District of Columbia Ordinances (2026)

The District allows one accessory apartment (ADU) per single-family lot as a matter of right in most Residential House zones, subject to owner-occupancy, a 35% size cap, and a…

Every honey bee colony kept in the District of Columbia must be registered annually with the Department of Energy and Environment, and beekeepers are legally responsible for…

Washington, DC lets residents keep backyard chickens as captive-bred common cage birds, but hogs, cattle, goats, and sheep are not on the District's permitted-animals list and cannot…

Washington DC bans keeping wild animals as household pets under D.C. Official Code § 8-1808(j). Only a short list, domestic dogs and cats, rodents, rabbits, cage birds, non-venomous…

The District has no dedicated hoarding statute, but DC Official Code § 22-1001 makes it a crime to keep animals while failing to provide proper food, water, space, veterinary care, or…

Selling vapes in DC requires a District tobacco retailer's license before any product is offered or displayed. Vapor products count as "other tobacco product," so e-cigarette and vape…

A DC medical cannabis retailer cannot locate in any residential district or within 400 feet of a preschool, primary or secondary school, or recreation center, and must sit at least 400…

District of Columbia law lets adults 21 and older grow up to six cannabis plants, no more than three flowering, inside their principal residence, capped at 12 plants per household.

The District sets a citywide minimum wage of $18.40 per hour as of July 1, 2026, applying to all workers regardless of employer size. DC Official Code § 32-1003 fixed a $15.00 floor in…

The District of Columbia runs a universal, employer-funded paid-leave insurance program giving eligible workers up to 12 weeks of parental, family, or medical leave and 2 weeks of…

The District has no fair-workweek or predictive-scheduling law, but employers must pay one extra hour at minimum wage for any split shift and guarantee at least four hours of…

New construction and substantial-improvement projects inside DC's Anacostia Waterfront Development Zone must meet the District's integrated environmental design standards, green…

Washington DC requires a DOEE-approved Erosion and Sediment Control plan for any construction or redevelopment that disturbs more than 50 square feet of land, plus a pre-construction…

Development in the District's FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas requires a Flood Zone Building Permit, and structures must be elevated or dry-floodproofed to the design flood…

The DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) runs stormwater management under D.C. Official Code Title 8, funding LID retrofits and property-owner grants through the RiverSmart…

In the District of Columbia, a fence within 10 feet of a party line is capped at 7 feet unless the adjoining owners give written consent. Any party-line fence above 7 feet needs a…

Washington DC bans every exploding and aerial firework. Only ground-based novelties, sparklers under 20 inches, fountains, cones, torches, and paper caps, are legal, and selling them…

Open fires are prohibited across the District of Columbia under the air quality regulations, with narrow exceptions for recreational cooking, firefighter training, fire-hazard…

The DC Fire Code requires an LP-gas permit for every permanent propane installation regardless of tank size, and for storing portable cylinders totaling 60 pounds or more, any…

The District of Columbia requires a concealed pistol license from the Metropolitan Police Department under DC Official Code § 22-4506, valid up to two years. After Wrenn v. District of…

Every firearm possessed in the District of Columbia must have a valid registration certificate. DC Official Code § 7-2502.01 bans possessing or controlling any firearm without one, and…

Washington, D.C. prohibits openly carrying a pistol anywhere in the District. Even residents holding a concealed-carry license may never carry openly: every licensed pistol must stay…

In the District of Columbia, a firearm transported by vehicle must be unloaded and kept inaccessible from the passenger compartment; if the vehicle has no separate compartment, the…

In the District of Columbia, you cannot operate a food truck or vending cart from public space without both a basic business license and a vending site permit issued by the Mayor.

District of Columbia law bars any bingo game, raffle, or Monte Carlo night party without a license from the Office of Lottery and Gaming under D.C. Code § 36-601.23. Only nonprofits…

District of Columbia law sets no dollar threshold or family/friends carve-out for private betting games. D.C. Code § 22-1704 bans any "gaming table or gambling device" used to play for…

Sports wagering has been legal in the District since May 3, 2019, but only for licensed operators. D.C. Code § 36-621.05 makes it illegal to take a sports bet without an Operator…

For condominiums, the D.C. Condominium Act gives the unit owners' association an automatic lien for unpaid assessments with a limited priority over a first mortgage. D.C. has no…

The D.C. Condominium Act requires open meetings and broad owner access to records for condominium associations. D.C. has no general non-condo HOA act, so a standalone HOA's board…

Under D.C. Code § 8-1774.51 a condo, co-op, or homeowners association may not prohibit solar collectors on an owner's unit or a single-unit roof, and may not use aesthetic guidelines…

The District has a written right-to-charge law for condominium and community associations, D.C. Official Code § 6-1451.03c, but it is codified with the header "[Not Funded]" and its…

The D.C. Condominium Act expressly authorizes a unit owners' association to impose late charges and to fine owners for rule violations, but only after notice and an opportunity to be…

A District of Columbia condominium association may foreclose on a unit without going to court, but D.C. Code § 42-1903.13(c) hedges that power with several hard limits. No sale may be…

The District sets no cap percentage, no minimum lease term and no grandfathering clause for condominium leasing restrictions. What it does regulate is how the restriction gets adopted…

The District of Columbia has no cottage food revenue cap. Subparagraph (C) of D.C. Code § 7-742.01(a)(2), which once limited a cottage food business to $25,000 a year, now reads simply…

In the District of Columbia you cannot run a home child care program without an OSSE license. A standard child development home cares for up to 6 children; an expanded home with two…

The District does license home cooks to sell full meals, not just shelf-stable goods. Subchapter III-A of Title 7, Chapter 7A, added by the Street Vendor Advancement Amendment Act of…

