Obligare / States / District of Columbia / DC basic business license renewal
District of Columbia

DC basic business license renewal

Keep the basic business license current: it runs two or four years and renews by the end of the month before the month it was issued. Add the renewal date as your own date.

When
With no fixed date.
Agency
DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
Applies to
Every company based in or operating in District of Columbia.
Fee
By endorsement; the general business license is about $200 for two years, plus a $70 application fee and the endorsement fee
If missed
Fines for operating without a license, and the Department can close the business
Source
dlcp.dc.gov, read October 22, 2026
J
Jay explains

Every business operating in the District holds a basic business license from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, with an endorsement for its kind of activity (general business for most offices and services). The license runs two or four years from the month it was issued and renews by the end of the month before that month, so the date is the company's own; add it as your own date and the reminders follow. A corporation or LLC formed elsewhere registers with the Corporations Division first. A charity that solicits in DC holds the charitable solicitation endorsement on the same license.

Next dates

No fixed date. It appears on a calendar under "No fixed date" so it is not forgotten.

Also in District of Columbia

District of Columbia biennial reportDistrict of Columbia biennial reportDistrict of Columbia biennial reportDistrict of Columbia nonprofit biennial reportDC charitable solicitation license renewalDC corporation franchise tax returnDC unincorporated business franchise tax returnDC personal property tax returnDistrict of Columbia corporate estimated tax paymentDistrict of Columbia personal income tax return with business incomeDistrict of Columbia unemployment insurance wage reportDistrict of Columbia annual withholding reconciliation

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More about the company: other states, payroll, dates, abroad
Other states where you have employees or an office
Other states where you have employees or an office
Each one adds that state's registration, employer and tax filings. A state where you only keep inventory or make sales belongs under sales tax states below, not here.
Date registered in each other state
Optional. Some states key their report to the day you registered there rather than your date of formation; without it, the formation date stands in and the calendar says so.
States where you collect sales tax
States where you collect sales tax
District of Columbia keys its report to this date. Add it and the calendar places it.
Some taxes start at a revenue threshold.
Outside the United States
Each adds the FinCEN or IRS form that comes with it: the FBAR, Form 5472, Form 5471, Forms 1042 and 1042-S.

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