The Settlement Agreement Amendment and Termination Form is the petition a licensee of the DC Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) uses to ask the Board to unilaterally amend or terminate a settlement agreement that has been in place for four years or more. It is not a license application: if you searched for a DC business license, this petition concerns an existing ABCA license and is filed together with that license's renewal application. On FillingPDF you can fill out the form online and download or print the completed PDF; ABCA publishes the original PDF and receives the petition at its office.
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What is Settlement Agreement Amendment and Termination Form – Washington, DC?
The Settlement Agreement Amendment and Termination Form is the DC Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) petition, titled "Petition to Unilaterally Amend or Terminate a Settlement Agreement," that a licensee files to change or end a settlement agreement without the other parties' permission.
The request is subject to review and approval by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (the Board). Any amendment or termination also requires notice to the other parties to the agreement and to the public.
The petition asks for the licensee's name, trade name, license class and number, and contact details. It then asks for the date(s) the Board approved the agreement(s), whether you want to amend or terminate, the parties or signatories, your efforts to locate them, the circumstances or neighborhood change behind the request, and whether the change would hurt the surrounding area. It ends with a certification under penalty of perjury that must be notarized.
A written letter that complies with D.C. Official Code § 25-446(d)(2)-(5) may be used instead of this petition. A box at the top marked "Official Use Only" is for ABCA staff and the Board, not for the applicant.
Who needs to file Settlement Agreement Amendment and Termination Form – Washington, DC?
A licensee whose settlement agreement has been in effect for four years or more from the date the Board approved it may use this petition to amend or terminate that agreement without the permission of the other parties. The licensee must also meet the other conditions on the form:
- Make the request with this petition, or with a letter that complies with D.C. Official Code § 25-446(d)(2)-(5).
- Show a diligent effort to locate the other parties to the agreement.
- If the other parties are found, certify that a meeting occurred without an agreement, or that the other parties did not want to meet.
- Submit the petition with the settlement agreement(s) to be amended or terminated.
- Submit it along with the license renewal application.
Who signs the certification depends on the business type: the individual for a sole proprietor, each partner for a partnership, the president or vice president for a corporation, and the managing member(s) for an LLC. All signatures must be notarized.
A licensee whose agreement is less than four years old does not meet the first condition.
When to file Settlement Agreement Amendment and Termination Form – Washington, DC
File the petition during the licensee's renewal period, together with the license renewal application. ABCA's page lists three timing conditions: the agreement is at least four years old from the date the Board originally approved it, the request is received during the renewal period, and it is filed with the renewal application. The form has no separate due date of its own; it travels with the renewal. Questions 11 and 12 on the form ask you to confirm both the four-year period and that the petition accompanies a renewal application during your establishment's renewal period. Check the date the Board approved each agreement before you start, since question 9 asks you to list it.
Documents you need
- All of the settlement agreement(s) you want to amend or terminate, attached to the petition (question 8 asks whether you attached them).
- If you are seeking to amend: the alternative settlement agreement(s) you want attached to your license, on a separate sheet of paper.
- Supporting documentation for your efforts to contact or locate the other parties, such as letters or emails (question 15).
- Supporting documentation for your good-faith attempts to negotiate and for the meeting or refusal you affirm, such as emails or letters (question 17).
- The license renewal application: the petition is submitted along with it.
- Notarized signature(s) on the certification under question 20, by the person or persons required for your business type.
How to fill out Settlement Agreement Amendment and Termination Form – Washington, DC
Confirm you are eligible to petition
Check that the agreement has been in effect four years or more from the Board's approval date and that you will file with your license renewal application. Leave the "Official Use Only" box blank.
Enter licensee and contact details
Complete lines 1 to 7: licensee name (Last, First, Middle), trade name, current license class, license number, address, city, state, ZIP code, telephone number and email.
Attach agreements and list approval dates
On line 8 check YES or NO to say whether the settlement agreement(s) are attached. On line 9 list the date(s) the ABC Board approved them.
Choose amend or terminate
On line 10 check AMEND or TERMINATE. If you are amending, attach the alternative settlement agreement(s) on a separate sheet of paper.
