BPLA regulates business activity in the District of Columbia by registering and licensing business owners and operators according to the business activity conducted (such as convenience stores, home improvement, residential rentals, and restaurants) and location.
The administration contains the following 5 divisions:
Small Business Resource Center (SBRC)
The Small Business Resource Center is responsible for assisting customers using digital online services and providing training and counseling services to existing and aspiring business owners who seek to start, register, and license a business in the District of Columbia. This Center also offers tailored consulting services to existing and aspiring small businesses.
Corporation Division
The Corporations Division is responsible for registering all entities, domestic (District) or foreign (non-District) including corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, cooperative associations, and business trusts conducting affairs within the District of Columbia. Division is also responsible for trade name registrations.
Business Licensing Division
The Business Licensing Division is responsible for processing new and renewal license applications for businesses. This includes licensing for special events (e.g., street festivals, health fairs, circuses and live performances) and vending from public spaces (e.g., food trucks, hot dog carts, sidewalk merchandise vendors, and ice-cream trucks) to ensure regulatory compliance. The Division is also responsible for short-term rental licensing.
Occupational and Professional Licensing Division
The Occupational and Professional Licensing Division supports the District's non-health-related occupational and professional boards, commissions, and programs. This activity enforces regulations and offers licenses in more than 125 occupational and professional categories. The boards, commissions, and programs are responsible for reviewing applications, administering examinations, responding to certification requests by other jurisdictions, and regulating the practices of individual professions.
Office of Weights and Measures
Office of Weights and Measures is responsible for inspecting commercially used weighing and measuring devices in the District of Columbia.