District of Columbia Business Entity Search
A live search of the District of Columbia open data, with the official DC search one click away.
District of Columbia at a glance
DC business records
In the District, business entities register with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection rather than a Secretary of State, through CorpOnline, which now runs inside the BOSS portal. The corporation filing fee rises with authorized capital ($99 up to $100,000, up to $1,650 above $1 million), and the open data layer listed here holds business licenses rather than the entity register itself.
The DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Corporations Division keeps these records; many people call its search CorpOnline. The search on this page asks the District of Columbia open data each time you run it.
Coverage: Businesses holding a DC business license, from the District's open data, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Statuses you may see in District of Columbia
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active | The entity is registered and in good standing. |
| Revoked | The entity's registration was revoked, typically for not filing its biennial report, and it must be reinstated to return to active status. |
Source, checked 2026-10-26. Words other states use are in the business entity status guide.
Questions
Is this the official DC business search?
No. This is an independent website, not run by or affiliated with any government agency. Results come from the District of Columbia open data, and the official search (BOSS Global Search) is linked beside them.
What is CorpOnline?
CorpOnline is what many people call the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection's online business records. This page searches the District of Columbia open data instead, and links to its free official search.
How current are the results?
As current as the District of Columbia open data: each search is sent when you run it, and an answer is kept for at most 24 hours before it is asked again.
How do I check if a business name is available in the District of Columbia?
Search the business name in DC's BOSS Global Search (it covers registered entities and business licenses). An available name can be reserved for 120 days.
Does the District of Columbia charge a franchise tax or a similar yearly tax?
The District taxes the net income of corporations and of unincorporated businesses at 8.25%, with a minimum tax of $250 when DC gross receipts are $1 million or less and $1,000 above that.
More about a District of Columbia business
- How to find a business's EIN
- Check if an LLC name is available
- What each entity status means
- What a registered agent is
- Business lookup in other states
Every fee and rule above links to the official page it came from. How we check our facts · Report an error