# DBE Reevaluation Deadlines: December 24, 2026 and March 24, 2027

Updated 2026-11-12. Source page: https://keepmydbe.datarabbit.com/guides/dbe-reevaluation-deadlines

The final rule sets two dates. One is for state programs, and one is for firms that have not responded.

## December 24, 2026

Each state's Unified Certification Program must finish reevaluating its currently certified firms by December 24, 2026, which is 90 days after the final rule took effect. A program may ask USDOT for one extension of up to 90 days.

Your state may have set an earlier date for you to submit. Many did, under the interim rule. The date your certifier gave you is the one that controls.

## March 24, 2027

If a firm has not submitted its Personal Narrative and Personal Net Worth statement by the time its program reports that reevaluation is complete, the program must send a written notice of non-response. That notice gives the firm until March 24, 2027 to submit. A firm that still has not submitted by then is disqualified automatically, with no further proceedings.

## What to submit

- A [Personal Narrative](https://keepmydbe.datarabbit.com/guides/dbe-personal-narrative) from each owner counted toward disadvantaged ownership.
- A current Personal Net Worth statement on the USDOT form.

You send these to the program in the state that first certified you. Other states where you hold interstate certification do not reevaluate you; afterward you send them your decision letter or a screenshot of your directory listing.

## If you were removed from a state directory

Several states took non-responding firms out of their public directories or marked them ineligible before the final rule was published. In those states that was not the same as decertification, and the firm could still submit. Check your state's notice and ask your certifier where you stand.

## If you are disqualified

- The decision must be in writing and must explain the reasons and the evidence.
- A firm disqualified in reevaluation may appeal to USDOT under 49 CFR 26.89. The decision letter gives the deadline.
- A program may set a waiting period of up to 12 months before a denied firm can reapply.
- Certifiers must reconsider a narrative that was rejected because the owner described personal experiences tied to race or sex.

A firm that would rather not go through reevaluation can withdraw voluntarily and apply again later.

## Why the dates matter to primes too

Until a state's program completes reevaluation, agencies in that state cannot set DBE contract goals or count DBE participation. Prime contractors have their own reasons to want their DBE subcontractors through the process.

## Primary sources

- [USDOT final rule, 91 FR 60885 (September 25, 2026)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-25/pdf/2026-19688.pdf)
- [USDOT FAQs on the DBE and ACDBE final rule (September 25, 2026)](https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2026-09/DBE_Final%20Rule_FAQs%2009-28-2026_0.pdf)
- [USDOT DBE forms, including the Personal Net Worth statement](https://www.transportation.gov/DBEFORMS)
- [USDOT DBE certification appeals](https://www.transportation.gov/dbeappeal)

General information, not legal advice. KeepMyDBE is not affiliated with USDOT or any state agency.