District of Columbia Administrative Code

1105 ROOM KEYS 1105.1 The entrance door to each rooming unit shall be provided with a lock. 1105.2 A key for each rooming unit shall be furnished to each respective roomer. 1105.3 A duplicate key or keys shall be retained by the proprietor or manager. 1105.4 The proprietor or man…

1106 FLOORS, WALLS, AND CEILINGS 1106.1 The floors of all rooms in which food or drink is stored, prepared, or served shall be constructed to be easily cleaned, shall be smooth, shall be kept clean, and shall be maintained in a safe and sanitary condition. 1106.2 Walls and ceilin…

1107 VENTILATION 1107.1 All rooms in which food or drink is prepared, or in which food or drink is served, or in which utensils are washed, shall be reasonably ventilated. SOURCE: The Housing Regulations of the District of Columbia, 5G DCRR § 4205, Commissioners’ Order 55-1503 (A…

1108 LIGHTING 1108.1 All rooms in which food or drink is stored, prepared, or served, or in which utensils are washed, shall be provided with adequate natural or artificial lighting. 1108.2 In rooms in which food or drink is prepared or served, or in which utensils are washed, ad…

1109 FOOD PREPARATION AND DISHWASHING FACILITIES 1109.1 The rooms in which food is prepared shall be of adequate size and construction to permit easy cleaning and the unhampered performance of kitchen operations. 1109.2 Running hot and cold water supply shall be easily accessible…

1110 STORAGE AND HANDLING OF UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT 1110.1 After cleansing and sterilizing treatment, utensils shall be stored in a clean dry place; shall be protected from flies, dust, or other contamination; and shall be handled in such a manner as to prevent contamination, so …

1111 STORAGE AND HANDLING OF FOOD 1111.1 All food and drink shall be stored and displayed so as to be protected from dust, rodents, flies, vermin, handling, droplet infection, overhead leakage and other contamination. 1111.2 All food in sleeping rooms shall be kept in vermin-proo…

1112 REFRIGERATION 1112.1 All perishable food or drink shall be kept at or below forty-five degrees Fahrenheit (45° F.), except when being prepared or served. 1112.2 Waste water from refrigeration equipment shall discharge into an open sink or drain properly trapped and sewer con…

1113 WHOLESOMENESS OF FOOD AND DRINK 1113.1 All food and drink shall be wholesome, unadulterated, and free from spoilage. 1113.2 Milk shall be served in the original container in which it is received from the distributor. 1113.3 All shellfish shall be from sources approved by the…

1114 POISONS 1114.1 All preparations used for the extermination of vermin, such as sodium fluoride, shall be conspicuously colored and kept in containers clearly labeled “POISON.” 1114.2 Containers of poison shall not be placed with receptacles containing spices or condiments or …

1115 HEALTH OF EMPLOYEES 1115.1 The Director of the District agency responsible for enforcement of applicable health regulations with respect to food establishments shall have full power and authority at any time to make any examinations and tests that may be necessary to determi…

1116 CLEANLINESS OF EMPLOYEES 1116.1 All employees shall wear clean garments and shall keep their hands clean at all times while engaged in the handling of food, drink, utensils and equipment. 1116.2 All female employees shall wear hairnets, and all male employees shall wear caps…

1117 LAVATORY FACILITIES 1117.1 All kitchens where food is prepared shall be equipped with adequate hand- washing facilities for the washing and cleansing of the hands, equipped with running hot and cold water, soap and approved sanitary towels. 1117.2 The use of the common towel…

1118 LOCKER OR DRESSING ROOM FOR EMPLOYEES 1118.1 Adequate lockers or dressing rooms shall be provided for the clothing of male and female employees. 1118.2 Soiled linens, coats, and aprons shall be kept in vermin-proof containers provided for that purpose. SOURCE: The Housing Re…

1199 DEFINITIONS 1199.1 The provisions of section 199 of chapter 1 of this title and the definitions set forth in that section shall be applicable to this chapter.

