How to search District of Columbia business entities online

Agency context: DLCP, not a Secretary of State

The District of Columbia does not have a Secretary of State. Business entity registration is handled by the DLCP's Corporations Division, which functions as the Office of Corporate Registrar and Superintendent of Corporations. All references to "DC corporate registry" or "DC business registration" mean DLCP — not the DC Office of the Mayor, the DC Council, or any other agency.

Entity types that must register

Mandatory registration covers: limited liability companies (including professional LLCs), business corporations (including professional corporations and benefit corporations), nonprofit corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, general cooperative associations, limited cooperative associations, statutory trusts, and trade names (DBAs). Sole proprietorships and general partnerships operating under their own legal names are not required to register, but any use of a trade name must be registered.

The registration sequence matters

DC requires that entity registration with DLCP be completed before applying for a business license, tax registration, or any other DC registration. CorpOnline is step one in the DC business setup process. The 4-Step Business Setup Guide (PDF) at corponline.dlcp.dc.gov — 4 Steps walks through the full sequence.

Obtaining certificates and copies

Good standing certificates (called Status Certificates in DC) and certified copies of filed documents are ordered through CorpOnline with a registered account. LLCs and for-profit corporations: $50 per certificate or certified copy. Nonprofits: $40. Expedited processing adds $100 (same-day) or $50 (3-day) to any order. Walk-in customers at the DLCP office are automatically assessed the same-day expedited fee on top of the base fee.

Biennial reports — not annual

DC does not use annual reports. All registered entities file biennial (two-year) reports. The first biennial report is due April 1 of the year immediately following registration; subsequent reports are due April 1 every two years. The biennial report fee is $300 for LLCs and for-profit corporations, and $80 for nonprofits. Late fee: $100 (for-profit/LLC) or $50 (nonprofit).

CorpOnline is being replaced by BOSS

DLCP has announced BOSS (Business One Stop Solution), a new unified platform that folds corporate registration together with business licensing, short-term rental, special events, weights and measures, and vending services into a single system. DLCP has said BOSS is set to launch in August 2026 and has warned that temporary service interruptions may occur during the transition.

Because this guide describes the CorpOnline interface as it exists today, expect the search tool's URL, login, or layout to change once BOSS is live — check the current DLCP site if it has been more than a few weeks since this guide was last verified.