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Basic Business License Information:
One Family Rental
NAICS CODE: 531110-2
NAICS DESCRIPTION: This classification applies to you if you own and rent out single-family homes, town houses, duplexes, individual condominium units or individual rooms. You’ll need to apply for a Basic Business License for each rental location. This classification does not include Apartment Houses (with three or more units) or Rooming House (with six or more occupants).
Endorsement Class: Housing - Residential
Legal Authority: DC Code 47-2828; 47-2851 DC Municipal Regulation Title 14, Chapter 2
| License Duration: Two (2) Years |
Category License Fee: $35.00 |
| License Available Online: No |
Application Fee: $70.00 |
| Online Processing Fee: N/A |
Endorsement Fee: $25.00 |
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RAO Fee: $43.00 per unit |
Payment Method
If applying in person, you can pay for your Basic Business License (BBL) by cash, check, money order, or credit card at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Business License Center, 941 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20002.
If applying by mail you can pay for your Basic Business License (BBL) by check or money order payable to "DC Treasurer" and submitted to:
Bank of America Lockbox Services
Attention: D.C. Government Wholesale Lockbox #91360
Bank of America Lockbox Services
11333 McCormick Road
Hunt Valley, MD 21031
Application Requirements
All applicants for a Basic Business License must comply with the following DC Code requirements:
Basic Business License Application
To make sure you get your BBL as quickly as possible, you must submit a properly completed BBL EZ Form. All of your responses should be printed clearly in English.
Note on PDF Forms: To download and fill out BBL EZ form you should open the form and save to your desktop. We recommend you also rename the form as you save to your desktop. For most users, you should be able to save your work. If you cannot, you should print the form before closing.
Clean Hands Certification
You'll also need to certify that you don't owe more than $100 to the District of Columbia government as a result of fees, penalties, interest, or taxes through completion of a Clean Hands form provided in your BBL application package.
Office of Tax & Revenue (OTR) Registration
Before applying for your BBL, you'll also need to register your business with OTR and submit a copy of your tax registration certificate with your application. If you're not already registered, simply complete and file a Combined Business Tax Registration Application (Form FR500). You get all the necessary forms and submit your application online at the Business this can also be done online at the Business Tax Service Center. For more information, please call the Tax Customer Center at (202) 727-4829.
DHCD Rent Control Registration
You must register the rental unit(s) with the Department of Housing and Community Development's Rental Accommodations Division (RAD) at 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Washington, D.C. 20020 as required by the Rental Housing Act of 1985. You will need to complete and attach a Rent Control Registration Form along with the Basic Business License Application or visit DHCD to submot forms and payment. You’ll have to pay a $43.00 RAO fee, per unit, per two-year period in addition to the license, application, and endorsement fees.
RAD transmits the filed RAD Registration/Claim of Exemption Form to DCRA. If the RAD Registration / Claim of Exemption Form is for a 3+ rental unit housing accommodation and filed with RAD by 12 noon, the BBL can be picked up at DCRA by 4:30 pm the same day. In all other instances, the BBL will be mailed to the customer, or can be picked up by the customer at a later date.
For more information on the regulation of rental housing and the Rental Housing Act of 1985, or to obtain a copy of the Tenant Guide to Safe and Decent Housing, please call the DHCD’s Housing Services Center at (202) 442-4477.
NOTE: You must complete the DCRA Licensing Application and the tax registration process before going to DHCD.
DCRA Housing Inspection
A housing inspection approval is required prior to the issuance of this license. After your application is submitted, the DCRA Inspections Division will schedule an appointment time to inspect the premise for compliance to housing codes.
NOTE: Owners/lessors of owner-occupied residences with one rental unit are required to have a Home Occupation Permit as well as a Certificate of Occupancy Permit for the rental unit.
Special Instructions
If your business falls into one of the following categories, there are additional requirements for your BBL application, as described below.
Corporation Division Requirements
If you are a corporation, partnership or limited liability company you must be registered in the District and in good standing. For instructions on how to register, please go to DCRA Corporate Registration Information Center. For more information, please call the Corporation Division at (202) 442-4432.
Non-Resident of the District of Columbia (including Foreign Corporations)
If you are not a resident of the District of Columbia, you'll need to appoint a Resident Agent or an Attorney-in-Fact who lives or works in an office in the District, who will be the official recipient of any financial, process, or legal notices that we need to send to you. If you are not a DC resident, please complete the Certified Resident Agent Appointment Form.
Corporate Registered Agents
Every corporation needs to have a registered agent office in the District of Columbia. This office can but does not need to be the same as your place of business. Foreign corporations doing business in DC need to certify that their named registered agent is duly authorized to represent that corporation.
Trade Name Operative (Use of Fictitious Business Name)
If your business uses a Trade Name, you'll need to register the name with DCRA and indicate both the trade name and the official business name (including its corporation, LLC, or partnership classification) if applicable.
Other District or Federal Agencies Involved for this Basic Business License
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Additional Business Activities (BBL Endorsements)
If you conduct more than one business activity (endorsement type), you'll need to indicate those activities on your BBL application. You might have any number of additional business activities connected to this particular license endorsement.
Special Notes: If your business includes any of the above endorsement activities, you can get additional fact sheets and application forms by contacting DCRA's License Center at (202) 442-4311, or by email at bbl.infocenter@dc.gov.
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