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OLYMPIA, Wash. – March 18, 2021 – The hometown of Microsoft and thousands of other Washington businesses today became the newest partner of the Department of Revenue’s Business Licensing Service (BLS).
Redmond is connecting its nearly 6,000 business licenses to the same system used by neighbors Kirkland, Issaquah, Woodinville, and others. BLS is a “one-stop” system that allows businesses to apply for and renew their required state and local licenses and endorsements all at the same time.
Redmond and other local partners use the free BLS administration tools to manage business licensing and increase compliance. BLS collects and transfers licensing fees to cities in the same process used for sales and use tax revenues. Businesses of all sizes will experience the advantages of Redmond’s new partnership.
Microsoft manages dozens of office locations in Redmond. With the BLS system, the worldwide technology leader has Redmond business licenses linked to the same system that licenses its data center in the city of Quincy, as well as its retail store in Tukwila’s Southcenter Mall.
“The City of Redmond is excited to be partnering with the Department of Revenue to streamline and ease the application and renewal process for our business community,” Redmond Mayor Angela Birney said. “Creating efficiencies for our businesses is a priority. We recognize the benefits of this approach and know that our community will greatly appreciate this new and much more convenient process.”
Smaller businesses in Redmond, like PinkaBella Cupcakes, also will benefit from the enhanced services.
PinkaBella operates several Puget Sound locations that employ teen workers – a process supported by minor work permits available through BLS along with 600 other types of licenses. BLS also uses the same portal where PinkaBella and more than a million Washington businesses already report state taxes.
“We started 12 years ago as a local company focused on serving our customers and supporting our community,” said Margo Engberg, owner of PinkaBella Cupcakes. “Revenue’s online licensing system is familiar and easy to use. With so much that goes into managing the day-to-day of running a business, reducing steps for licensing simplifies our work as an employer and an enterprise where saving time can help boost our bottom line.”
By serving more than 160 municipal partners and two-dozen state regulatory programs, BLS is the easy online solution for businesses to update owner information, report changes in location, or add new licenses for an expansion. The secure interface helps those managing enterprises of all sizes.
“Our team has been forging nearly 100 new local partnerships over the past three years to connect more businesses to the state licensing system,” said John Ryser, Revenue’s deputy director.
“We know it’s working for Washington companies. Nearly 190,000 businesses used the My DOR gateway to renew a business license in 2020.”
BLS partner cities comprise a statewide network of communities that will include more than 200 partnerships in 2022. A list of partners can be found on the City license endorsements page.
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