Business license cities must adopt a mandatory model threshold by Jan. 1

The deadlines for cities to adopt the mandatory model threshold for general business licenses are fast approaching. Last month, a work group of city finance directors and business license officials finalized their work on a model business license minimum threshold. Now, all cities with general business licenses must adopt it by the end of the year (RCW 35.90.080).

Now, all cities with general business licenses must adopt it by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, AWC hosted a webinar to provide information on the model. If you missed it, check out the recording of the webinar. More background is also available in the model threshold fact sheet.

The deadline for adopting the mandatory model depends on how your city administers its business license. Cities that currently partner with the state’s Business Licensing Service (BLS) for business licensing administration have a deadline of October 17, 2018, because they must provide BLS 75-day notice of any changes to their business licenses (including this mandatory change). BLS sent an email on August 3 to cities that partner with BLS with links to the forms cities can use to provide notice of the changes once they have been adopted.

All other cities with a business license must adopt the model by January 1, 2019.

It is important that all cities meet their deadline for adopting the mandatory model language. RCW 35.90.090 provides that a city cannot enforce its business license after January 1, 2019, until it has adopted the mandatory threshold.