The District of Columbia (D.C.) is classified as a non-registration state. There are no D.C. laws requiring a franchisor to register its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) with the state; to notify the state that it intends to offer or sell franchises in the state; or to register its FDD with the state as an exemption from laws pertaining to business opportunities. While D.C. does not have a standalone law that regulates franchise relationships directly, the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Law, D.C. Code § 28-3901–3908, applies to franchises and business opportunities, but regulates very limited aspects of the franchise relationship.
Thus, franchisors in D.C. only need to comply with the requirements of the Federal Trade Commission Amended Franchise Rule, 16 C.F.R. §§ 436.1 et seq., which, among other things, requires D.C. franchisors to disclose to a validly issued FDD prior to entering into a franchise agreement or accepting any payments from a D.C. franchisee.