DC's STR Act imposes platform-side compliance: booking platforms must verify each listing has a valid DLCP license number, remove non-compliant listings, and report booking data to the District quarterly.
DC Code 36-303.01 requires booking-service platforms operating in the District to confirm license numbers before accepting bookings, prominently display license numbers on listings, deactivate listings that lose licensure, and submit quarterly anonymized booking-night reports to DLCP. This mirrors enforcement frameworks adopted by San Francisco and New York, shifting compliance burden upstream to platforms with the technical means to verify at scale. Platforms violating these duties face civil penalties per booking. The platform-liability provisions took effect alongside the STR licensing regime in 2019 and have meaningfully reduced unlicensed listings in DC.
Platforms that fail to verify licenses, display numbers, or deliver quarterly data face per-listing civil penalties and potential injunctive action by the DC Attorney General.
Washington, DC
The DC Short-Term Rental Regulation Act (DC Law 22-307) requires hosts to register, obtain a Basic Business License, and limit non-hosted bookings to 90 nigh...
Washington, DC
DC requires a license to operate any short-term rental under the Short-Term Rental Regulation Act of 2018 (D.C. Law 22-307, DC Code 30-201.01 et seq.). Two l...
See how Washington's host platform liability rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.