DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection — contact, fees, and licensing

DC business entity registration falls under the DLCP Corporations Division — the DC equivalent of a Secretary of State's business filing office. The agency also handles business licenses, professional licensing, and consumer protection. New businesses register their entity with the Corporations Division first, then separately obtain a DC Basic Business License through the DLCP Business Licensing Division.

Office contact

Address	1100 4th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Phone	(202) 671-4500
Email	dlcp@dc.gov
Office hours	Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. / Thursday: 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (walk-in closes 4:00 p.m. daily)
Appointments	dlcpdc.qmatic.io — Book an appointment
CorpOnline portal	corponline.dlcp.dc.gov
DC Business Portal	business.dc.gov

Entity formation and filing fees

Fees below are from the live DLCP fee pages, confirmed May 2026. Walk-in customers are automatically charged the same-day expedited fee ($100) on top of the base filing fee. Payments by check should be made to "DC Treasurer." Verify all current amounts at dlcp.dc.gov — Fee Schedule before filing.

Filing	Fee
LLC — Certificate of Organization (formation)	$99
LLC — Biennial Report	$300
LLC — Biennial Report Late Fee	$100
Business Corporation — Articles of Incorporation (up to $100,000 authorized capital)	$99
Business Corporation — Articles of Incorporation ($100,001 – $500,000)	$550
Business Corporation — Biennial Report	$300
Nonprofit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation	$80
Nonprofit Corporation — Biennial Report	$80
Name Reservation or Transfer (LLC / business corporation)	$50
Name Reservation or Transfer (nonprofit)	$40
Status Certificate (good standing) — LLC / for-profit corporation	$50
Status Certificate — nonprofit	$40
Same-day expedited service (add-on, all entity types)	+$100
3-day expedited service (add-on)	+$50

DC does not have an annual report system — all registered entities file biennial (every two years) reports. The first biennial report is due April 1 of the year following the year of registration; subsequent reports are due April 1 of every second year after that.

Key DC licensing agencies

Agency	What it covers	Website
DLCP — Corporations Division (CorpOnline)	Entity registration — required before any other DC license (step 1)	corponline.dlcp.dc.gov
DLCP — Business Licensing Division	DC Basic Business License — required to operate in DC (step 2 after entity registration)	dlcp.dc.gov — Business Licensing
DLCP — Small Business Resource Center (SBRC)	Free one-on-one advising, workshops, and resources for DC business owners	dlcp.dc.gov — SBRC
DC Business Portal	Step-by-step checklists for starting specific business types (food, retail, nonprofit, contractor, etc.) and license verification	business.dc.gov

This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection or any agency listed above. Contact information and fees verified against official DLCP sources, May 2026.