1200 GENERAL PROVISIONS 1200.1 The provisions of this chapter shall be applicable to every building or part of a building occupied, used, or held out for use as an apartment or apartment house, whether tenant or owner occupied. 1200.2 The provisions of chapters 1 through 9 of thi…

1201 NON-RESIDENT LICENSEES 1201.1 No license to operate an apartment house business shall be issued to a person not a resident of the District of Columbia, unless that non-resident, as a condition of receiving and maintaining the license, does one of the following: (a) Maintains…

1202 REGISTRATION OF TENANTS 1202.1 A licensee shall establish and maintain, within five (5) business days after the opening of the business, a book, books, record, or records in which shall be written in English the name of each tenant of every apartment in the apartment house t…

1203 POSTING OF INFORMATION REGARDING BUILDING MANAGEMENT 1203.1 The licensee shall provide information regarding the building management in a notice framed under clear glass or plastic, and shall post the notice or cause the notice to be posted in a conspicuous place in the apar…

1204 DESIGNATION OF APARTMENTS 1204.1 Each apartment entrance door shall be distinctively numbered or lettered and all other rooms in the apartment buildings shall be distinctively identified. 1204.2 The provisions of this section shall not apply to rooms in individual apartments…

1205 ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE 1205.1 The owner of any apartment building or a house consisting of five (5) or more floors which contains one (1) or more elevators shall maintain the elevators in good working order. 1205.2 Any alterations, repairs, or replacements necessary to mainten…

1299 DEFINITIONS 1299.1 The provisions of section 199 of chapter 1 of this title and the definitions set forth in that section shall be applicable to this chapter.

1300 GENERAL PROVISIONS 1300.1 The provisions of this chapter shall be applicable to every building or part of a building occupied, used, or held out for use as a hotel or motel. 1300.2 The provisions of chapters 1 through 9 of this subtitle shall also be applicable to premises u…

1301 HOTEL AND MOTEL MANAGERS 1301.1 If the licensee does not superintend in person the operation or conduct of the hotel or motel, the licensee shall designate a manager or other responsible person who shall superintend in person the operation or conduct of the hotel or motel. 1…

1302 REGISTRATION OF OCCUPANTS 1302.1 Each person licensed to conduct a hotel or motel shall at all times keep a register, which shall contain the following: (a) The name of each person occupying a rooming unit in the hotel or motel; and (b) The date of arrival and date of depart…

1303 ROOM KEYS 1303.1 The entrance door to each rooming unit shall be provided with a lock. 1303.2 A key to the unit shall be furnished to the respective occupant. 1303.3 A duplicate key or keys shall be retained by the licensee or manager who shall have access to all rooms at al…

1304 CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE OF ROOMS 1304.1 It shall be the duty of the operator to thoroughly clean any room which has been allocated to the use of any one person before allocating the use of that room to another person. 1304.2 All bedding shall be kept in a clean and sanitary…

1305 POSTING OF PERMISSIBLE OCCUPANCY AND RATES 1305.1 The operator of each hotel or motel shall post in a conspicuous place within each rooming unit used for the accommodation of transients a card stating the maximum number of occupants permitted in that room under these regulat…

1306 MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE OCCUPANCY OF HOTEL AND MOTEL ROOMS 1306.1 Each room used for sleeping purposes by not more than two (2) transients shall be a habitable room containing at least seventy square feet (70 ft.2) of habitable room area. 1306.2 Each room used for sleeping purpo…

1307 HIGH-DENSITY USE OF HOTEL AND MOTEL ROOMS 1307.1 If a hotel or motel uses any sleeping room for the accommodation of a greater number of occupants than is authorized by § 402 of this subtitle, but not in excess of that permitted by § 1306, the increased density of occupancy …

1308 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR HIGH DENSITY USE ROOMS 1308.1 A high density use room shall be located in a hotel or a motel protected by a supervised watchman service comprised of such number of employees, with such number of watchmen’s clock stations, and with inspection tours f…

1309 LIGHTING AND VENTILATION IN HIGH DENSITY USE ROOMS 1309.1 Each room used for high density occupancy shall have at least twenty-five percent (25%) more natural light than is required by § 502 of this subtitle. 1309.2 Each room used for high density occupancy shall have at lea…

1310 CEILING HEIGHT IN HIGH DENSITY USE ROOMS 1310.1 A high density occupancy room shall have a ceiling height of eight feet (8') or more throughout the room, except as otherwise provided in this section. 1310.2 Under beams, pipes, ducts, and other construction projections from t…

1311 HIGH DENSITY USE OF BATHROOM FACILITIES 1311.1 Notwithstanding the requirements of § 602 of this subtitle, hotels or motels which have high-density occupancy of any sleeping rooms, as permitted under the provisions of this chapter, may permit not more than ten (10) transient…

1399 DEFINITIONS 1399.1 The provisions of section 199 of chapter 1 of this subtitle and the definitions set forth in that section shall be applicable to this chapter.

