District of Columbia Business Search — Free DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection Lookup
District of Columbia CorpOnline business entity search.
Search the District of Columbia register
The official District of Columbia business register is operated by the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection — CorpOnline. LemReveal does not intermediate — click through directly to run your search on the state's authoritative source.
Search by name or File Number.
Open DC Department of Licensing and Consumer ProtectionWhat makes District of Columbia different
- •Biennial reports required.
- •DC treats domestic and foreign entities distinctly.
- •Common entity types: Corporation, LLC, LP, Non-Profit.
Entity types on the District of Columbia register
LLC (Limited Liability Company)
Owned by members rather than shareholders. Liability sits with the company, and profits normally pass through to the members' personal tax returns. The register shows the registered agent and, in most states, the members or managers.
Corporation
Owned by shareholders and run by a board. Formed by filing articles of incorporation with the state. Some states publish officer and director names on the record; others show only the registered agent.
LP / LLP (Limited & Limited Liability Partnership)
Partnership structures where at least some partners have limited liability. The register lists the general partner and the registered agent; limited partners are usually not published.
Non-profit
Incorporated without shareholders. State registration is separate from federal 501(c) tax-exempt status, so an entity can be active on the state register and still not be tax-exempt.
What each District of Columbia filing status means
- Active / In Good Standing
- Registered and up to date on required reports and state fees.
- Delinquent / Not in Good Standing
- Still registered, but a report or fee is overdue. The entity exists and can usually be restored by filing.
- Administratively Dissolved / Revoked
- The state ended the registration, almost always for missed reports — not the same as the owners closing the business.
- Voluntarily Dissolved / Terminated
- The owners filed to close the entity. This is a deliberate wind-up.
- Withdrawn
- A company registered in another state has ended its authority to operate in this one. It may still be active in its home state.
- Merged / Converted
- The entity was absorbed into, or re-formed as, another entity. Follow the successor name on the record.
- Forfeited
- Rights suspended, typically for unpaid state tax. Wording varies by state and often overlaps with 'revoked'.
Wording varies between states — the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection — CorpOnline is authoritative for District of Columbia.
How to read a District of Columbia entity record
- 1
Entity name and any former names. Name changes are filed as amendments, so the current name may differ from the one on a contract or invoice. Check the history before concluding a company does not exist.
- 2
Entity or file number. The state's permanent identifier. It never changes after a rename, which makes it the safest key to search or store.
- 3
Formation / registration date. Date the state accepted the filing, not the date trading began. A foreign registration date shows when the company entered this state, not when it was founded.
- 4
Status. Read with the vocabulary above — 'inactive' rarely means 'fraudulent'; most often it means a missed annual report.
- 5
Registered agent and office. The legal address for service of process. It is frequently a commercial agent's address, so it is not evidence of where the business actually operates.
- 6
Principal / mailing address. Closer to the real operating address, but self-reported and only refreshed when a report is filed.
- 7
Officers, directors, members or managers. Published in some states and withheld in others. Absence is a state policy difference, not a red flag.
- 8
Filing history. Amendments, annual reports, mergers and reinstatements. The gap between the last filing and today is the best single signal of whether a record is current.
Registered agents in District of Columbia
Every US state requires an entity to name a registered agent with a physical in-state address to receive legal notices. Thousands of companies share one commercial agent's address, so a shared or out-of-town agent address is normal and says nothing about the company's size or legitimacy.
Checking name availability
Names are cleared per state, and only against that state's register. A name being free here does not clear a federal trademark, a domain, or a registration in another state — and reserving a name is a separate filing from forming the entity.
Also known as
These all refer to the same District of Columbia business register.
Frequently asked questions
How do I search District of Columbia business records?
Use the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection — CorpOnline at https://corponline.dcra.dc.gov/BizEntity.aspx/ViewEntitySearch. Search by name or File Number. Basic name and status searches are free.
Is District of Columbia business data free to access?
Yes. The District of Columbia state business register is publicly available at no cost. Some copies of filed documents may carry a small per-page fee, but entity lookups, status, and registered-agent data are free.
What entity types are registered in District of Columbia?
Corporation, LLC, LP, Non-Profit are the most common. All formations, mergers, dissolutions, and reinstatements appear in the register.
What does "Administratively Dissolved / Revoked" mean in District of Columbia?
The state ended the registration, almost always for missed reports — not the same as the owners closing the business. Delinquent / Not in Good Standing: Still registered, but a report or fee is overdue. The entity exists and can usually be restored by filing.
Who is the registered agent on a District of Columbia record?
The registered agent is the person or company named to receive legal notices at a physical District of Columbia address. Many entities share one commercial agent's address, so the agent address is not the company's operating address.
How do I check if a business name is available in District of Columbia?
Search the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection — CorpOnline for the exact and similar names. Availability is cleared only against the District of Columbia register — it does not clear a federal trademark or a registration in another state.
What makes District of Columbia incorporation different?
Biennial reports required. DC treats domestic and foreign entities distinctly.
Search other US states
More on District of Columbia company data
United States registers
- United States company search
Every indexed record for this register.
- SEC EDGAR register guide
SEC Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval
- Registration change monitoring
Watch official registers for status, name and address changes.