Start an LLC in Bristol County, Massachusetts

Doing business in Bristol County

Bristol County, in southeastern Massachusetts bordering Rhode Island, had 17,906 establishments and 227,971 jobs in 2024, with about 589,000 residents. New Bedford's fishing port, Fall River's former mills and Taunton's growing distribution and retail base give it a different mix from the Boston suburbs. Average annual pay was $64,669.

Bristol County has three Registry of Deeds districts, the most of any county besides Berkshire. Taunton, Attleboro and the northern towns record at Bristol North on Court Street in Taunton; New Bedford, Dartmouth and the southern towns at Bristol South on North 6th Street; and Fall River with its neighbors at the Fall River District office on North Main Street.

Companies working on both sides of the Rhode Island line often need a foreign registration in one state. A Rhode Island LLC with a shop in Seekonk or Swansea registers in Massachusetts within ten days of starting business here and pays $500.

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

Bristol 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 Bristol County

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