All businesses engaged in any business activity in Bellingham are required to register as a Bellingham business through the Washington State Department of Revenue. This includes those operating temporarily or permanently. The only exception is if your business is located outside Bellingham city limits and your annual Bellingham-sourced revenue is less than $4,000* or the threshold exemption as specified in BMC 6.05.025(D), whichever is greater. *The dollar threshold exemption is updated every four years – see BMC 6.05.025(D) to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.
How to register
You will need to register as a Bellingham business with the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR). The steps you will take to do so depend on whether you already have a Washington state business license.
For those who are starting a new business in Washington
If you do not yet have a Washington state business license, you will need to apply for one through DOR. Once that’s done, you will need to get what is referred to as a “city endorsement” on your Washington state business license by following instructions below “For those with an existing Washington state business license.”
For those with an existing Washington state business license
If you already have a Washington state business license and want to start doing business in Bellingham, you will need to add a Bellingham “city endorsement” to obtain a City of Bellingham business license.
You will do this by going to the DOR website, logging into your Secure Access Washington (SAW) account, and going to the My DOR portal. From there, you can add a Bellingham “city endorsement” to your Washington state business license.
For those who were doing business in Bellingham before registering
If you started doing business in Bellingham before registering your business, you can apply to to have any penalties reduced and get into compliance. Learn more about our Voluntary Disclosure Program and apply for the program here.
Cost to register
- You can find costs for Washington state business licensing here.
- The cost to add a Bellingham city endorsement to your Washington state business license is $40.
How will I know when my Bellingham registration has been approved?
After you add a Bellingham “city endorsement” to your Washington state business license, DOR will process the endorsement – this can take several weeks. Once they are done processing, DOR will notify the City of Bellingham that your endorsement is ready. The City’s Finance Department will then send you a confirmation letter welcoming you to the Bellingham business community!
Who can I contact for help?
If you have questions about obtaining a Washington state business license or adding a Bellingham city endorsement to an existing Washington business license, contact DOR at (360) 705-6705. You can also visit the Bellingham DOR office in person.
For other questions, contact Bellingham’s Finance Department at (360) 778-8012 or bls@cob.org. You can also visit us in person – we are located inside City Hall at 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA 98225.
