Home>Levelset Community>Legal Help>We are a MD business, how can we obtain a business licence and certificate of good standing for Washington , DC ino order for our lien to process?
We are a MD business, how can we obtain a business licence and certificate of good standing for Washington , DC ino order for our lien to process?
We are attempting to file a lien on a job that was done in DC. My lien was rejected becuase my business licence and certificate of good standing are from MD. We are a MD business, is it even possible for me to get these docuements from DC?
1 reply
Jun 20, 2018
That's frustrating. Washington DC is home to some incredibly strict mechanics lien requirements. That's saying something, considering lien requirements can be pretty brutal nationwide. Anyway, Washington DC requires that DC businesses attach a copy of the contractor's license as well as a certificate of good standing from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. However, § 40-301.02(b)(7)(B) of the Washington DC mechanics lien statute sets out requirements for non-DC businesses. For non-DC businesses, § 40-301.02(b)(7)(B)(i) and (ii) appear to allow for a copy of a claimant's license and a certificate of good standing (or some equivalent) from the jurisdiction where the business is located should be sufficient. In any event, if a claim appears to have all of the required information, it might be a good idea to call the recorder's office that rejected the claim. They can typically provide guidance on why the lien was rejected and assist in refiling the claim.