Permits & licensing in Washington, DC.
In the District, building work runs through the Department of Buildings — the successor to DCRA on the permitting side — while business licensing lives with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Two agencies, two clocks, one project.
DOB issues construction, trade, and demolition permits and runs the inspections behind them. DLCP carries the basic business license, which a certificate of occupancy feeds.
One district, one code, one permit office — and a historic-district map that decides whether a project picks up a preservation review on the way through.
- DOB took over permitting from DCRA in the 2022 reorganization; forms and portals still carry both names in places.
- Historic districts add HPRB review before a permit moves.
- Third-party plan review is an accepted path for qualifying projects.
- A certificate of occupancy from DOB and a basic business license from DLCP are separate filings on separate timelines.
Talk to a permit specialist — for your Washington, DC project.
One district, drawn to scale.
Every shape is a door — select the District to open its page.
Talk to a permit specialist
Ten minutes on your project. You leave knowing the approvals it needs, in what order, and what each review will take. Or send the address, scope, and plans and we start from there.