DBE recertification: what keeps your certification active
DBE certification does not expire on its own, but it is not set-and-forget either. To stay certified you file one thing every year and report certain changes as they happen. Here is what the rule actually requires, in plain language, each point cited to 49 CFR part 26. You file everything yourself.
Your anniversary date is your deadline
The annual Declaration of Eligibility is due on the anniversary of your original certification, not on a shared date across firms, so the exact day is personal to your firm. Your certifying UCP will tell you the form and the portal. We do not file for you, and no outcome is guaranteed.
What matters most
File a Declaration of Eligibility every year, on your certification anniversary, and report any material change within 30 days.
File a Declaration of Eligibility every year, on your certification anniversary
Under the October 2025 interim final rule, a certified firm must give its certifier a new Declaration of Eligibility (DOE) every year, on the anniversary of its original certification, together with the size documentation the rule specifies, including gross receipts for its most recently completed fiscal year on a cash basis. This is the current form of what many people still call the annual no-change affidavit.
Report any material change within 30 days
If something changes that affects your continued eligibility, you must notify your certifier within 30 days of it happening, explain the change fully, and include a signed Declaration of Eligibility with the notice. Missing this deadline is treated as a failure to cooperate, which can put your certification at risk.
Ongoing, as your business changes
Tell your certifier in writing about changes to ownership, control, size, or disadvantaged status
You must inform the certifier or UCP in writing of any change that affects your ability to meet the size, disadvantaged-status, ownership, or control requirements, or any material change to the information in your application. Changes in management responsibility among members of an LLC are covered, and you attach documentation describing the change in detail.
What you can set aside for now
Decertification has to be proven, it is not automatic
A certifier cannot simply drop you. To decertify a firm, the certifier carries the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the firm no longer meets the certification standards, and there is a defined notice-and-response process before any removal takes effect.
What this covers, and what it doesn't
This reflects the October 2025 interim final rule for 49 CFR part 26. Your certifying UCP sets the exact form, portal, and anniversary date. We help you understand the requirement and prepare; we do not file for you, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Questions you might have
When exactly is my Declaration of Eligibility due?
A certified firm must give its certifier a new Declaration of Eligibility every year, on the anniversary of its original certification.
What happens if I miss the 30-day material-change window?
Missing this deadline is treated as a failure to cooperate, which can put your certification at risk.
What counts as a material change I have to report?
Any change that affects your ability to meet the size, disadvantaged-status, ownership, or control requirements, or any material change to the information in your application.
Can my certifier just drop me?
A certifier cannot simply drop you. The certifier carries the burden of proof, and there is a defined notice-and-response process before any removal takes effect.
File with your certifying program
The obligations above are the same everywhere. Where and how you file the annual declaration is set by your state's Unified Certification Program:
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