The Multi-State Firms Guide

Last updated 04.30.2026

This guide is for DBE firm owners whose work crosses state lines, or who hold DBE certification in more than one state. It covers what an interstate firm needs to know during the IFR reevaluation period: how interstate certification works, what is happening to interstate processing right now, where the rules are structurally different from one state to the next, and what to do when you have work in a state where you are not currently certified.

It does not replace your states' specific instructions. Each state has its own portal, contacts, document requirements, and in some cases its own deadlines. Per-state pages on this site cover that. What's here is what those pages don't cover: the connective tissue between states.

How interstate certification works

Each state runs a Unified Certification Program (UCP) that decides who is a DBE for the purposes of contracts let by recipients of USDOT funds in that state.

Your home state — referred to in regulation as your Jurisdiction of Certification, or JOC — is the state whose UCP originally certified you. To bid on USDOT-funded contracts in a second state, you need that state to recognize your certification. Under 49 CFR §26.85, the second state's UCP must accept your home-state certification but can require you to submit a reduced package of documents demonstrating that nothing material has changed and that you continue to meet federal eligibility criteria.

Interstate certification is faster and lighter than original certification. It is not automatic. You apply, the destination state reviews, the destination state issues a certification recognizing your status. A firm can hold interstate certifications in many states at once. Each one requires a separate application and is maintained separately, even though the underlying eligibility determination — the one made by your home state — is the same.

For reevaluation under the IFR, the home state's determination is what gets redone. Your interstate certifications elsewhere depend on it.

What is happening to interstate processing right now

Most states have paused interstate applications and renewals while they work through the reevaluation of their own in-state firms. The reasoning is structural: interstate certification depends on the home state's underlying determination, and during a period when every home-state determination is being redone, the destination state has no stable baseline to recognize.

This means three things in practice.

If your home state has not yet completed its reevaluation of your firm, your interstate certifications elsewhere are in limbo. You may still be listed in the directories of states where you held interstate certification, but those listings depend on your home-state determination, which is currently being redone.

If your home state has reevaluated and recertified you, you cannot necessarily expand to additional states immediately. The destination state has to have completed its own reevaluation and reopened interstate processing before it can act on a new interstate application.

If you held an interstate certification before October 3, 2025, what happens to it depends on the destination state. Some have explicitly delisted interstate firms pending reapplication once their reevaluation is complete. Others are quieter about the status of existing interstate certifications. Your destination state's page on this site is the right starting point for what is happening there now.

The right posture is to focus on completing your home-state reevaluation first, and to expect that interstate processing in your destination states will resume on each state's own timeline, not in a single coordinated reopening.

Where DBE certification is not handled by the DOT

In most states, the Department of Transportation runs the UCP and certifies DBE firms directly. In four states, certification has been delegated to a separate state agency whose mission centers on small business or supplier diversity. The DOT recognizes that agency's determinations rather than making them itself.

In Oregon, certification is handled by the Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID), part of Business Oregon. ODOT recognizes COBID's certifications.

In Rhode Island, certification is administered by the Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DEDI), part of the Department of Administration. RIDOT recognizes DEDI's certifications.

In Virginia, certification is administered by the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (VDSBSD). VDOT recognizes VDSBSD's certifications. Virginia has a structural exception worth flagging: firms certified by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which operates Reagan National and Dulles, deal with MWAA directly. MWAA's certifications cover airport concession work at the two airports it operates and are separate from VDSBSD's. If you do airport concession work in Northern Virginia, you may be operating under MWAA, not VDSBSD.

In Washington, certification is administered by the Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE). WSDOT recognizes OMWBE's certifications.

The practical implication if you are applying for interstate certification in any of these four states: your point of contact is the certifying agency, not the DOT. Going to the DOT's website or calling the DOT's office will not start your application. The certifying agency's website is the authoritative source for the submission process, deadlines, and contacts.

Reciprocity in cross-state corridors

A handful of states have formal or operational reciprocity arrangements that simplify life for firms working in specific cross-state corridors. These predate the IFR. During the reevaluation period, expect them to be paused along with general interstate processing — but if you work one of these corridors, you should know they exist and plan for their likely return.

Kentucky and Indiana. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Indiana Department of Transportation have a longstanding reciprocity agreement supporting cross-state contracting around Louisville and the Ohio River corridor. A firm certified in either state has had a streamlined path to recognition in the other.

Kentucky and Ohio (Brent Spence Bridge corridor). Reciprocity around the Brent Spence Bridge replacement project, which connects Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, has been a specific operational arrangement to support the project's large DBE participation goals.

Washington and Oregon (Columbia River corridor). A reciprocity agreement is in place between OMWBE and COBID supporting the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, which is reconstructing the I-5 bridges across the Columbia River. Note that both states delegate certification to non-DOT offices, so the reciprocity is between OMWBE and COBID, not between WSDOT and ODOT.

These arrangements were never automatic. They reduced documentation requirements and processing time but still required separate applications and separate certifications. Watch the destination state's page for current status — operational details may change after both states complete their reevaluations.

What to do if you need work in a state where interstate processing is paused

If you have a project you want to bid on in a state where you are not currently certified and where interstate processing is paused, your options are limited in the short term.

You can bid the work — as a prime or as a subcontractor — without being DBE-certified in the destination state. Working through your existing prime relationships can keep work moving while you wait for interstate processing to reopen.

You can wait until interstate processing resumes in that state. This is the right move when the work is not time-critical and you want to maintain a clean interstate certification path rather than build workarounds.

Either way, complete your home-state reevaluation now. The destination state will not act on an interstate application until your home-state determination is done, so the home-state process is the bottleneck regardless of what else you choose.

What to do, in what order

For firms working across multiple states, the sequence matters. Here is the order most multi-state firms should follow.

Complete your home-state reevaluation first. This is the underlying determination everything else depends on. Your home state's deadline (if any), portal, and document requirements are on its page on this site.

Once your home-state reevaluation is submitted, do not assume your interstate certifications elsewhere are stable. Check each destination state's page for its current posture. Some states have explicitly delisted interstate firms pending reapplication. Others have not communicated clearly. If you are unsure, contact the destination state's certifying office directly.

When destination states reopen interstate processing, expect to reapply rather than to be reinstated automatically. Most states are treating the IFR as a clean restart rather than a renewal of pre-IFR arrangements. Have your home-state recertification letter ready; it will be the first document a destination state asks for.

Maintain documentation across states even when no immediate filing is required. Your home-state recertification letter, your latest tax returns, your Personal Net Worth Statement, and your Personal Narrative are the core materials. When destination states reopen, you will be working through several applications in succession, and reusable materials will save substantial time.