District of Columbia Basic Business License
Beginning January 1, 2009, 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 12,000 previously unlicensed businesses will be required to obtain a General Business License.
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) has created an information page on its website specifically for the new General Business License with everything businesses will need to come into compliance. You can access the site here.
On the site you will find:
• Complete List of Deadlines for District-based Businesses
• Complete List of Deadlines for Out-of-State Businesses
• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About the Basic Business License
• Facts About the General Business License
DCRA began accepting applications for the General Business License on December 1, 2008.
To ensure applications are processed as quickly as possible and to minimize wait times for business owners, DCRA has established rolling deadlines based on billing address zip codes.
DCRA has also created the BBL EZ-FORM to speed up the application process. The new two-page form is easy to fill out and has reduced the size of the BBL paper application by 80 percent. Each business identified will receive an individualized packet by mail complete with all the documents they need.