of $131,280 is the highest of any Massachusetts county, and with about 21 jobs per establishment it has the largest employers on average. Financial firms, hospitals, universities and law practices anchor the county, while restaurants, salons and delivery businesses make up much of the new LLC demand we see.

All land documents for the county record at one office, the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds on New Chardon Street in Boston. Investors buying triple-deckers in Dorchester or condos in Chelsea through an LLC will record the deed there, and lenders usually ask for a recent Corporations Division certificate of good standing before closing.

Boston has its own business certificate rules: $65 at the City Clerk, plus $35 for non-resident owners, renewed every four years. Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop each keep their own clerk's records, so a business certificate follows the office location, not the county.

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

Suffolk 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 Suffolk County

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