The District of Columbia has never legislated sobriety checkpoints. The word checkpoint does not appear in the impaired-driving chapter at D.C. Code § 50-1901 et seq., in the traffic…

The District has no statute creating a right to record police, and it does not need an all-party consent workaround either. Two things do the work. D.C. Code § 23-542(b)(3) makes the…

The District has no statute that makes it an offence for a person on foot to refuse to give a name to police. The duty that does exist is tied to driving: D.C. Code § 50-1401.01(c)…

The District is one of the few places with a statutory script for consent searches. D.C. Code § 23-526 requires a sworn officer, before searching a person, vehicle, home or property on…

Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in the District. DOEE credits cisterns and rain barrels as approved stormwater retention practices, and every major land-disturbing project…

The District of Columbia has no golf-cart statute, no local-designation scheme, and no permit that would put a cart on a city street. What it does have is a low-speed vehicle rule, 18…

The District treats a vehicle as abandoned after 48 hours on public space or 30 days on private property if it is inoperable, harbors pests, or lacks valid tags. DPW inspectors tag it…

The District fixes impound charges by statute rather than leaving them to a tow operator: D.C. Official Code § 50-2457(a)(3) sets a towing fee of $100 and storage of $20 per day…

D.C. requires just cause to evict and gives strong tenant protections. For nonpayment, a landlord must serve written notice and may file only if at least $600 in rent is owed. A tenant…

Every D.C. lease carries an implied warranty of habitability under 14 DCMR § 301.1 that the owner will maintain the premises in compliance with the Housing Code. The duty cannot be…

In the District of Columbia, a landlord cannot evict a tenant who keeps paying rent unless the case fits one of ten grounds listed in DC Official Code section 42-3505.01, from lease…

D.C. has an express statutory entry rule. Under D.C. Code § 42-3505.51 a housing provider must give at least 48 hours' written notice and may enter only for a reasonable purpose, at a…

Under D.C. Code § 42-3505.31, a residential late fee may not exceed 5% of the full monthly rent and may be charged only after rent is at least 5 days late. The fee must be disclosed in…

D.C. Code § 42-3505.01 forbids ending a tenancy merely because a lease expires: a tenant who keeps paying rent may stay unless the landlord proves one of the statute's just causes…

Washington, D.C. has rent control ("rent stabilization") under the Rental Housing Act of 1985 (D.C. Code § 42-3501.01 et seq.). For most covered units, annual rent increases are capped…

D.C. requires at least 60 days' written notice before any rent increase under D.C. Code § 42-3509.04, and rent for the roughly 90,000 rent-controlled units may rise only once per 12…

In Washington, D.C., a landlord may charge no more than one month's rent as a security deposit. Within 45 days after a tenancy ends, the landlord must either return the deposit plus…

In D.C., adverse possession requires 15 years of open, continuous, hostile possession, matching the 15-year limitations period to recover land under D.C. Code § 12-301(a)(1). Section…

District of Columbia short-term rental hosts must pay all applicable transient lodging taxes and pay a license endorsement fee set by the Mayor before renting a residence for fewer…

The District lets political posters go up on public lampposts without a permit, but 24 DCMR 108 dates each poster, caps display at 180 days, limits three copies per block side, and…

Washington, DC charges consumers 5 cents for every disposable paper or plastic carryout bag at retail establishments that sell food or alcohol, with proceeds funding Anacostia River…

Washington DC bans expanded polystyrene (foam) food service products outright. No restaurant, cafe, or food vendor may sell or provide food in foam containers, and since 2021 retailers…

Since January 1, 2019, DC food service entities cannot serve drinks with single-use plastic straws or stirrers, which are neither compostable nor recyclable. Only compostable or…

Under DC Official Code section 8-1774.51, a homeowners, condominium, or cooperative housing association cannot prohibit an owner from installing a solar energy collection device on…

Rooftop solar in Washington, DC requires both a construction permit and a separate electrical permit from the Department of Buildings. One- and two-family homes installing systems up…

Every outdoor swimming pool and spa pool in the District must be enclosed by a fence or substantial barrier at least 72 inches (6 feet) high. Access gates must be self-closing…

In the District of Columbia, no one may sell, give, or furnish any tobacco product to a person under 21, or buy tobacco on their behalf. Retailers must card anyone appearing under 30.

Washington, DC prohibits selling, distributing, or offering any flavored tobacco product or flavored electronic smoking device, including menthol, mint, and every fruit or candy…

Washington DC requires everyone to separate discarded solid waste into three streams at the point of discard: recyclable materials, compostable materials, and trash, under the…

The District allows extra lamps only in the specific categories 18 DCMR § 711 names, and it caps each at two. A vehicle may carry not more than two spot lamps, two fog lamps mounted 12…

The District has no statute or regulation that names dash cameras, and its windshield rule is written the other way round. 18 DCMR § 731.1 bars driving with any sign, poster or other…

The District of Columbia has no lane-splitting statute and no lane-filtering rule for motorcycles, in either direction. A motorcycle is a vehicle under the traffic regulations, so it…

The District of Columbia bans license plate covers outright and prices the offence far above the ordinary tag infraction. Under 18 DCMR § 422.8 no person may operate a vehicle where…

The District bans radar detectors outright. 18 DCMR § 736 makes it an offence both to sell or offer one for sale in the District and to use or have one in your possession in an…

Studded snow tires are legal in the District of Columbia, but only between October 15 and April 15 of each year, and only if the studs are small enough to satisfy two dimensional…

The District sets some of the tightest window tint limits in the country. Under D.C. Code § 50-2207.02, a car that is not a mini-van must let at least 70% of light through the front…