Updated August 10, 2026. Quick answer. Forming an LLC in District of Columbia costs an unverified filing fee (see the table below), and an ongoing report requirement (biennial report required — fee not verified). Five-year total: Not computed — unverified input(s) a reader cannot do without: the formation filing fee and the annual report fee. Treating an unverified fee as zero would understate this state.
What it actually costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Formation filing fee | Not verified — see notes |
| Annual/biennial report | biennial report required — fee not verified |
| Franchise / minimum tax | Not verified — see notes |
| Publication requirement | No newspaper publication requirement was found. |
Five-year cost of ownership: Not computed — unverified input(s) a reader cannot do without: the formation filing fee and the annual report fee. Treating an unverified fee as zero would understate this state. Publication cost is excluded from this figure — it’s county-driven where it applies, not state-driven, so a single number would be wrong for most filers.
The trap worth knowing before you file
Some figures in this row could not be verified: the report cadence and deadline are statute-tier from code.dccouncil.gov (which served cleanly); no dollar amount could be verified because DC sets fees by rule and the rules/schedule were unreachable. Sources tried on 2026-08-06, all failing: https://dlcp.dc.gov/service/corporate-registration-filing-fees (404); https://dlcp.dc.gov/page/dlcp-license-and-corporate-filing-fees (404; body contains no fee content); https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1618696 (200 but the page is asbestos-abatement licensing and merely links to a fee page); https://dlcp.dc.gov/ (200, no fee link in
Once the LLC exists, an operating agreement is what actually runs it
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Source
D.C. Code 29-102.11 (biennial report); D.C. Code 29-102.12 (fees — delegated to the Mayor by rule, no statutory amounts). Read 2026-08-06 from statute. Formation-service sites were not used as a source for this figure.
If the LLC already exists somewhere else
Everything above prices forming a new District of Columbia LLC. A company that already exists in another state does not have to be dissolved and re-formed: the District of Columbia takes it in as the same legal entity by the route its own code captions domestication, D.C. Code § 29-809.06(a), and the entity-law filing fee for it is $220 as the agency last published it (that fee page carries no date) — a separate filing from the formation costs above. Going the other way, a District of Columbia LLC may leave for another US state under D.C. Code § 29-809.06(b). Either way the move needs both ends to allow it — the state being left as well as the state being joined — which is where most published advice goes wrong.
How to Move an LLC to Another State · LLC Domestication by State: All 51 Jurisdictions, With the Statute
What letting it lapse costs in District of Columbia. The catch-up bill is only half the story — in District of Columbia no deadline, and nothing caps what accrues — each missed biennial cycle adds its own report fee and late fee on top of the $300 reinstatement. The figures, and the statute they come from, are on reinstating a District of Columbia LLC.
Looking for the annual-report due date and fee instead? See District of Columbia LLC annual report.
Electing S-corp status for this LLC changes the tax picture too. The District taxes an S-corp exactly like a C-corp, with no pass-through relief at all. See what Washington, D.C. charges at the entity level.
Related: District of Columbia’s registered agent requirements, including who can serve and what happens if you don’t have one.
Related: District of Columbia’s LLC Certificate of Good Standing cost, including who issues it and how fast you can get one.