The City of Austin's Small & Minority Business Resources Department certifies qualified firms as Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE), and Small Business Enterprises (SBE).

The Certification Division verifies that the minority and/or woman business applicant owns, manages, and controls the day-to-day operations of the for-profit business in compliance with the MBE/WBE Procurement Program Ordinance, Chapter(s) 2-9 (A)(B)(C) and (D) of the City Code.

In general, the eligibility requirements are:

• At least 51% of the company must be owned, managed, and controlled by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual from one of the presumed groups i.e. Asian-American, African-American, Native American, Hispanic or Women
• A small business as defined by the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Size Standard Guidelines
• Personal Net Worth (PNW) must not exceed $1,565,000 for MBE/WBE certification or $1,320,000 for DBE/ACDBE certification
• MBE/WBE applicant must have a facility located within the State of Texas for at least 90 days
• Must be a for-profit business