Washington D.C. Business License

General Business License Requirements for Washington D.C..

Business licenses are often required of business entities, regardless of their products and services. This page provides an overview of business license requirements in Washington D.C..

Washington D.C. General Business Licenses

District of Columbia Basic Business License - General Business

Agency:	District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs - Business Licensing Division
Law:	DC Code § 47-2851.03d
Notes:	Businesses that have a basic business license in a different classification than the general business license typically do not need a general business license as well. Only businesses with elevator, retail cigarette, patent medicine, food product, or vending machine classifications will need to apply for the additional general business license. Nonprofit organizations generally hold a charitable solicitation license instead of a general business license.

Initial Registration

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Filing Method:	Online
Agency Fee:	$99
Turnaround:	Immediate

Registration Renewal

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Filing Method:	Online
Agency Fee:	$99
Due:	Biennially by the end of the month prior to the registration anniversary month. Renewals can be filed as early as 75 days prior to the expiration date.
Penalties:	Penalty fees accumulate as follows: $250 starting 1 day after the expiration date $500 starting 1 month after the expiration date $500 + an additional fee based on the license fee starting 6 months after the expiration date. The license also becomes ineligible for renewal and a new application must be filed.

Learn about general business licensing requirements in other states:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho

Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania

Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

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Revised October 07, 2021. Complete data last reviewed October 07, 2021.

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