Business Certificate Filing
Massachusetts General Law Chapter 110 Section 5 requires the filing of business certificates by any person conducting business under any title other than their real name.
Certificates issued in accordance with this section shall be in force and effective for four years from the date of issue and shall be renewed each four years thereafter so long as such business shall be conducted and shall lapse and be void unless so renewed.
Copies of such certificates shall be available at the address at which such business is conducted and shall be furnished on request during regular business hours to any person who has purchased goods or services from such business.
Violations of this law shall be punishable by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars for each month during which such violations continue.
The Town Clerk's Office advises you to adhere to the provisons of this statute in as much as these certificates are examined daily by representatives of banks and other finacial institutions, State and Federal tax offices, consumer groups and agencies, attorneys, utility companies, law enforcment agencies, and other interested parties.
This office reccomends that you obtain a certified copy of you business certificate at the time of original filing in order for you to be in ful compliance with the law.
Fees (effective Dec. 1, 2009):
Filing Fee: $36
Certified Copy: $15
Business Certificate Notice
You are hereby notified that the issuance of a Business Certificate by the Town Clerk’s Office does not ensure your compliance with other state and local laws and regulations within the Town of West Springfield. The operation of your business may require the issuance of licenses and or permits as mandated by local and state laws and regulations including but not limited to the West Springfield Zoning Ordinance, Code of the Town of West Springfield and the Massachusetts Building Code and the Wetlands Protection Act to conduct a business in the Town of West Springfield.
The operation of your business in the Town of West Springfield may require contact with one or more of the following municipal departments for required permits and licenses that may include the following:
Building Department |
Planning Department |
License Commission |
Building Permit |
Site Plan Review |
Common Victualer |
Plumbing Permit |
Special Permit |
Entertainment License |
Electrical Permit |
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Automatic Amusement |
Re-Occupancy Permit |
Health Department |
Auto Dealership |
Sign Permit |
Various Licenses |
Live Entertainment |
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Department of Public Works |
Conservation Commission |
Fire Department |
Permit to Occupy Streets |
Order of Conditions |
Storage of Flammables |
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Please note that, in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance, the following standards apply to all Home Occupational uses (i.e. a business conducted from your place of residence):
10.01 The office of a physician, optometrist or dentist (provided there are no hospital facilities in connection therewith) and the office or studio of an accountant, architect, artist, lawyer, musician, professional engineer, or teacher of scholastic subjects, when situated in the same building used as the residence of the person engaged in such occupation and provided that not more than one-third of the dwelling shall be so used.
As noted in 10.01, home occupational uses are restricted to the listed uses; no other home occupational uses are permitted by-right under Zoning.
TO ENSURE THAT YOUR BUSINESS IS LEGALLY PERMISSIBLE AND TO AVOID ADDED EXPENSES OR UNNECESSARY DELAYS TO THE OPENING OF YOUR BUSINESS, IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU CONTACT THE ABOVE-MENTIONED MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENTS PRIOR TO INITIATING ANY WORK ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR BUSINESS VENTURE.
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