This dataset includes over 200 thousands businesses licensed by Washington DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), or previously by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).
Businesses must get a Basic Business License (BBL) from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) in order to operate legally in District of Columbia.
Each business is registered with account number, entity name, licensee name, location, license issue date and status, etc.
Dataset Information
Subject
Business and Licensing
Jurisdiction
Washington, District of Columbia
Data Provider
Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) of Washington DC
Source
opendata.dc.gov
Dataset Details
The mission of the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection is to protect the economic interests of residents, businesses, and visitors in the District of Columbia by licensing and regulating businesses and investigating and enforcing the Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
The Business Licensing and Registration and Renewal Division is responsible for processing new and renewal license applications for businesses. This includes licensing for short-term rental and special events (e.g., street festivals, health fairs, circuses, and live performances) and vending from public space (e.g., food trucks, hot dog carts, sidewalk merchandise vendors, and ice-cream trucks) to ensure regulatory compliance.
Business activity in and/or to the District requires owners/operators to be licensed according to the business activity conducted (e.g. convenience stores, home improvement contractors, residential rentals, restaurants).
In order to operate legally in District of Columbia, most businesses must get a Basic Business License (BBL) from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP).
The Basic Business License (BBL) Program streamlines District of Columbia business licensing procedures. The BBL groups licenses by the type of business activity and regulatory approvals required, including the following categories: all housing licenses, motor vehicle sales, service and repair, and home improvement contractors.
This dataset includes current and previously licensed businesses and trades.
The registered information for each business includes account number, entity name, licensee name, business location, billing name and address, agent name and address, license issue date, start date and end date, license status, phone number, neighborhoods, etc.
Washington DC's data policy states that the greatest value from the District's investment in data can only be realized when enterprise datasets are freely shared among District agencies, with federal and regional governments, and with the public to the fullest extent consistent with safety, privacy, and security.
Enterprise datasets shall be open by default, meaning their existence will be publicly acknowledged, and further, if enterprise datasets are not shared, an explanation for restricting access will be publicly provided.
Statistics
The most common business categories of Washington DC busineses are: One Family Rental (26.29%), General Business Licenses (17.79%), Apartment (9.49%), Charitable Solicitation (5.23%), Gen Contr-Construction Mngr (4.91%), Home Improvement Salesman (4.16%), and Restaurant (4.05%).
The vast majority of businesses are located in Washington DC (80.75%). There are also a significant number of businesses in the following cities:
Silver Spring (0.93%), Alexandria (0.64%), Rockville (0.58%), Arlington (0.45%), Bethesda (0.44%), New York (0.43%), Hyattsville (0.42%), and Gaithersburg (0.42%).
The total number of registered businesses noticeably started increasing in 2019.
The number of licenses increased by 100% in 2019, 90% in 2020, 18% in 2021.
We expect to see more businesses being registered in the upcoming years.