South Carolina to District of Columbia: residential contractor license reciprocity

1. 1Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($25,000). Home Improvement Surety Bond of $25,000 running to the District of Columbia, held for the duration of the two-year license period. The surety must be a corporate surety authorized by the U.S. Treasury and by the D.C. Commissioner of Insurance, Securities and Banking. Instead of a surety bond the applicant may deposit $25,000 in cash or by certified or cashier's cheque with the D.C. Treasurer, or US government bonds or notes with an aggregate maturity value of at least $26,000 together with an irrevocable power of attorney. A deposit is held for at least three years after the license expires, and it must be topped back up within five days of written notice if a judgment draws it down..
2. 2Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Certificate of liability insurance filed with DLCP and kept in force for the whole license period. 16 DCMR 803 sets minimum public liability and property damage limits of $50,000 for bodily injury or death of any one person in a single accident, $100,000 in the aggregate for more than one person in a single accident and $10,000 property damage, cancelable only on 30 days notice to the Director. The certificate must be issued to the organization as registered with the DLCP Corporations Division and to the premise address on the application, name DLCP at 1100 4th Street SW as certificate holder, and come from an insurer authorized in the District. Post office boxes are not accepted as the premise address..
3. 3Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility of at least $100,000 (if applicable). Optional alternative to carrying insurance: an applicant may qualify as a self-insurer by satisfying the Director that it employs, and will keep employing, one or more qualified people to receive, process, adjust and pay claims, and that it holds a net worth of at least $100,000 including a reserve of at least $5,000 against anticipated or pending claims. The Director may accept an affidavit for the claims-handling point and a certified public accountant's certificate for the net worth figure (16 DCMR 803.3 and 803.4)..
4. 4Background check. Complete a background check. Police criminal history report, listed by DLCP as a required document for the Home Improvement Contractor endorsement. It supports the trustworthiness review that 16 DCMR 801.2 requires of every applicant..
5. 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($99). Basic Business License term fee: $99 for a two-year license or $198 for a four-year license. The Home Improvement Contractor endorsement is not eligible for the six-month term that General Contractor/Construction Manager applicants may buy. Renewal costs the same as the original license. Late renewal penalties run $75 for the first penalty, $75 for the second and $200 at enforcement..
6. 6Business license. Obtain a business license. Corporate registration with the DLCP Corporations Division for any corporation, partnership or limited liability company, domestic or foreign, including a registered agent and good standing, plus a tax registration and a Clean Hands certification through the District's business portal. Applications for the license itself are filed online at BOSS. A Certificate of Occupancy for the business premises, or a Home Occupation Permit if the business is run from a home, must also be in hand..
7. 7Other. Two pre-printed home improvement contracts in at least triplicate, on a form that complies with the D.C. Code and the D.C. Municipal Regulations, filed with the application. DLCP publishes a sample Home Improvement Contract. No payment may be required or accepted in advance of full completion of the work unless the business holds this license or employs a licensed salesperson..
8. 8Other. Designation of at least one Home Improvement Salesperson who holds a Basic Business License of their own, maintained for as long as the contractor license is held. A salesperson may be registered for only one contractor at a time, files three recent photographs with an initial application, and may be given a 30-day temporary license on a notarised affidavit from the employing contractor. Officers, directors, partners and principals count as salespeople when they negotiate contracts..

Published fees on this path total $99, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.