Permits and licences in District of Columbia

Basic Business License — Food services

Every business operating in the District holds a Basic Business License. Restaurants fall under the Food services category, as restructured by the BEST Act effective 1 October 2025.

Sales and Use Tax Registration

No person may make retail sales without a certificate of registration. Prepared food and drink is collected at 10 percent: the 9 percent rate under DC Code § 47-2002(a)(3)(A) plus the separate 1 percent under § 47-2002.02(2)(A).

Certificate of Occupancy

No premises may be used or occupied until a certificate has been issued. It must state the design occupant load, which the alcohol application then reads off it — the C of O gates the liquor licence through a data dependency, not merely a sequence.

Food Establishment License

No person shall operate a food establishment without a valid licence to operate issued by the Mayor.

Certified Food Protection Manager

Each person in charge must hold a certification from an accredited programme, and a person in charge must be present during all hours of operation. DC has no separate food handler card.

Retailer's License Class C/Restaurant

Spirits, wine and beer for on-premises consumption. Requires gross annual food sales of at least $2,000 per occupant, measured off the Board-approved certificate of occupancy. Runs 1 April to 31 March on a three-year cycle, and restaurants file quarterly statements of food and alcohol receipts within 30 days of each quarter end.

ABC Manager's License

A person designated to manage a licensed establishment must hold a manager's licence, valid three years and requiring alcohol training certification.

Hood Fire-Suppression System

Every required commercial kitchen exhaust hood must be protected by an approved automatic fire-extinguishing system. Records of inspection and testing are kept on premises for three years. DOB permits new systems; FEMS enforces maintenance.

Assembly Occupancy Classification (Group A-2)

At an occupant load of 50 or more the space is classified Group A-2 rather than Group B, which brings panic hardware, egress width and a Capacity Placard with it. Fixed at design time by the occupant load, which makes that number the highest-leverage figure in the whole project.

Automatic Sprinkler SystemLikely required — verifying.

An automatic sprinkler system is required throughout a Group A-2 fire area with an occupant load of 100 or more. Two further triggers exist — a fire area over 5,000 square feet, or a fire area on a floor other than the level of exit discharge — and Charter models only the occupant load.

Fire Alarm and Detection System

A manual fire alarm box and occupant notification system is required in a Group A occupancy at an occupant load of 300 or more, and unseparated Group A spaces aggregate toward that count. Manual pull boxes are excused where the building is fully sprinklered with waterflow-activated notification — which at 300 occupants it almost always is.

Grease Abatement System

Any facility with the potential to discharge grease-laden wastewater must provide and maintain a grease abatement system. Cleaning at most every 30 days indoors, with records kept three years. Administered by DC Water, not DC Health.

Swimming Pool LicenseLikely required — verifying.

No person may own, operate, or manage a public swimming pool, spa pool, or sauna without a valid licence, with daily water-quality and safety logs recorded at least three times a day. Co-op, condominium, and apartment-building pools are exempt; hotels are not.

Certificate of Inspection (Conveyance)Likely required — verifying.

No conveyance may be operated without a valid certificate, displayed in the car or the building office, with periodic inspection at ASME A17.1 intervals and renewal every 24 months.

Basic Business License — Food services

Every business operating in the District holds a Basic Business License. Restaurants fall under the Food services category, as restructured by the BEST Act effective 1 October 2025.

Sales and Use Tax Registration

No person may make retail sales without a certificate of registration. Prepared food and drink is collected at 10 percent: the 9 percent rate under DC Code § 47-2002(a)(3)(A) plus the separate 1 percent under § 47-2002.02(2)(A).

Certificate of Occupancy

No premises may be used or occupied until a certificate has been issued. It must state the design occupant load, which the alcohol application then reads off it — the C of O gates the liquor licence through a data dependency, not merely a sequence.

Food Establishment License

No person shall operate a food establishment without a valid licence to operate issued by the Mayor.

Certified Food Protection Manager

Each person in charge must hold a certification from an accredited programme, and a person in charge must be present during all hours of operation. DC has no separate food handler card.

Retailer's License Class C/Restaurant

Spirits, wine and beer for on-premises consumption. Requires gross annual food sales of at least $2,000 per occupant, measured off the Board-approved certificate of occupancy. Runs 1 April to 31 March on a three-year cycle, and restaurants file quarterly statements of food and alcohol receipts within 30 days of each quarter end.

ABC Manager's License

A person designated to manage a licensed establishment must hold a manager's licence, valid three years and requiring alcohol training certification.

Entertainment EndorsementLikely required — verifying.

One endorsement covering live entertainment, dancing and cover charges as categories. There is no separate dancing or cover-charge endorsement. A dance area of 140 square feet or less needs no endorsement at all.

Summer Garden Endorsement

Alcohol service in private outdoor space — a courtyard, patio or roof deck. Same statutory subsection as the sidewalk cafe endorsement; the difference is whose land it is, and private space needs no DDOT permit.

Assembly Occupancy Classification (Group A-2)

At an occupant load of 50 or more the space is classified Group A-2 rather than Group B, which brings panic hardware, egress width and a Capacity Placard with it. Fixed at design time by the occupant load, which makes that number the highest-leverage figure in the whole project.

Grease Abatement System

Any facility with the potential to discharge grease-laden wastewater must provide and maintain a grease abatement system. Cleaning at most every 30 days indoors, with records kept three years. Administered by DC Water, not DC Health.