NAICS CODE: 488410-2

NAICS DESCRIPTION: A tow truck is a motor vehicle equipped with a lift, crane, hoist, winch, cradle, jack, automobile ambulance, tow dolly, or similar device designated or used to provide crane service for disabled motor vehicles, by whatsoever name called; Provided, that the term "TOW TRUCK" shall not include any vehicle equipped with a pushing bumper for the purpose of pushing stalled motor vehicles, but not equipped to provide crane service.

Note: The owner of a tow truck business will be issued a Basic Business License and each truck will be issued separate licenses. No tow truck license will be valid, unless the owner has a valid Basic Business License.

Endorsement Class: General Services and Repair

Legal Authority: DC Code: 47-2850, DCMR, Title 16; Chapter 4

License Duration: Two (2) Years

License Available Online: No

Category License Fee: $326.00 per truck

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 & 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

Owner of Tow Business
The name, address and telephone number of the person engaging in the operation of a towing service business.

Statement of Hours, Storage, and Towing Fees
You must submit a statement with the following information location, description, and hourly availability of the tow truck. A schedule of minimum and maximum fees which the applicant will charge for the use of the tow truck in connection with providing various kinds of towing service, together with a full and detailed statement of the service to be rendered for each stated amount of fee. As well as the minimum and maximum daily fees which the applicant will charge for the storage of disabled motor vehicles at the applicant’s storage facility.

Department of Public Works
A current certified copy of the Tow Truck Inspection Certificate is required. The certificate must not be later than (10) days old.

Supplemental Application
The Tow Truck Supplemental Application must be completed in its entirety.

D.C. Motor Vehicle Registration Certificate
A copy of the D.C. Registration Certificate and license plate is required for each tow truck.

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. All of the partners in a partnership, and the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer of a corporation must provide a Police Criminal History Report.

Investigation/Approval
This type of business requires a background investigation prior to issuance of a license. This investigation will be conducted after submitting the application and all required documents.

NOTE TO TOW TRUCK APPLICANTS:
If you have a current Tow Truck Basic Business License at the same premises and are only adding an additional truck(s) you do not have to provide items 9 and 10. Please indicate "New Truck" at the top of your application.

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.