Answer the timing questions
Line 11 asks whether four years have elapsed since the Board approved the agreement(s). Line 12 asks whether the petition is submitted with a renewal application during your establishment's renewal period.
List the parties to the agreement
On line 13 list the parties or signatories to the settlement agreement(s) you want to amend or terminate.
Describe your efforts to find the parties
Line 14 asks if you made a diligent effort to locate them. On line 15 describe your efforts and the dates of your attempts, and attach supporting documentation such as letters or emails.
Affirm the meeting or refusal
On line 16 check at least one box: a meeting occurred without an agreement, or the other parties refused to meet. On line 17 describe how and your good-faith attempts to negotiate, with supporting documents.
Explain circumstances and local impact
Line 18: describe the circumstances beyond your control and/or the neighborhood change that requires the amendment or termination. Line 19: explain in detail whether the change would have an adverse impact on your locality, section or portion of the District.
Complete the certification and notary
Line 20: print each required signer's name, sign and date, then have each signature notarized in the "Subscribed and sworn to before me" block.
Note any translation language needed
At the bottom of the form, the question printed as 8 asks in what language you need vital documents translated. Answer it if it applies to you.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check every line and the attachments, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF. Have it notarized and submit it as described under How to submit.
How to submit Settlement Agreement Amendment and Termination Form – Washington, DC
ABCA takes the form in person or by mail at its office: 899 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 4200-B, Washington, DC 20002.
- In person or by mail: deliver or send the completed petition to the address above.
- With the renewal: the petition must be submitted along with the license renewal application.
- Package: include the notarized petition (or a compliant letter), all of the settlement agreement(s) you want to amend or terminate, any alternative agreement on a separate sheet, and the supporting documentation for your efforts to contact the other parties.
The form and ABCA's page name no online submission channel and no fee. ABCA also refers to a quick guide on amending or terminating settlement agreements on its page. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Filing the petition for an agreement the Board approved less than four years ago; the form requires four years or more from the approval date.
- Submitting the petition on its own instead of along with the license renewal application during the renewal period.
- Leaving out the settlement agreement(s) you want to amend or terminate.
- Signing the certification without a notary, or leaving the notary block blank; all signatures must be notarized.
- Having the wrong person sign: for a partnership every partner must sign, for a corporation the president or vice president, for an LLC the managing member(s).
- Asking to amend without attaching the alternative settlement agreement(s) on a separate sheet.
- Describing your efforts to locate the other parties (questions 15 and 17) without attaching letters, emails or other supporting documentation.
- Checking neither affirmation under question 16; the form says to choose at least one.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the form for a DC business license?
No. It is a petition by an existing ABCA licensee to amend or terminate a settlement agreement. It is submitted along with the license renewal application, not as a new license application.
When can I amend or terminate a settlement agreement without the other parties' consent?
Only if the agreement has been in effect four years or more from the Board's approval date, you request it during your renewal period with your renewal application, and you show a diligent effort to locate the other parties. The Board must review and approve the request.
Does the petition have to be notarized?
Yes. The certification under question 20 is made under penalty of perjury, and all signatures must be notarized. A sole proprietor signs, each partner signs for a partnership, the president or vice president for a corporation, and the managing member(s) for an LLC.
What do I attach to the petition?
Attach all of the settlement agreement(s) you want to amend or terminate. If you are amending, add the alternative agreement(s) on a separate sheet, and attach supporting documentation such as letters or emails for questions 15 and 17.
Where do I submit the settlement agreement amendment or termination petition?
In person or by mail to ABCA's office at 899 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 4200-B, Washington, DC 20002. File it along with your license renewal application.
Can I use a letter instead of the petition?
Yes. The instructions allow a written letter that complies with D.C. Official Code § 25-446(d)(2)-(5) instead of the petition. The other conditions, including the four-year period, notarization and filing with renewal, still apply.
What do I say if I could not find the other parties?
Answer YES or NO on line 14 and describe your efforts and their dates on line 15, attaching letters, emails or similar proof. The form requires you to show a diligent effort to locate the other parties.
Can I fill out this form online on FillingPDF?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is independent of ABCA and does not file the petition; you submit it through ABCA's channels with your renewal application.
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