BLS Fees to Increase for First Time in 20 Years

The state Business Licensing Service is proposing the first fee increase in more than 20 years. The public hearing for this proposal is next month (CR-102, Rule 10101.pdf).
 

· Application Fee: from $15 to $19.

· Renewal Fee: from $9 to $11.

 
This fee increase is permitted by approved legislation.

Why is BLS increasing fees?

BLS is self-funded. The fees charged for applications and renewals pay for BLS operations. The fee increase was authorized to fund long-needed improvements to the BLS system and supports the long-term sustainability of BLS.
 
BLS will replace its current system over the next four years. This will add enhancements and flexibility for partners to manage licenses, generate on-demand reports, and update requirements more quickly.

When was this increase announced?

During several workshops and forums this spring, our staff discussed the proposed increase with dozens of cities and partner agencies. We will continue to keep all partners updated about its progress, including the timeline for the BLS system replacement.

When will this take effect?

The public hearing for the rule change is August 6 in Olympia. We expect the fee increase to take effect in late 2013. We will update you here with the effective date when it is known.
 
Please direct any questions or concerns to us. Thank you for your partnership.

~BLS Partnership Services

 

Changes to Paper Business License Application

Partners,

 

Several 2013 legislative measures affect the paper Business License Application (BLA). Each change will take effect at different times this year. Each requires a total replacement of stock.  We will be ordering small amounts of applications at each order point and limiting the amount issued to each partner. This cuts down on the amount of overstock recycled when new versions are distributed.

 

The first change takes effect on Sunday, July 28, 2013. 

This first change creates a shorter application for businesses that only want to add a minor work permit to their existing business location. To meet this requirement, we added instructions to the “Business Has or Will Have Employees Under Age 18” option on the paper application. 

The shorter Internet application version will be available Sunday, September 1, 2013.

 

We are distributing the new stock today. All staff should start using it on Monday, July 29, 2013. Recycle all old versions of the paper application at that time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. 

 

Thank you.

 

Maria Moore

 

360/705-6641  

 

UPDATED: BLS Partner Email Box Not Working Friday

UPDATE: The email connectivity problem was fixed by Monday morning. Thanks for your patience.
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Partners,

If we didn't respond to your email Friday, please be patient.

We haven't seen it yet.

Our apologies. A connectivitity issue is preventing us from accessing our mailbox at dorblspartner@dor.wa.gov

We can still see messages sent to our personal mailboxes. And you can reach us at (360) 705-6777.

We expect the problem to be fixed over the weekend.

~BLS Partnership Services

UPDATED: Secure File Transfer systems issues Monday (sft.wa.gov)

Update at 5 p.m. Monday - The problem is resolved. Thank you for your patience.

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We are experiencing occasional and temporary service interruptions with the Secure File Transfer service (Tumbleweed) at https://sft.wa.gov.

The state's technology service's division is working to resolve this issue today.

If you have immediate service needs for business licensing service files at sft.wa.gov, please let us know at dorblspartner@dor.wa.gov. We will be happy to assist.

~BLS Partnership Services