HB 2005 (enacted in 2017) requires cities to choose one of two administration portals to administer their business licenses. One is FileLocal by July 1, 2020 and the other is the state’s Business Licensing System (BLS) by December 31, 2022. It will no longer be an option for cities to administer their own business licenses after these deadlines.
Cities considering joining FileLocal, the interlocal city tax and license administration portal, may want to consider planning for that implementation this fall as part of the budget discussions for 2020. If your city is considering partnering with FileLocal but has concerns about compliance with the July 2020 deadline, please contact AWC to let us know about your concerns.
In addition, the Department of Revenue is expected to release a new plan listing the cities it is intending to onboard to the Business Licensing Service in 2020 and 2021 by January 1, 2020, as required by HB 2005 (RCW 35.90.020(4)). Some cities are already in the queue for onboarding.
More information
FileLocal
Business Licensing Service