NAICS CODE: 561990-2

NAICS DESCRIPTION: Temporary auctioneer is a person, firm, partnership, association, organization, or corporation conducting auctions for an existing charitable, benevolent, humane, religious, philanthropic, recreational, social, educational, civic, fraternal, or other nonprofit purpose. A temporary auctioneer license shall be valid for a period of not more than seven (7) calendar days.

Endorsement Class: General Services and Repair

Legal Authority: Code 47-2808; 47-2851 DC Municipal Regulations, Title 16, Chapter 11

License Duration: 7 calendar days

License Available Online: No

Category License Fee: $100.00

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. 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

Police Criminal History Report (Form PD 70)
You must attach a certified copy of your Police Criminal History Report from the jurisdiction in which you reside to the Basic Business License Application. You may obtain this Report (PD-70) from the DC Metropolitan Police Department in person at 300 Indiana Avenue, NW Room 3055, or call the Police Criminal History Report Division at (202) 727-4245 for additional details. A non-resident shall obtain this report from the jurisdiction in which he/she resides.

Metropolitan Police Department Interview
You must schedule an interview with the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Police Pawn Unit located at 300 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, to receive approval to conduct this business activity in the District before a Basic Business License can be approved and issued. Call DC Metropolitan Police Department at (202) 724-1424 for an appointment.

Identification Requirements
Two sets of passports photographs, taken within 90 days of submitting the application are required.

Proof of Residency and Age
The applicant must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and has been a bona fide resident of the District of Columbia for at least (6) months immediately preceding the application or has been regularly employed or engaged in business in said District of Columbia for a continuous period of at least six (6) months immediately preceding the application.

If the applicant does not meet the residency requirements, but possesses special qualifications that will contribute to the effective sale of specifically described goods, the Director may waive the residency requirements and authorize the issuance of a license. The application must be supported by a notarized letter setting forth the exceptional circumstances.

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) 442-4311, or by email at bbl.infocenter@dc.gov.