Boston, MA business license requirements
Whether a business in Boston, MA needs a local license depends on the business type, according to the source cited below.
- General local business license required
- Varies by business type
- License name
- Business Certificate
- Issuing office
- City Clerk's Office
- Fee
- $65 base fee. $65 filing fee; $35 non-resident surcharge for a filer who is not a Massachusetts resident; $50 to change the business address; late renewal penalty of up to $100 per month capped at $300; card payments add 2.5% (minimum $1)
- Renewal
- Every four years, counted from the date of first registration with the City Clerk; renewal costs $65
- Where to apply
- No separate application page was found; start from the official source below.
- Official source
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-clerk/how-apply-business-certificate
- Excerpt supporting this summary
- “You need a Business Certificate if you run your business under a name different from its legal name ...” Copied by an AI agent from the official source: https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-clerk/how-apply-business-certificate
- Verified date
- 2026-10-06
- How this summary was compiled
- An AI agent fetched the official source page above and read it.
The verified date is the day this summary was compiled. Fees, forms and deadlines change: confirm them with City Clerk's Office before filing.
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