Business Registers in Washington, D.C.: DLCP Corporations Division

Overview

Business registration in Washington, D.C. is managed by the Corporations Division of the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), formerly the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). The Division administers the formation, registration, and maintenance of business entities operating in the District of Columbia.

Corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), partnerships, and foreign entities transacting business in the District must all register with the DLCP. The online portal CorpOnline, accessible via the DLCP Access DC Portal, is the central platform for entity filings and public lookups.

Washington, D.C. does not maintain a local beneficial ownership register. At the federal level, the Corporate Transparency Act (2021) established a beneficial ownership information (BOI) registry operated by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). An interim final rule issued in March 2025 removed the reporting requirement for all U.S. companies and U.S. persons, leaving only foreign reporting companies subject to federal BOI reporting obligations.

For KYB and AML due diligence, the District provides core company data through its online portal: registration details, officers, and filing history. Financial statements and beneficial ownership information are not part of the public register.

Official Registers

DLCP Corporations Division (CorpOnline)

The Corporations Division of the DLCP is the District's official commercial register. It records domestic and foreign corporations (profit and nonprofit), LLCs, general partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships.

Search and access. The CorpOnline portal is publicly accessible and allows users to search for entities by name or registration number. Entity records display the legal name, entity type, registration status, registered agent, principal office address, formation date, and filing history.

Filings. Entity creation documents are filed through CorpOnline or by mail: Articles of Incorporation for corporations, Certificates of Organization for LLCs, and equivalent formation documents for partnerships. The DLCP also processes amendments, dissolutions, mergers, and registered agent changes. Filing fees vary by entity type. For example, a domestic for-profit corporation's Articles of Incorporation fee depends on authorized capital (starting at $99 for authorized capital up to $100,000), while an LLC Certificate of Organization costs $99 online.

Foreign entities. Organisations formed outside the District that wish to transact business in D.C. must file a Foreign Registration Statement (Form FN-1) through CorpOnline. A certificate of good standing from the entity's home jurisdiction is typically required.

Updates. Filings are reflected in the portal after processing. Entities must file periodic reports (biennial reports for LLCs; see below) to maintain good standing.

Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR)

The District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue is not a corporate register, but it requires all businesses, including sole proprietors, to file a Combined Business Tax Registration (FR-500). This registration covers income tax, sales tax, employer withholding, and other local tax obligations. Nonprofits seeking a District-level tax exemption must file a separate Application for Exemption (Form FR-164) with the OTR.

Federal: FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information Registry

The U.S. Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Registry, operated by FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act (2021), began accepting reports in January 2024. In March 2025, FinCEN issued an interim final rule removing the BOI reporting requirement for all U.S. companies and U.S. persons. Only foreign companies that meet the revised definition of a "reporting company" and do not qualify for an exemption must still report. Foreign reporting companies registered before March 26, 2025 were required to file by April 25, 2025; those registered on or after that date have 30 calendar days from receiving notice of registration.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Corporations, LLCs, and partnerships

All corporations (profit and nonprofit), LLCs, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships must register with the DLCP by filing formation documents. A registered agent with an address in the District of Columbia is required for all entity types.

Periodic reports. D.C. LLCs must file a Biennial Report every two years, due April 1 in the year following formation and every second year thereafter. The filing fee is $300 for domestic entities and $130 for foreign entities registered to transact business in the District. Corporations file their own periodic reports to maintain good standing. Failure to file can result in administrative dissolution or revocation of authority to transact business.

Financial statements. There is no general obligation to file financial statements publicly. The District's periodic reports collect updated administrative information (address, officers, registered agent) rather than financial data. Private companies are not required to disclose their accounts to the DLCP or any other public register.

Beneficial ownership. Following the March 2025 FinCEN interim final rule, domestic companies are exempt from federal BOI reporting. The District of Columbia has no local UBO filing requirement.

Sole proprietors

Sole proprietors are not required to register with the DLCP Corporations Division. A sole proprietorship is not a separate legal entity and therefore does not appear in the CorpOnline register. Sole proprietors operating under a name other than their legal name must register a trade name (DBA) with the DLCP. All sole proprietors conducting business in the District must register with the Office of Tax and Revenue for tax purposes.

There is no requirement for sole proprietors to file financial statements publicly, and UBO obligations do not apply.

Nonprofit corporations and associations

Nonprofit corporations must file Articles of Incorporation with the DLCP and are recorded in CorpOnline alongside for-profit entities. They are subject to periodic reporting requirements. Nonprofits must also file a Combined Business Tax Registration with the OTR and, if seeking local tax-exempt status, submit an Application for Exemption (Form FR-164). Federal tax-exempt status under Section 501(c) does not automatically confer District-level exemption, including from unrelated business income tax.

Foreign associations formed in another state or country that wish to transact business in Washington, D.C. must file a Foreign Registration Statement (Form FN-1) with the DLCP.

Summary table

With Topograph

Topograph queries the DLCP Corporations Division's CorpOnline portal to return structured entity data for businesses registered in Washington, D.C.

Available Data

Company Profile

• Legal name
• Entity type and registration status (active, inactive, dissolved)
• Registered agent name and address
• Principal office address
• Date of incorporation or registration
• Jurisdiction of formation (for foreign entities)

Officers and Registered Agent

• Names and titles of officers / directors
• Registered agent name and address

Available Documents

Financial statements are not filed with the DLCP and are therefore not publicly available through the register. Articles of Incorporation and other formation documents, while filed through CorpOnline, are not offered as separate downloadable documents through the public search. Beneficial ownership extracts are not available at the District level, and the federal BOI registry does not apply to domestic companies following the March 2025 FinCEN rule change.

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