> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.topograph.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Washington DC (US)
> Country-specific identifiers, data sources, and implementation details
## Table of Contents
* [Data Sources](#data-sources)
* [Company Identifiers](#company-identifiers)
* [Search Capabilities](#search-capabilities)
* [Quirks & Gotchas](#quirks--gotchas)
* [Mappings](#mappings)
* [Company Status](#company-status)
* [Legal Forms](#legal-forms)
* [Legal Representatives](#legal-representatives)
* [Other Key Persons](#other-key-persons)
* [Data Availability](#data-availability)
* [Documents](#documents)
* [Example API Responses](#example-api-responses)
## Data Sources
Washington DC entity data comes from two complementary sources maintained by the **DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Business and Professional Licensing Administration (BPLA)**:
* **DC DLCP Open Data CSV** (fast / onboarding mode): A daily open-data export published at [opendata.dc.gov](https://opendata.dc.gov/datasets/5238c4fd99c843a1bd7679a243747a8c_0) under CC BY 4.0. Covers all \~494k domestic and foreign registered entities, refreshed every day. Entity-level fields only — no principals roster.
* **DC CorpOnline portal** (authoritative / verification mode): The live authenticated portal at [corponline.dlcp.dc.gov](https://corponline.dlcp.dc.gov). Returns the authoritative entity status, full principals list (governors, managers, directors, authorized representatives), registered agent, and the printable Trade Register Extract.
In onboarding mode, data is served from the DC DLCP daily open-data snapshot.
It is typically up to 24 hours behind the live register. Legal representatives
(principals) are not included in onboarding mode — they are only returned in
verification mode, which reads the DC CorpOnline portal live.
## Company Identifiers
### Query Identifiers
| Identifier Type | Format | Example | Notes |
| ------------------ | -------------------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **DC File Number** | Varies — see formats below | `L00005531281` | Assigned by DC DLCP at formation or qualification |
**DC File Number formats:**
| Format | Description | Example |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Modern (letter-prefix) | Single letter encoding entity type + 11 digits | `L00005531281` (LLC), `C00001234567` (corporation), `N00001000000` (non-profit), `P00002000000` (partnership) |
| Legacy (numeric) | Purely numeric, no letter prefix | `571294` |
| Fully-qualified | `US-DC-FN` prefix + digits | `US-DC-FN042602087` |
The letter prefix encodes entity type, not home state — foreign entities
registered in DC receive a DC file number in the same format as domestic
entities. All three formats are accepted for lookups; the response always
returns the primary DC file number as stored in the register.
### Identifiers in API Response
| Identifier | Format | Example | Found In |
| ------------ | ------ | -------------- | ------------ |
| `fileNumber` | String | `L00005531281` | All entities |
## Search Capabilities
| Search Type | Pattern | Example | Match Type | Expected Results |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | ------------------------ | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| By Name | Free-text string | `"Washington Gas Light"` | Any-word | Multiple results |
| By DC File Number | Exact file number | `L00005531281` | Exact | Exact match returned first (matchType: id); other results may follow |
Search is powered by a Meilisearch index populated from the DC DLCP daily
open-data extract. Name search uses any-word matching. File number lookup
returns the exact match first with `matchReason.matchType = "id"`; other
results may follow.
## Quirks & Gotchas
| Quirk | Details |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **No principals in onboarding mode** | The DC DLCP open-data extract does not include the principals roster (governors, managers, directors). `legalRepresentatives` is always empty in onboarding mode — use verification mode to retrieve the full principals list. |
| **Complex file number formats** | Three distinct formats exist: modern letter-prefix (L/C/N/P + 11 digits), legacy purely-numeric, and fully-qualified (`US-DC-FN…`). The letter prefix encodes entity type, not jurisdiction of formation — all three formats are accepted for lookups. |
| **No bulk open data for principals** | The open-data CSV covers entity-level fields only. Officer/principal data is available exclusively from the live CorpOnline portal in verification mode. |
| **No activity codes (structured)** | The DC DLCP open-data extract does not include structured NAICS codes. A free-text NAICS description is available from the CorpOnline portal in verification mode, but is not surfaced as a structured `activityCodes` datapoint. |
| **No shareholders** | DC does not collect or publish equity shareholder lists for any entity type. |
| **No UBOs** | No public beneficial ownership register is available at the DC level. Federal FinCEN BOI filings are not accessible through the DC register. |
| **No EIN / federal tax ID** | The federal Employer Identification Number is not disclosed through the DC public business register. |
| **"Active - Not in Good Standing" is still active** | Entities with this status are technically still registered but have failed to meet a compliance obligation (e.g. overdue biennial report). They are returned with `active: false` by Topograph to flag the compliance gap. |
## Mappings
### Company Status
Status is drawn directly from the DC DLCP register and mapped deterministically. No AI inference is involved. Of the 12 possible status values, exactly two indicate an entity in full good standing.
