Washington, DC Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)
Key Facts
- Adjustment start date
- January 1, 2018
- Adjustment index
- CPI-U, Washington MSA
- Base fine source
- 16 DCMR § 3201.1
- Infraction list
- 16 DCMR §§ 3301-3313
- Publication
- Annual notice in D.C. Register
Summary
DC adjusts its housing and building code infraction fines every year using the D.C.-area Consumer Price Index. Base amounts come from 16 DCMR § 3201.1, and the adjusted schedule for the roughly 13 infraction categories in 16 DCMR §§ 3301-3313 is republished annually in the D.C. Register starting January 1, 2018.
Beginning on January 1, 2018, a fine amount listed in section 3201.1 of Title 16 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (16 DCMR § 3201.1), when assessed for an infraction listed in sections 3301 through 3313 of Title 16 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (16 DCMR § 3301 through 16 DCMR § 3313), shall be adjusted according to the most recent Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical area, as published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Full Breakdown
C. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. C. Register on or after January 1 of every year, covering every infraction number in that 3301-3313 range so property owners, landlords and contractors can look up the current dollar amount for a given housing or building code citation rather than relying on the original 2018 figure. This is the mechanism DCRA (and its successor building-safety agencies) uses to keep the housing and building infraction fine table current without the Council having to pass a new fine amount every year; the statute itself does not restate the individual violation fines, it locks in the CPI escalator and the publication duty.
C. Law 22-33 § 2222(b) as part of the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Act, with temporary versions in effect from July 20, 2017 and October 24, 2017 before permanent enactment. C. Register rather than assume the 2018 base amount still applies, since every category listed under 16 DCMR §§ 3301-3313 escalates on the same annual CPI cycle described in this section.
Violations & Fines
Fines for housing and building infractions escalate annually rather than staying at a fixed dollar figure; owners who do not check the current D.C. Register schedule risk paying (or contesting) an outdated amount. The CPI-adjusted schedule applies uniformly to every infraction listed in 16 DCMR §§ 3301 through 3313, so the same escalator governs everything from the smallest to the largest violation on that list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do DC housing code fines increase every year?
Where do I find the current fine for a specific infraction?
When did this annual adjustment requirement start?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington
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