Business Licensing Reform Temporary Amendment Act of 2025

MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR

September 16, 2025

The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Chairman Mendelson:

Enclosed for consideration and adoption by the Council of the District of Columbia are the
Business Licensing Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2025, the Business Licensing
Reform Temporary Amendment Act of 2025, the Business Licensing Reform Amendment Act of
2025, and the Business Licensing Reform Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025. The
legislation would do the following:

1. Amend the notice requirements for the issuance and renewal of licenses for theaters,
cinemas, skating rinks, dance halls, exhibitions, lectures, and other entertainment venues;
2. Re-establish the four-year basic business license;
3. Allow the Mayor to issue refunds for erroneously paid business license fees; and
4. Allow persons whose licenses have expired for more than nine months to renew their
license upon paying a fine.

On October 1, 2025, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (“DLCP”) will
implement the Business and Entrepreneurship Support to Thrive Act of 2022 (“BEST Act”),
which is fully funded beginning in Fiscal Year 2026. As DLCP has prepared to implement the
law, several critical items have come to light that could adversely affect businesses, and thus
ought to be addressed prior to the implementation of the BEST Act.

First, the BEST Act would require DLCP to conduct a hearing if a resident objects to an
application for a new or renewal license for a theater, cinema, skating rink, dance hall,
exhibition, lecture, or other entertainment venue. Unlike its predecessor, DLCP does not have
hearing officers. Its appeals are adjudicated by the Office of Administrative Hearings. DLCP
does not have the infrastructure in place to conduct hearings. Thus, the requirement that DLCP
provide notice to the public and conduct hearings for this one license type should be removed. In
its place, the enclosed legislation will require DLCP to provide notice to the affected advisory
neighborhood commission of the request for issuance or renewal of such a license and will also
require DLCP to provide great weight to the recommendations of the commission.

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Second, the BEST Act will eliminate the four-year business license, which is particularly popular
among residential property owners and apartment complexes starting on October 1, 2025. My
administration has heard from the business community that they are opposed to the elimination
of the four-year licenses, and eliminating this license will have an adverse impact on the
District’s business community. The enclosed legislation would restore the authority to issue four-
year business licenses.

Additionally, the current law indicates that licenses that have been expired for more than nine
months may not be renewed. DLCP has seen an increase in people seeking to renew their license,
but they are unable to do so because they have been expired for too long. We expect this will
continue after the BEST Act is implemented. Rather than having to apply for a new license, these
individuals should be permitted to renew their license contingent upon their paying a monetary
penalty. Allowing businesses whose business licenses have expired for more than nine months to
renew their license will benefit the District’s business economy.

Finally, the enclosed legislation will explicitly restore the Mayor’s authority to refund
erroneously paid business license fees.

I urge the Council to take prompt and favorable action on the enclosed legislation.

If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please contact Tiffany Crowe, Director,
Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, at tiffany.crowe@dc.gov.

Sincerely,

Muriel Bowser

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A BILL
~ hil Mendelson
at the request of the Mayor
11 IN THE COUNCIL DISTRJCT OF COLUMBIA
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16 To amend, on a temporary basis, the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Act of 1975 to
17 modify the notice requirement for certain business licenses; and to amend Chapter 28 of
18 Title 4 7 of the District of Columbia Official Code to authorize 4-year basic business
19 licenses, to allow licensees to renew their expired licenses after 9 months, and to
20 authorize the Mayor to issue refunds for erroneously paid business license fees.
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22 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRJCT OF COLUMBIA, That this
23 act may be cited as the "Business Licensing Reform Temporary Amendment Act of 2025".
24 Sec. 2. Section 13(q) of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Act of 1975, effective
25 March 26, 1976 (D.C. Law 1-58; D.C . Official Code§ 1-309.l0(q)), is amended to read as
26 follows:
2 7 "( q)(l) Before granting or renewing a license for a theater, cinema, skating rink, dance
28 hall, exhibition, lecture, or other entertainment, the Department of Licensing and Consumer
29 Protection shall give 30-days notice by first-class mail or electronic mail to the affected
30 Commission . The notice shall contain the name of the applicant and a description, by street
31 number, or other plain designation, of the particular location for which the license is requested.
“(2) Pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the Department of Licensing and 32
Consumer Protection shall give great weight to the Commission’s recommendations when 33
determining whether to grant or renew the licenses.”. 34
Sec. 3. Chapter 28 of Title 47 of the District of Columbia Official Code is amended as 35
follows: 36
(a) The table of contents is amended by adding a new section designation to read as 37
follows: 38
“§ 47-2851.25. Refund of erroneously paid fees.”. 39
(a) Section 47-2851.04 is amended as follows: 40
(1) Subsection (a) is amended as follows: 41
(A) Paragraph (2) is amended by striking the period and the phrase “; and” 42
in its place. 43
(B) A new paragraph (3) is added to read as follows: 44
“(3) $198 for a 4-year license.”. 45
(2) Subsection (b)(1) is amended as follows: 46
(A) Paragraph (1) is amended by striking the phrase “; and” and inserting 47
in a semicolon in its place. 48
(B) Paragraph(2) is amended by striking the period and inserting the 49
phrase “; and” in its place. 50
(C) A new paragraph (3) is added to read as follows: 51
“(3) A 4-year license, a person shall pay a license fee of $198.” 52
(c) Section 47-2851.07(c) is amended to read as follows: 53
“(c) Licenses issued under this subchapter shall be valid for a period of 6 months, 2 years, 54
or 4 years.”. 55
(d) Section 47-2851.10(b)(3)(B) is amended by striking the phrase “, but less than 9 56
months”. 57
(e) A new section 47-2851.25 is added to read as follows: 58
Ҥ 47-2851.25. Refund of erroneously paid fees. 59
“The Mayor may refund any license fee or tax, or portion thereof, erroneously paid or 60
collected under this chapter.”. 61
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 62
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Chief Financial Officer as the fiscal 63
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 64
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 65
Sec. 5. Effective date. 66
(a) This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by 67
the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), 30-day period of congressional review as 68
provided in section 602(c)(1) of District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved by December 69
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 70
Columbia Register. 71
(b) This act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect. 72