Starting a Business in Cambridge: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Cambridge: what to file first, what depends on what, and which permits come before opening day. Change the business details to fit yours.
Permits and registrations specific to Cambridge, MA
- City/town clerk business certificate and local licenses — Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts · City or town clerk: Cambridge / Middlesex County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Cambridge · Cambridge (Middlesex County) building department (city)
- File a Cambridge business certificate (DBA) · City of Cambridge City Clerk (city)
- Form the business: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
- Register for state taxes: Massachusetts Department of Revenue
- Register as an employer: Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Cambridge
Based on your selections, this plan has 10 steps. What you file first decides what you can do next: later registrations and licenses wait on the ones below.
Do these first
- Maintain a registered agent in Massachusetts
- File formation documents with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for and file Massachusetts entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- File a Cambridge business certificate (DBA) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City/town clerk business certificate and local licenses — Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Cambridge — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $500.00 per year.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
9 of 10 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 1 step with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule.
Common questions about Cambridge
The state licenses your industry through its own regulator, and the city and county add local permits. These are the authorities and local items on record for Cambridge:
- Contractor licensing: Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections (construction supervisor / home improvement contractor)
- Real estate licensing: Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons
- Alcohol licensing: Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (with local licensing board)
- Child care licensing: Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
- Health facility licensing: Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- City/town clerk business certificate and local licenses — Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (City or town clerk: Cambridge / Middlesex County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Cambridge (Cambridge (Middlesex County) building department, city)
- File a Cambridge business certificate (DBA) (City of Cambridge City Clerk, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: City/town clerk business certificate and local licenses — Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Cambridge. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sec.state.ma.us, mass.gov, mass.gov
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in Massachusetts
- File formation documents with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: sec.state.ma.us, mass.gov
Known government fees for your plan: $0.00 one-time and $500.00 per year.
Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.
Sources: sec.state.ma.us, mass.gov
In your plan for Cambridge, requirements come from four levels. Massachusetts sets formation, state taxes and employer rules; the city and county add local licenses and taxes.
- Federal (2): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C
- State (4): Maintain a registered agent in Massachusetts; File Annual Report (Massachusetts); Register for and file Massachusetts entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Massachusetts)
- City (3): City/town clerk business certificate and local licenses — Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Cambridge; File a Cambridge business certificate (DBA)
Sources: sec.state.ma.us, mass.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance.
- Workers' compensation: Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents. Required when: 1 employee
- Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave contributions: applies from 1 employee.
- Register to withhold Massachusetts income tax from wages.