District of Columbia — statewide
District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue
In short
District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue issues 2 permits we publish for District of Columbia — statewide, last verified 2026-09-03. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Business Tax Registration (FR-500) | District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue | No fee | one-time registration | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Clean Hands | District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue | No fee | does not expire — validated in real time | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Combined Business Tax Registration (FR-500)
No amount is shown because the District charges none — there is no payment step anywhere in the process, on the form, or in the guidance. That is an absence-based finding rather than a quoted one: no official DC page states "free" in words, so no sentence is cited for it. What matters more is the sequencing, which the District sets out explicitly: register the entity with DLCP first, then file the FR-500, then return to DLCP for the business license. The form itself warns that failing to complete it in full can cause another DC agency to deny your license or permit.
Certificate of Clean Hands
No fee — the District charges nothing for it — and it gates everything else — you cannot be issued a business license, permit, District contract or grant without one. It is refused if you owe the District more than $1,000 in fees, fines, taxes or penalties, or have failed to file a required District return. That threshold rose from $100 on 1 October 2024, and two official DC pages still show the old $100 figure, so check the date on anything you read. Motor vehicle debts remain at $100. The certificate is generated instantly through the tax portal and does not expire, because it is validated live at the moment somebody checks it — though the agency asking for it may set its own rule about how recently it was pulled.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- District of Columbia — statewide
- Phone
- Not verified — use the website
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- D.C. Code section 47-2862 — prohibition against issuing a license to a person owing more than $1,000 to the DistrictCouncil of the District of Columbia · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- DC Office of Tax and Revenue — Certificate of Clean HandsDistrict of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- DC Office of Tax and Revenue — new business registration, Form FR-500District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Other District of Columbia statewide offices
District of Columbia jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.