NAICS CODE: 531110-1

NAICS DESCRIPTION: This classification applies if you rent or lease apartments in dwellings with 3 or more units, whether or not the units are occupied, or offered for occupancy, for a consideration.

Endorsement Class: Housing - Residential

Legal Authority: DC Code: 47-2828 DC Municipal Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 12

License Duration: Two (2) Years

License Available Online:No

Category License Fee: Varies (see below)

• 3-5 units = $167
• 6-25 units = $208
• 25+ units = $208 + an additional $130 for every 25 units or fraction thereof

Application Fee: $70.00

Endorsement Fee: $25.00

ROA Fee: $43.00 per unit

Technology Fee: 10 percent of total

Proactive Inspections Fee
Beginning October 1, 2009, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs began charging all residential rental properties a $35.00 per unit fee up to a $2,000.00 maximum for the Proactive Inspections program. The fee funds the cost of inspecting each residential property during their business license renewal period.

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 BBL EZ Form 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 BBL EZ 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

DHCD Rent Control Registration
You must register the rental unit(s) with the Department of Housing and Community Development's Rental Accommodations Division (RAD) at 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Washington, D.C. 20020 as required by the Rental Housing Act of 1985. You will need to complete and attach a Rent Control Registration Form along with the Basic Business License Application or visit DHCD to submit forms and payment. You’ll have to pay a $43.00 RAO fee, per unit, per two-year period in addition to the license, application, and endorsement fees.

RAD transmits the filed RAD Registration/Claim of Exemption Form to DCRA. If the RAD Registration / Claim of Exemption Form is for a 3 or more rental unit housing accommodation and filed with RAD by 12 noon, the BBL can be picked up at DCRA by 4:30 pm the same day. In all other instances, the BBL will be mailed to the customer, or can be picked up by the customer at a later date.

For more information on the regulation of rental housing and the Rental Housing Act of 1985, or to obtain a copy of the Tenant Guide to Safe and Decent Housing, please call the DHCD’s Housing Services Center at (202) 442-4477.

NOTE: You must complete the DCRA Licensing Application, Certificate of Occupancy Application and the tax registration process before going to DHCD.

Compliance with the District of Columbia Housing Codes
The housing accommodations must be in compliance with the District of Columbia Housing Regulations, District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 11.

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.