If you are starting a business and are a single proprietorship, partnership or corporation doing business under a name other than your own, you must file a business certificate with the Town Clerk in order to register your name. The only case in which you do not have to file a "dba" is when you are doing business in your own complete name, such as John Smith Company, or your own incorporated name.
Filing a business certificate at the town level does not protect your name as a corporate filing or a trademark registration does. It merely allows customers and/or creditors to identify the names of the actual owners of a business. State law requires this filing.
A business certificate does not give you permission to operate your business either; it only registers the name. It is your responsibility to obtain all appropriate permits and/or licenses for your business from the appropriate departments, including the Building Department and various licensing authorities, such as the Board of Health, Conservation Commission, Water Department, etc.
Fill out the application and Worker's Compensation Affidavit, found on the left sidebar to this page. Completed applications can be emailed to townclerk@wbridgewater.com or you can bring it to the Town Clerk's Office. Business certificates cost $40.00 and are good for four years. The Town Clerk's office is located on the first floor of own Hall, 65 North Main Street, West Bridgewater, MA 02379. Phone Number: 508-894-1167.
