NAICS CODE: 722330-1

NAICS DESCRIPTION: Any person engaged in taking and selling goods and services for immediate delivery upon purchase, which operates exclusively from public space

Endorsement Class: General Sales

Legal Authority: DC Code: 47-2834, DC Municipal Regulations, Title 24, Chapter 5

License Duration: Two (2) Years

License Available Online: No

Category License Fee: $212.00

Application Fee: $70.00

Endorsement Fee: $25.00

Technology Fee: 10 percent of total

Step-by-Step Application Requirements

STEP ONE: Zoning Compliance

Certificate of Occupancy/Home Occupancy for Compliance for Zoning Regulations
Before applying for your BBL, you'll need a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) or a Home Occupation Permit for the location where your business is conducted to demonstrate that your business does not conflict with building and zoning codes. (If your business is located in an office building, you may operate under the umbrella of the C of O issued to the owner of the building, as long as the C of O was issued for the entire building; check with your building owner or management company for the C of O holder name, number, and issue date.) If you have any questions about Certificates of Occupancy, please call Permit Operations Customer Service at (202) 442-4589.

NOTE: You DO NOT need to attach a copy of the Certificate of Occupancy to your application. You DO need to provide C of O number and issue date on your application.

STEP TWO: Corporate Registration
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. If you are a sole proprietor, no registration is necessary and you can skip this step. For more information, please call the Corporation Division at (202) 442-4432.

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.

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.

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.

STEP THREE: Taxes
Office of Tax and 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 Tax Service Center. For more information, please call the Tax Customer Center at (202) 727-4829.

STEP FOUR: 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. Section G in the BBL EZ Form or BBL EZ Form en Español must be completed and signed for your application to be processed. A signed form from the Office of Tax and Revenue may also be required.

STEP FIVE: Basic Business License Application

To make sure you get your BBL as quickly as possible, you must submit a properly completed Basic Business License Application after completing steps 1 through 4. All of your responses should be printed clearly in English.

Note on PDF Forms: To download and fill out the Basic Business License Application 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.

STEP SIX: Specific Category Requirements

Department of Small and Local Business Development Certification (optional)
If you are certified by the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) as a resident-owned, Local Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (LSDBE) business,you will be eligible for the LSDBE-preferred Sidewalk Vendor Site Lottery --- before the first general lottery for all other applicants. To learn more about DSLBD certification, go to 441 4th St NW #970N, Washington DC 20001, call (202) 727-3900, or go to www.olbd.dc.gov. Resident-owned, LSDBE certification is optional, but you do not need it to get a site.If you are a resident-owned, LSDBE-certified applicant, check the box in Section G on your

BBL Vending Application
You must show your certification documentation when you pick up your license.

Sidewalk Vendor Site Lottery
DCRA will conduct a Sidewalk Vending Site Lottery every 45 days. If you listed sidewalk sites that you would like to try to get on Section G of your BBL application, DCRA will put your license in Sidewalk Vending Site Lottery list. After each drawing, every license in the lottery will get a registered mail notice. If you get a site, the notice will tell you which one. If you don’t get a site, the notice will tell you what the next sites will be and when DCRA will hold the lottery for them. To try for one of those sites, come to DCRA and update your lottery preference list.

Police Criminal History Report (Form PD 70)
You must attach a certified copy of your Police Criminal History Report, from the place where you live, to your application. If you live in the District, you can get this report (PD-70) from the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) at 300 Indiana Av NW #3055. Call the Police Criminal History Report Division at (202) 727-4245 to learn more. If you don’t live in the District, get your report from the police department where you live.

DDOT Public Space Permit
When you get your license, you must a public space permit from Department of Transportation (DDOT), if you are going to vend in public space. If you vend in public space, and you don’t have a public space permit, DCRA will take away your Basic Business License, pursuant to DC Code, Title 24 Chapter 5 § 509.

STEP SEVEN: Additional Business Activities

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) 442-4400, or by email at bbl.infocenter@dc.gov.