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New General Business License Information Center
Beginning December 31, 2008, the District of Columbia will begin requiring all businesses that pay business taxes to have a valid District of Columbia Basic Business License (BBL). Under the Business Licensing Processing Adjustment Act of 2008 passed by the DC Council, an estimated 10,000 previously unlicensed businesses will be required to obtain a General Business License.
The introduction of the new license will allow the District government to identify businesses now subject to licensure and take enforcement action against businesses operating without a license in the District. This will prevent illegal business from negatively influencing legitimate commerce and protect consumers in the District from poor business practices.
The General Business License will cost $100 per year and will be charged biannually. An application fee of $70 and a $25 activity fee will be due with your application. In total, your cost will be $295 for your General Business License - or just a little more than 40 cents per day.
DCRA has also created the BBL EZ-FORM to speed up the application process. The new two-page form, which is included below, is easy-to-fill-out and has reduced the size of the BBL application by 60 percent.
Because many of you may be new to the licensing process, we have compiled a comprehensive list of basic and complex questions and answers to assist you during the application process.
Exemptions
For nearly all cases, if you have a business tax identification number, you will be required to obtain a BBL General Business License. However, there are some exemptions. Business entities whose principles are required to be maintain licensure by a local, state or national certification board or body will not be required to obtain a General Business License. Other exemptions include:
- Not having a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN);
- Having a Basic Business License whose endorsements authorize all current business activities; or
- Having a current occupational or professional license for business activities
You must submit your exemption request prior to your assigned deadline.
If you feel you are exempt, please complete the exemption certificate and return to:
DCRA Business License Center
941 North Capitol Street NE, First Floor
Washington, DC 20002
NAICS Codes
NAICS codes should be used to complete section F of the BBL EZ Form and should not in any way be used to determine whether a business should be licensed.
If you do not see your NAICS Code on the list above, you can use the search application below to determine your code.
** Links to a site outside of the District of Columbia web portal.
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