This mission of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is to protect the health, safety, economic interests, and quality of life of residents, businesses, and visitors to the District of Columbia.
As part of its mission, DCRA issues business licenses and conducts ongoing inspections to ensure compliance with District laws and regulations governing licensing, zoning, and building codes. Beginning mid-July, DCRA will partner with several District agencies to launch the Citywide Business Compliance Initiative (CBCI), including the Department of Health and the Fire Marshal.
The CBCI is designed to systematically visit businesses throughout the District and educate business owners on compliance with applicable regulatory and consumer protection codes. The The CBCI will not be issuing any immediate fines to any businesses found out of compliance, except where violations pose a serious threat to health and/or safety. Instead, DCRA and its District agency partners will be working proactively with the business owners to bring them into compliance as quickly as possible.
As part of the CBCI, the DCRA Small Business Resource Center will be holding regular consultation sessions to assist business owners and entrepreneurs in successfully meeting the District’s regulatory requirements.
The CBCI is modeled on DCRA’s successful proactive rental housing inspections program. By engaging with business owners to educate them on applicable District requirements, the CBCI will help businesses avoid citations for infractions and protect District consumers from unlicensed or dangerous business activity.