| DC DLCP Status | Active | Notes |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Active - In Good Standing` | Yes | Standard compliant status |
| `Active - In Good Standing - Pending Domestication` | Yes | Active while a domestication conversion is pending |
| `Active - Not in Good Standing` | No | Registered but out of compliance (overdue filing or fee) |
| `Revoked` | No | Registration revoked by DLCP |
| `Dissolved` | No | Voluntarily or administratively dissolved |
| `Withdrawn` | No | Foreign entity has withdrawn its DC registration |
| `Merged` | No | Entity merged into another entity |
| `Inactive - Cancelled` | No | Inactive and cancelled |
| `Terminated` | No | Registration terminated |
| `Domesticated` | No | Entity domesticated to another jurisdiction |
| `Converted` | No | Entity converted to a different legal form |
| `Consolidated` | No | Merged via consolidation |
### Legal Forms
DC DLCP uses a closed list of 18 entity types. All 18 are derived from the exhaustive distinct set in the full DC DLCP open-data extract. Every entity in the register falls into exactly one of these types.
| DC DLCP Type | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------- | --------- |
| Domestic Limited Liability Company | LimitedLiabilityCompany | `2HBR` |
| Foreign Limited Liability Company | LimitedLiabilityCompany | — |
| DC DLCP Type | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------ | --------- |
| Domestic Business Corporation | Corporation | `ECSB` |
| Foreign Business Corporation | Corporation | — |
| Domestic Act of Congress Corporation | Corporation | — |
| Foreign Act of Congress Corporation | Corporation | — |
| DC DLCP Type | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
| ------------------------------ | --------------------- | --------- |
| Domestic Nonprofit Corporation | NonprofitOrganization | — |
| Foreign Nonprofit Corporation | NonprofitOrganization | — |
| DC DLCP Type | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
| -------------------------------------- | ------------ | --------- |
| Domestic Limited Partnership | Partnership | `LPNL` |
| Foreign Limited Partnership | Partnership | — |
| Domestic Limited Liability Partnership | Partnership | `LLP` |
| Foreign Limited Liability Partnership | Partnership | — |
| DC DLCP Type | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
| ---------------------------------------- | ------------ | --------- |
| Domestic General Cooperative Association | Other | — |
| Domestic Limited Cooperative Association | Other | — |
| Foreign General Cooperative Association | Other | — |
| Foreign Limited Cooperative Association | Other | — |
| DC DLCP Type | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
| ------------------------ | ------------ | --------- |
| Domestic Statutory Trust | Other | — |
| Foreign Statutory Trust | Other | — |
ISO 20275 ELF codes are assigned by jurisdiction of formation. Foreign
variants (e.g. "Foreign Limited Liability Company") are entities formed
outside DC and qualified to do business in the District — they carry no DC ISO
20275 code because the code belongs to their formation jurisdiction.
### Legal Representatives
Principals are returned from the DC CorpOnline portal in **verification mode only**. The open-data extract does not include a principals roster. Role titles are standardized using AI enrichment — the raw title from the portal is always preserved as `role.localName`, and a `standardized` category is added where one can be inferred.
`legalRepresentatives` is always empty in onboarding (fast) mode. Verification
(authoritative) mode returns the full principals list as filed with the DC
DLCP: governors, managers, directors, and authorized representatives.
