District of Columbia Code Division VIII. General Laws. § 47-2851.09. License expiration date.

(a)(1) The Center shall assign an expiration date for each basic business license. All renewable licenses endorsed on that basic business license shall expire on that date.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, every license issued in accordance with this subchapter shall be valid for either 2 or 4 years from the date of issue, depending on which license term the applicant selects, unless earlier revoked or voluntarily relinquished, and licenses shall be issued on a staggered basis, using as the renewal date the date of incorporation if the business is incorporated, the date of organization if the business is unincorporated, or the birth date of the principal if the business is a sole proprietorship. Except as otherwise provided in § 47-2851.08, the fee charged for a 4-year license renewal shall be twice that of a 2-year license renewal.

(2A) In addition to the 2-year and 4-year licenses authorized by paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Center also may issue licenses that are valid for 6 months from the date of issue, unless earlier revoked or voluntarily relinquished.

(3) Valid licenses that for any reason expire on a date other than a date determined in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection shall be extended automatically until the next anniversary of the date determined in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection.