Determine Your State and Local Business Tax Obligations in the District of Columbia
In addition to business taxes required by the federal government, you will have to pay some state and local taxes. Each state and locality has its own tax laws. Having knowledge of your state tax requirement can help you avoid problems and your business save money. The most common types of tax requirements for small business are income taxes and employment taxes.
District of Columbia Department of Health
District of Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD)
The DSLBD supports the development, economic growth, and retention of District-based businesses, and promotes economic development throughout the District’s commercial districts.
DSLBD envisions a business environment in which: DC businesses are connected in real-time with local, federal, and global business opportunities; businesses navigate government quickly, confidently, and effectively; and, every entrepreneur and business with a great idea and a great plan has the capital to make it happen.
District of Columbia Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center
MBDA provides funding for a network of minority business centers located throughout the Nation. The Centers provide minority entrepreneurs with one-on-one assistance in writing business plans, marketing, management and technical assistance and financial planning to assure adequate financing for business ventures. This Center is operated by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
The Centers are staffed by business specialists who have the knowledge and practical experience needed to run successful and profitable businesses. Business referral services are provided free of charge. However, the network generally charges nominal fees for specific management and technical assistance services.
Location:
727 15th Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone #: 202-464-2304
Program Director: Eric Rice
Visit the National Community Reinvestment Coalition website for additional information.
District of Columbia Office of Planning
District of Columbia Office of Regulatory Affairs (DCRA)
The mission of the DCRA is to protect the health, safety, economic interests and quality of life of residents, businesses and visitors in the District of Columbia by ensuring code compliance and regulating business.
DCRA is responsible for regulating construction and business activity in the District of Columbia. The agency operates a consolidated permit intake center and reviews all construction documents to ensure compliance with building codes and zoning regulations.
To protect consumers, DCRA issues business licenses, professional licenses, and special events permits, registers corporations, and inspects weighing and measuring devices used for monetary profit. Construction activity, building systems, and rental housing establishments are inspected, and housing code violations are abated, if necessary.
District of Columbia Procurement Technical Assistance Center (DC-PTAC)
The DC-PTAC provides specialized and professional technical assistance to individuals and businesses seeking to pursue and successfully perform under contracting and subcontracting opportunities with the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, and/or state and local governments.
The District of Columbia’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center is located at the Department of Small and Local Business Development at One Judiciary Square, 441 Fourth Street, NW, Suite 970N, Washington, DC 20001.
Downtown Business Improvement District
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) is a private non-profit organization that provides capital improvements, resources and research to help diversify the economy and enhance the Downtown experience for all. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 properties from Massachusetts Avenue on the north to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west. As a catalyst, facilitator and thought leader, the DowntownDC BID promotes public/private partnerships to create a remarkable urban environment.
Martin Luther King Memorial Library
The Martin Luther King Memorial Library serves as a District Data Center that provides local business communities with education and access to Census Bureau data and products such as Population Estimates and Projections, Income, Poverty, and Employment, and Gross Domestic Product in addition to other economic data and statistical resources.
Contact information:
Martin Luther King Memorial Library
Washingtonian Division
901 G St. NW, Rm. 307
Washington, DC 20001-4531
Karen Blackman-Mills
karen.blackman-mills@dc.gov
(202) 727-1213
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Federal Procurement Center
The Federal Procurement Center is located in the nation's capital to better access federal procurement officials and prime contractors throughout the region. The Center will service minority-owned firms of all sizes, but targets firms with annual revenues of more than $1 million.
This center is operated by the Metropolitan Economic Development Association of Minneapolis, MN. The MFPC is a part of MBDA's nationwide services network. It is the first MBDA Business Center to solely focus on federal contracting.
Visit Metropolitan Economic Development Association website for additional information.
Specific Services:
Research and education on federal agency contract trends
Current regulations and contracting requirements
Identification of upcoming federal procurement opportunities
Matching of minority business client capabilities and procurement opportunities
Facilitation of relationships between minority business clients and federal program managers
Linkage of minority business with other companies for potential partnerships
Federal Procurement Location:
1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20004
Telephone: 202-737-0877
Executive Director: Joseph Montes
Program Coordinator: Claudia L. Barrera
NoMa Business Improvement District
Located just north of Capitol Hill and Union Station, the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) was created by the District of Columbia City Council and approved by the Mayor in March 2007. The BID supports the emergence of NoMa as one of the District’s most exciting mixed-use neighborhoods. Through a special assessment collected from property owners in a 35-block area, the BID is helping to make NoMa safe, clean, and attractive for businesses, residents, and visitors.
NoMa is the fastest growing neighborhood in Washington, DC. In the last decade, NoMa has experienced a rapid transformation from a blighted industrial area into a walkable place animated by daytime commerce and the weekend strolls of young families. In 2004, the New York Avenue Metro station opened, catalyzing $3 billion in private investment and more than 7 million square feet of development. Now, more than 40,000 people work in NoMa each day, and thousands more live in new, luxurious apartment buildings just steps from DC’s largest Harris Teeter and two Red Line Metro stops.
Small Business Administration (SBA) Washington DC District Office
Washington, D.C. Economic Partnership (WDCEP)
The WDCEP is your first point of contact for development and business opportunities in the District of Columbia. We partner with all parties, public and private, interested in making DC a great place to do business.
Entrepreneurs and artists, along with budding technology gurus and non-profit visionaries, all come to us for guidance and assistance in mapping out their strategies for success. Whether you plan to start a District-based business, make your existing business more competitive, wish to connect to development and retail opportunities, or simply want to use our research to make better-informed decisions, think of the WDCEP as your economic development resource.
Washington, D.C. Trademark Information
To register a trademark and/or service mark at the state level, you must file an application with the trademark office of the specific state/district in which protection is sought.
To learn about your registration requirements, visit the link below for contact information for your location.