July-August 2022 Update

Revenue's annual meeting for cities, towns, 
and counties takes place on Zoom on July 26.

Local government meeting is July 26

Get ready to join the annual Local Government Partnership meeting. The online-only meeting is Revenue's annual outreach to local government representatives.

This year’s agenda features state economic forecast news and a presentation about the American Rescue Plan approved in 2021 to provide relief to municipal governments.

The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 26. Register now.

Meeting agenda: 

• State economic forecast
• American Rescue Plan overview
• Property tax levies
• Changes to unclaimed property
• Business licensing update

New license types available soon

BLS will add two new license types for the Liquor and Cannabis Board in the coming months.

Beer, wine, and liquor producers can seek the Packaging Services endorsement in late August. The license allows them to contract with other licensed producers for bottling and related services. The license is an add-on for breweries, wineries, and distilleries. It is $100 annually.

The board will start accepting Social Equity Cannabis Retailer applications this fall. BLS will administer the online applications. The new retailer license type will support cannabis business opportunities for  those disproportionately impacted by past enforcement of cannabis prohibition laws. More information is at lcb.wa.gov/selicensing/requirements.

10 more cities joining BLS this summer and fall

From the Pacific to the Palouse, BLS serves 
more than 200 local governments.

The final 10 local partners will join BLS this year. More than 200 cities now include local general business licensing in the same portal customers use for state excise tax accounts.

BLS adds Morton and Mossyrock to the licensing partnership this year connecting all eligible Southwest Washington communities. In September, the suburban city of Auburn joins BLS. Auburn, home to 80,000 residents, is in the top 20 list of Washington cities by both population and area.

Later this year, the last cities in the Yakima Valley – Selah and Wapato – will join the same system used by most communities in the rich agricultural area of South-Central Washington.

Check for license renewal notices 

Reminder: BLS has updated its mailing schedule for license renewal notices.

Monthly renewal reminder mailings are grouped into smaller batches and mailed throughout the month prior to the license expiration month. This helps to spread out the calls to BLS staff and keeps hold times and response times as short as possible. Licensees will still receive the notices by mail and in their My DOR accounts at least 30 days before their license’s expiration date.