Do you need a business license in District of Columbia? Most businesses operating there do.
Businesses earning revenue from activity in the District, by category. It covers activity conducted in DC, so a company with no DC operations generally doesn't need one.
Checked by the BaseAcross team.
District of Columbia at a glance
- General licence
- YesBasic Business License
- Run from abroad
- Not neededOnly with a location there
- Sales tax
- YesSales tax registration
- Federal licence
- NoneOnly regulated activities
Business licences in District of Columbia
What District of Columbia asks of a business, and what that means for one run from abroad.
Basic Business License Businesses earning revenue from activity in the District, by category. $99 for two years in the general business category. Issued by the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. The official page.
If you run it from abroad. It covers activity conducted in DC, so a company with no DC operations generally doesn't need one.
Sales tax. Sales tax registration, from the DC Office of Tax and Revenue, once you have to collect District of Columbia's sales tax. Register.
Cities and counties. DC is a single jurisdiction: its Basic Business License is the local licence.
Regulated work. Alcohol, food, health, finance, transport and the licensed professions bring their own federal or state licences, wherever you're based. The lookup below lists them.
What does your company need?
Set to a company formed in District of Columbia and run from abroad. Change any answer.
Your answer
Nothing to apply for right now.
Based on your answers, no licence is needed today. Below is what would change that, and what you can stop worrying about.
You'll need later, if this happens· 1
A licence in a state you sell into a lot
Only Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, West Virginia reach a seller with no presence. Every other state doesn't.
Alaska: Alaska expects a licence if any part of your business happens in Alaska, so check before you sell there regularly. Hawaii: You need one once you have $100,000 of sales or 200 transactions with Hawaii customers in a year, even with no presence there. Washington: You need one once you have more than $100,000 a year of sales to Washington customers, even with no presence there. West Virginia: You need one once you have to collect West Virginia's sales tax, which for a remote seller starts at its sales threshold.
You don't need· 5
A Basic Business License (District of Columbia)
It covers activity conducted in DC, so a company with no DC operations generally doesn't need one.
A city licence where you have no office
City and county licences are for businesses located there. A company run from abroad isn't located in a US city.
A seller's permit before you have to collect sales tax
A seller's permit is a sales tax registration, not a licence to sell. You need one in a state once you have to collect its tax.
A licence to form your company
Forming an LLC or corporation is a filing, not a licence. Your EIN is a tax number, not a licence either.
A general federal business licence
There isn't one. The US licenses specific activities, such as alcohol, firearms and broadcasting, not businesses in general.
Want it checked for your exact business?
Customers can order licence research from their Services page. We check every federal, state, county and city licence your activity needs, and send it in writing: $99, in 4 business days.
Open ServicesQuestions about District of Columbia business licences.
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District of Columbia has a Basic Business License, from the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Businesses earning revenue from activity in the District, by category. It costs $99 for two years in the general business category.
It covers activity conducted in DC, so a company with no DC operations generally doesn't need one.
Only once you have to collect District of Columbia's sales tax: when you have an office, staff or stock there, or your sales into District of Columbia pass its threshold. It's called a sales tax registration, from the DC Office of Tax and Revenue.
DC is a single jurisdiction: its Basic Business License is the local licence. A company with no office or staff in District of Columbia isn't located in any of them.
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