How a DC Basic Business License works
Categories, first issue date, and how to tell a storefront from a home office in the file.
What the file shows
Each Basic Business License row has the business, the premises address, the ward, a category and an initial issue date, which is what we use. The current term start changes on renewal; the first issue date doesn't.
What we filter out
Premises outside DC, rentals and short-term rentals, salespeople, parking attendants, charitable solicitation and similar license types. The file has a flag for premises in DC, and we use it. About a third of recent licenses are premises outside the District.
What still gets through
Offices and home businesses under General Business. A unit or apartment number in the address is a good hint. Your Pro CSV shows the address so you can judge.
Sources: DC basic business license records. Written from the public records themselves; check with the agency for anything legal or binding.
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