Corporations Division, DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
DC Business Entity Search: LLC Lookup in BOSS (Formerly CorpOnline)
CorpOnline, the District of Columbia’s corporate registry portal, became BOSS on August 10, 2026, and its Global Search now stops for a reCAPTCHA before showing results. Run a District of Columbia business search here by name, by file number (571294, for one) or by a governor’s or registered agent’s name.
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CorpOnline Became BOSS: Where DC Business Records Live Now
There is no District of Columbia Secretary of State (SOS) business search: the Corporations Division of the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), under the Superintendent of Corporations, keeps the District’s corporations database for Washington, D.C. BOSS replaced CorpOnline on August 10, 2026, and the old corponline.dlcp.dc.gov address now redirects to boss.dc.gov.
The Global Search, which the District’s FAQ also calls the Business Filings Search, opens free, without an account; an Access DC login, the same one CorpOnline used, is needed only to file or order documents. Pick a Search Type (Business Name, Address, License Number, Person Name or Initial File Number), then Contains, Starts With or Exact Match. After the Search button, a window reading “User validation required to continue” asks for the reCAPTCHA.
The District says a record shows “report history, trade name, registered agent, and governor information,” taken from the latest biennial report on file. Searches for DCRA corp online point to the same place: DLCP replaced the old DCRA, and SCOUT, its license lookup, now sends visitors to BOSS.
L00005027969 or 571294: Reading a DC File Number
On the District’s revocation lists, most file numbers are a letter followed by eleven digits: L on LLC records, C for corporations, N for nonprofits and P for partnerships, though the letter does not always match the entity’s current form. The search above lists older records under six-digit numbers such as 571294 or 026429, zeros included.
| File number | Record |
|---|---|
571294 | Washington Gas Light Company, domestic business corporation, Active, In Good Standing |
570908 | Potomac Electric Power Company, domestic business corporation, Active, In Good Standing |
L00005027969 | Compass Coffee LLC, foreign LLC, Withdrawn, trade name Compass Coffee |
Type the number whole: in the search above, L5027969 or 0571294 finds nothing, while a lowercase letter is capitalized automatically.
A company in good standing shows Active, then In Good Standing; Revoked means the District dissolved the entity administratively, and Withdrawn shows on records such as the foreign Compass Coffee LLC in the table.
Governors and Registered Agents on a DC Record
“Governor” is the District’s word for the people who run an entity: a corporation’s directors and, for a limited liability company (LLC), its managers, or its members when the LLC is member-managed. Every biennial report must give “the name of at least one governor.” To look up who runs a DC LLC, read the Governors list of its record; the Person tab above searches those names and registered agents.
Since January 1, 2020, formation filings and biennial reports also collect each beneficial owner holding more than 10 percent; DLCP says the federal court order on FinCEN reporting has “no effect” on this District requirement. The FAQ lists governors, not owners, among what a search shows. Owners are declared “under penalty of perjury” with no supporting documents.
DC Registered Agent Search and the Street-Address Rule
Type an agent’s name in the Person tab above (corporation service company, for one) to list the DC records that name it. “RA’s address may not be a PO Box, a third-party mailbox (ex. FedEx or UPS mailbox) or address outside the District.” Anyone acting as agent for more than 50 entities must register as a Commercial Registered Agent on form RA-1, and an entity without an agent for 60 days can be revoked.
The DC Biennial Report: $300, Due April 1 Every Second Year
There is no DC annual report. The first biennial report (form BRA-25) is due April 1 of the year after registration, then every second year; for-profit entities, LLCs included, pay $300, plus $100 if filed after April 1.
For a DC-formed entity, five months after the due date the District can start administrative dissolution, and the entity then has 60 days to fix it; on the record, the status becomes Revoked. A foreign entity’s registration can be terminated once the report is 60 days late. The code sets no deadline to reinstate: $300 for an LLC, plus the fees and penalties owed at dissolution and those that came due since, and the reinstatement takes effect retroactively. DLCP publishes a yearly Entity Revocation List (14,660 entities in 2024). The Office of Tax and Revenue’s franchise tax, with a $250 minimum, is a separate bill.
DBA Names in the District: $55, Canceled if Not Renewed
A trade name (DBA) used in the District “must also be registered with the Superintendent of Corporations,” by LLCs and corporations as well as sole proprietors and general partnerships. Registration costs $55 and lasts two years; renewal is due April 1 of every second year, and an unrenewed name “will be canceled on September 1st.”
A trade name can’t include LLC, Corp or LP, though the word company is allowed; DLCP’s own example is “Capital One Arena is the trade name of the DC Arena, L.P.” Trade names show on the owner’s record, and the District prints yearly lists of those due for renewal and those that expired.
Basic Business License: Checked in the Same BOSS Search
“A person doing business in the District of Columbia shall maintain a basic business license,” one for each location. A DC business license lookup, for licenses issued by DLCP’s Business Licensing Division, runs through the same Global Search, by license number, business name or address. A license costs $49 for six months or $99 for two years; a four-year license at $198 comes from emergency legislation set to expire November 8, 2026.
Businesses with gross revenue of $2,000 a year or less are exempt. The District’s order is to register with DLCP, then with the Office of Tax and Revenue on form FR-500, then return for the license; the District refuses licenses to anyone owing more than $1,000 in fees, fines or taxes to the Office of Tax and Revenue or the Department of Employment Services. DC doesn’t publish EINs; finding a DC company’s EIN takes other sources.
DC Good Standing Certificates and Name Availability
A certificate of good standing for an LLC costs $50, ordered in BOSS with an Access DC account and delivered to its Certificates and Filing Images tab; “a good standing certificate cannot be issued for trade names.” Apostilles come from the D.C. Office of the Secretary, and a Certificate of Clean Hands is a tax document from another office.
For DC business name availability, search the Global Search: a District of Columbia business name must be distinguishable from entities, reserved names and registered trade names, and endings such as LLC or Inc. “shall not be taken into account.” Every LLC name carries LLC, L.L.C., L.C., LC or the words limited liability company or limited company. Bank, credit union and insurance need approval. A reservation costs $50 for 120 days. Before registering a DC LLC, check the name against trademarks as well.