Wapato is final local licensing partner for 2022

Revenue completes five-year plan to engage eligible local licensing programs 

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Dec. 8, 2022 – The Department of Revenue’s Business Licensing Service (BLS) today wraps up its local government partnerships by adding the city of Wapato to its popular statewide system.

Wapato is the 215th and final city to link to BLS under the local partnership plan started in 2017. BLS is the state’s premier licensing one-stop solution that connects local businesses to hundreds of state registrations, such as liquor licenses. 

Wapato is home to more than 150 active businesses and 4,000 residents. It joins more than 20 other largely agricultural communities along the Yakima River from Ellensburg to the Tri-Cities in the licensing partnership.

BLS supports local licensing for municipal partners across the Evergreen State. It also makes it easier for businesses to apply for and renew business licenses and endorsements, while saving municipal governments time and money.

Revenue was tasked with adding all eligible Washington cities and towns to the BLS after state lawmakers approved HB 2005 in 2017. Revenue earned the support of local government and business interest groups to work on streamlining local licensing before the end of 2022.

More municipalities and agency regulatory programs are also eligible to join the licensing partnership as BLS continues to grow. There is no cost to regulatory agencies to join or maintain the licensing partnership.

Combined licensing milestones

• March 2016 – Lawmakers approve a bill (HB 2959) directing Revenue to lead a task force of local government and business interest groups to improve local tax and licensing processes.
• June 2016 – Revenue implements a licensing systems replacement and updates the license application process at dor.wa.gov.
• March 2017 – Lawmakers unanimously approve a bill (HB 2005) to support business by streamlining local business licensing.
• December 2017 – Revenue publishes a plan with the goal of completing 150 local licensing partnerships.
• December 2020 – BLS completes a record 38 local partnerships in one calendar year and does it again in 2021.
• May 2021 – Revenue wins a national award – Federation of Tax Administrators “Best Practices” – for its local licensing partnership efforts.
• December 2022 – Revenue meets its deadline and completes requirements to engage all eligible Washington municipalities to join the BLS system.

Find a complete list of local partners on the City license endorsements page.

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