Street Vending Amnesty Program
Starting October 1, 2023, DLCP will administer the Street Vending Amnesty Program (the “Amnesty Program”) pursuant to D.C. Act 25-94. The Amnesty Program will be available to applicants for 5 years. The purpose of the Amnesty Program is to allow street vendors with certain debt to qualify to obtain a Vending License. Additionally, a street vendor who qualifies for the Amnesty Program will also be eligible to have this unpaid debt forgiven.
A street vendor may qualify for this program only if they have debt incurred between January 1, 2010 and September 30, 2023 for the following:
- Vending violation fines issued by DLCP [or its predecessor the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (“DCRA”)], and/or
- Minimum sales tax payments issued by the Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 47-2002.01.
If there is any other debt owed, other than the debt specified above, then the street vendor will not qualify for the Amnesty Program. A street vendor must resolve any other debt owed before they can qualify for the Amnesty Program.
To apply for the Amnesty Program, a street vendor must submit all of the following documents to DLCP:
- A basic business license application,
- A vending site permit for a sidewalk vending location or any other required site permit,
- A copy of each unpaid citation received and the amount owed for each citation, and
- Documentation from OTR verifying the amount of delinquent minimum sales tax, interest, and penalties owed to the OTR.
Please note that a street vendor does not need to submit a Clean Hands Certification if applying for the Amnesty Program. Once a complete application is submitted, DLCP will review to determine whether the applicant qualifies. If DLCP determines that an applicant qualifies for the Amnesty Program and minimum sales tax payments for the time period specified are owed, DLCP will notify OTR. OTR will then forgive the amount of unpaid minimum sales tax payments owed (subject to OTR’s rules and regulations). If you qualify for the Amnesty Program and you owe vending violation fines, DLCP will forgive the unpaid vending violation fines.