Individual vs. entity type is preserved on each record. Role titles are
standardized by AI enrichment; the raw portal title is always returned as
`role.localName`.
### Other Key Persons
The registered agent is returned as an Other Key Person in both onboarding and verification modes (the open-data extract includes registered agent name and address).
| Role | Standardized | Notes |
| ---------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Registered Agent | Registered Agent | Statutory service-of-process contact; required for all DC-registered entities. Can be an individual or a corporate agent. |
## Data Availability
| Data Point | Onboarding (fast) | Verification (authoritative) | Notes |
| --------------------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Legal name | Yes | Yes | Current legal name |
| Company status | Yes | Yes | Mapped from DC DLCP status field |
| Registration date | Yes | Yes | Effective date of formation or qualification |
| Legal address | Yes | Yes | Principal office address |
| Legal form | Yes | Yes | From 18-type DC DLCP closed enum |
| Registered agent | Yes | Yes | Name and address returned as Other Key Person |
| Locale | Yes | — | Domestic / Foreign indicator from open-data extract |
| Legal representatives | No | Yes | Principals from CorpOnline portal — only in verification mode |
| Activity description | No | Yes | Free-text NAICS description from CorpOnline portal |
| Activity codes (structured) | No | No | Not available — NAICS description only |
| Shareholders | No | No | Not collected by the DC business register |
| UBOs | No | No | No public DC-level beneficial ownership register |
| Federal tax ID (EIN) | No | No | Not published by the DC register |
## Documents
### Available Documents
| Document | API Category | Availability | Format | Notes |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Trade Register Extract** | `tradeRegisterExtract` | Always available | PDF | Printed PDF of the entity's DC CorpOnline portal detail page |
The Trade Register Extract is included with the company data block at no extra
charge. It is generated from the live DC CorpOnline portal detail page and
covers entity information, jurisdiction, registered agent, and the principals
list as filed.
## Example API Responses
All examples use placeholder data. Query with `POST /v2/company`.
### Search by Name
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "https://api.topograph.co/v2/search?country=US-DC&query=Washington+Gas" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```
```json theme={null}
[
{
"id": "L00005531281",
"legalName": "1 800 Water Damage North America LLC",
"countryCode": "US-DC",
"matchReason": { "matchType": "default" }
}
]
```
### Search by DC File Number
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "https://api.topograph.co/v2/search?country=US-DC&query=L00005531281" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```
```json theme={null}
[
{
"id": "L00005531281",
"legalName": "1 800 Water Damage North America LLC",
"countryCode": "US-DC",
"matchReason": {
"matchType": "id",
"identifier": { "fileNumber": "L00005531281" }
}
}
]
```
### Company Profile
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "https://api.topograph.co/v2/company" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"countryCode": "US-DC", "id": "L00005531281", "dataPoints": ["company", "legalRepresentatives", "otherKeyPersons"]}'
```
```json theme={null}
{
"company": {
"id": "L00005531281",
"countryCode": "US-DC",
"identifiers": { "fileNumber": "L00005531281" },
"legalName": "Capitol Hill Ventures LLC",
"registrationDate": "2015-04-10",
"status": {
"localName": "Active - In Good Standing",
"active": true
},
"legalForm": {
"localName": "Domestic Limited Liability Company",
"standardized": "LimitedLiabilityCompany",
"iso20275Code": "2HBR"
},
"legalAddress": {
"addressLine1": "1350 Connecticut Avenue NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20036",
"countryCode": "US"
}
},
"legalRepresentatives": [],
"otherKeyPersons": [
{
"type": "company",
"role": {
"localName": "Registered Agent",
"standardized": "RegisteredAgent"
},
"company": {
"legalName": "CT Corporation System",
"legalAddress": {
"addressLine1": "1015 15th Street NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20005",
"countryCode": "US"
}
}
}
]
}
```
**Note:** `legalRepresentatives` is always empty in onboarding (fast) mode. Use verification mode to retrieve the principals list.
