Businesses incorporating in Washington State are required to obtain a state business license, issued by the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). Obtaining a Washington state business license requires filing a Master Business Application with DOL. The Master Business Application can be used to obtain a Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number and to register trade names (see below). Further information about the Master Business Application as well as an online version of the Master Application is available at: http://www.dol.wa.gov/mls/startbus.htm#Business

• A Trade Name provides a record of all owners of a business. A trade name is any name used in the course of business that does not include the full legal name of all owners of the business. Trade names are registered with DOL. The right to use a trade name belongs to the entrepreneur first using a given name in connection with the business. If a trade name is not registered, the business entity itself may not be party to a lawsuit. For further information on trade
names, see: http://www.dol.wa.gov/mls/startbus.htm#what

Certain businesses and industry sectors may be required to comply with additional state licensing requirements. To ensure compliance, the DOL recommends consulting an online service, the Washington Licensing Information (WALI) website: http://www.dol.wa.gov/mls/wali.htm