Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 110, section 5, states that any person conducting business under any title (business name) other than the real name of the person conducting the business must file a certificate. A person is defined as an individual, a partnership or a corporation.
Exemptions to filing are allowed under section 6 which include corporations doing business as its true corporate name or a partnership doing business under any title which includes the true surname of any partner. For example if Jane Doe and John Smith were conducting “John Smith Window Cleaning Services” the business would be exempt as would the corporation “Coca Cola Company”. Certain other exemptions exist for trusts and limited partnerships.
Business certificates are valid for a period of (4) four years from the date of its original filing and must be renewed every (4) four years for as long as the business is “in business”.
It is the responsibility of the business owner to renew.
The cost for filing a Business Certificate in Stoneham is $50.00.
Mail-In Business Certificate Forms