1400 PURPOSE 1400.1 The purpose of these rules is to establish the procedures for applying for a Certificate of Occupancy. AUTHORITY: Unless otherwise noted, the authority for this chapter is An Act Making appropriations to provide for the expenses of the government of the Distri…

1401 GENERAL REQUIREMENT FOR CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY 1401.1 Except as provided in the District of Columbia Zoning Regulations, 11 DCMR § 3203, no person shall use any structure, land, or part thereof for any purpose other than a one-family dwelling until a Certificate of Occupan…

1402 APPLICATION PROCEDURE 1402.1 All applications for Certificate of Occupancy shall be filed with the Director or his or her designee on the prescribed forms. 1402.2 The Director or his or her designee shall collect the designated fees and refer the application to appropriate i…

1403 FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS 1403.1 Except as provided in § 1404, the failure to comply with all applicable District of Columbia laws and regulations pertaining to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, within the prescribed time frame in a def…

1404 EXTENSION-SPECIAL OR UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES 1404.1 An applicant may be granted an extension to comply with the deficiency notice for any of the following reasons: (a) The District Government has performed all the required services but due to extenuating circumstances the appl…

1405 RECORDS 1405.1 The Director or his or her designee shall be the custodian of Certificate of Occupancy records. The records shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) Pending Certificate of Occupancy applications; (b) Exemptions granted pursuant to section § 140…

1406 REVOCATION OF A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY 1406.1 Any Certificate of Occupancy issued pursuant to these rules may be revoked by the Director, after notice, if the actual occupancy does not conform with that permitted or because of any misrepresentation in the application havin…

1407 APPEALS 1407.1 Any person aggrieved by the action of the Director granting, withholding, or revoking a Certificate of Occupancy may appeal the action to the Board of Zoning Adjustment, pursuant to D.C. Official Code 6-641.07(f) (2001), and the District of Columbia Zoning Reg…

1408 SEVERABILITY 1408.1 If any provision of these rules or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the rules, and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstance, shall not be affected. SOURCE: Notice of Final Ru…

1409 STATUS OF PENDING CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY 1409.1 All Certificate of Occupancy applications on file as of the effective date of these regulations, December 17, 1982, shall be considered as having been received on that date and shall be processed accordingly. SOURCE: Notice o…

1410 REPEAL 1410.1 The Certificate of Occupancy Rules adopted on July 18, 1980, (27 DCR 3140) are hereby repealed. SOURCE: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 29 DCR 5571, 5575 (December 17, 1982). AUTHORITY: DC-DCMR Unless otherwise noted, the authority for this chapter is A…

1411 CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY FEES 1411.1 The fees for a Certificate of Occupancy shall be computed as specified in this section. 1411.2 The fees for filing a Certificate of Occupancy shall be twenty dollars ($20). 1411.3 Subsequent to administrative review and upon approval of a…

1412 PARTIAL CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY FEE 1412.1 The nonrefundable application fee for partial Certificates of Occupancy filed in accordance with the D.C. Building Code shall be twenty dollars ($20), plus an hourly fee to be determined at a rate of thirteen dollars ($13) per insp…

1413 MISCELLANEOUS FEES 1413.1 The miscellaneous fees shall be as follows: (a) For a revised Certificate occasioned by a change in name, not involving a change in ownership, due to court or other action, such as corporate or individual name changes, marriage, death or divorce $7.…

1499 DEFINITIONS 1499.1 In addition to the definitions in the law and regulations, the following terms and phrases shall have the meaning ascribed: Director - the Director, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). SOURCE: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 29 DC…