```json theme={null}
{
"company": {
"id": "L00005531281",
"countryCode": "US-DC",
"identifiers": { "fileNumber": "L00005531281" },
"legalName": "Capitol Hill Ventures LLC",
"registrationDate": "2015-04-10",
"status": {
"localName": "Active - In Good Standing",
"active": true
},
"legalForm": {
"localName": "Domestic Limited Liability Company",
"standardized": "LimitedLiabilityCompany",
"iso20275Code": "2HBR"
},
"legalAddress": {
"addressLine1": "1350 Connecticut Avenue NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20036",
"countryCode": "US"
}
},
"legalRepresentatives": [
{
"type": "individual",
"role": { "localName": "Manager", "standardized": "Manager" },
"individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Jane A. Holloway" } }
},
{
"type": "individual",
"role": { "localName": "Governor", "standardized": "Director" },
"individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Thomas R. Kendrick" } }
}
],
"otherKeyPersons": [
{
"type": "company",
"role": {
"localName": "Registered Agent",
"standardized": "RegisteredAgent"
},
"company": {
"legalName": "CT Corporation System",
"legalAddress": {
"addressLine1": "1015 15th Street NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20005",
"countryCode": "US"
}
}
}
]
}
```
```json theme={null}
{
"company": {
"id": "C00000123456",
"countryCode": "US-DC",
"identifiers": { "fileNumber": "C00000123456" },
"legalName": "Georgetown Capital Corporation",
"registrationDate": "1998-07-22",
"status": {
"localName": "Active - In Good Standing",
"active": true
},
"legalForm": {
"localName": "Domestic Business Corporation",
"standardized": "Corporation",
"iso20275Code": "ECSB"
},
"legalAddress": {
"addressLine1": "3600 M Street NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20007",
"countryCode": "US"
}
},
"legalRepresentatives": [
{
"type": "individual",
"role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" },
"individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Patricia W. Nguyen" } }
},
{
"type": "individual",
"role": { "localName": "Authorized Representative", "standardized": "AuthorizedSignatory" },
"individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Marcus L. Duvall" } }
}
],
"otherKeyPersons": [
{
"type": "individual",
"role": {
"localName": "Registered Agent",
"standardized": "RegisteredAgent"
},
"individual": {
"name": { "fullName": "Sandra K. Pryor" },
"residenceAddress": {
"addressLine1": "2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20006",
"countryCode": "US"
}
}
}
]
}
```
```json theme={null}
{
"company": {
"id": "L00009876543",
"countryCode": "US-DC",
"identifiers": { "fileNumber": "L00009876543" },
"legalName": "Coastal Ventures Group LLC",
"registrationDate": "2010-03-05",
"status": {
"localName": "Active - In Good Standing",
"active": true
},
"legalForm": {
"localName": "Foreign Limited Liability Company",
"standardized": "LimitedLiabilityCompany"
},
"legalAddress": {
"addressLine1": "1775 I Street NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20006",
"countryCode": "US"
}
},
"legalRepresentatives": [],
"otherKeyPersons": [
{
"type": "company",
"role": {
"localName": "Registered Agent",
"standardized": "RegisteredAgent"
},
"company": {
"legalName": "Corporation Service Company",
"legalAddress": {
"addressLine1": "1090 Vermont Avenue NW",
"city": "Washington",
"region": "DC",
"postalCode": "20005",
"countryCode": "US"
}
}
}
]
}
```
```json theme={null}
{
"company": {
"id": "571294",
"countryCode": "US-DC",
"identifiers": { "fileNumber": "571294" },
"legalName": "Old Dominion Trading Co.",
"registrationDate": "1972-09-14",
"status": {
"localName": "Dissolved",
"active": false
},
"legalForm": {
"localName": "Domestic Business Corporation",
"standardized": "Corporation",
"iso20275Code": "ECSB"
},
"legalAddress": null
},
"legalRepresentatives": [],
"otherKeyPersons": []
}
```
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "https://api.topograph.co/v2/company" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"countryCode": "US-DC", "id": "L00005531281", "dataPoints": ["availableDocuments"]}'
```
```json theme={null}
{
"documents": {
"tradeRegisterExtract": {
"id": "doc_tre_abc123",
"name": "Trade Register Extract",
"format": "pdf"
}
}
}
```