District of Columbia Administrative Code

2323 APPRAISER TRAINEE 2323.1 The Board may issue an appraiser trainee license to an applicant who has completed prelicensure education as follows: (a) Until January 1, 2026: (1) Seventy-five (75) classroom hours of instruction that shall include thirty (30) hours in basic apprai…

2324 DISCIPLINARY ACTION 2324.1 If the Board, subject to the applicant or licensee's right to a hearing as provided by the Act, finds that an applicant or licensee has violated any applicable provision of this chapter or the Act, the Board may deny an application, revoke or suspe…

2325 PERSONS EXEMPT FROM LICENSURE 2325.1 No person in the District of Columbia shall conduct an appraisal for a federally related or non-federally related real estate or real property transaction or represent him or herself as holding a license issued by the Board unless he or s…

2399 DEFINITIONS 2399.1 As used in this chapter, the following terms have the meanings ascribed: Act - The Non-Health Related Occupations and Professions Licensure Act of 1998, effective April 20, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-261; D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.01, et seq. (2001)). Ad Valorem…

2400 APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESS FOR NOTARY PUBLIC COMMISSION; ENDORSEMENT AS AN ELECTRONIC NOTARY 2400.1 An applicant for a commission from Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) as a notary public shall: (a) Be at least 18 years of age; (b) Be a citize…

2401 APPROVAL OR DENIAL OF APPLICATION 2401.1 If the applicant fulfills the requirements for a notary public commission or an electronic notary endorsement, ONCA shall approve the application and issue the notary public commission or endorsement. 2401.2 An applicant for a new not…

2402 TERM OF COMMISSION 2402.1 The term of a notary public commission shall expire five (5) years after the notary public’s commission date. 2402.2 The commission of each notary shall either: (a) Begin on the first (1st) day of a month, and end on the last day of the prior month,…

2403 FEES 2403.1 ONCA shall charge the following fees: Title of Fee Fee Application for notary public commission Application for electronic records notary public endorsement Renewal of notary public commission Renewal of electronic notary endorsement $75.00 $30.00 $75.00 $30.00 2…

2404 SIZE AND FORM OF OFFICIAL SEAL 2404.1 The official seal of a notary public commissioned by ONCA shall include the following: The notary public’s name at the top, exactly as indicated on the commission; The words “Notary Public”; The words “District of Columbia”; The notary p…

2405 ACQUIRING OFFICIAL SEAL 2405.1 A notary public commissioned by ONCA shall procure an official seal only after receiving the appointment notice evidencing the notary public’s commission from ONCA and shall provide a copy of this notice to their chosen seal vendor as part of p…

2406 REPLACEMENT OF LOST OR STOLEN OFFICIAL SEAL 2406.1 When the seal of a notary public commissioned by ONCA or the electronic seal of an electronic notary is lost or stolen, the notary public or electronic notary shall notify ONCA, in writing, or by email to notary@dc.gov, with…

2407 NOTARY SIGNATURE AND CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS 2407.1 When a notary public commissioned by ONCA signs the certificate of a completed notarial act, the notary shall sign the certificate using the exact name that appears on the notary’s certificate of commission and his or her …

2408 REQUIREMENTS FOR NOTARIAL ACTS: PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE; SATISFACTORY EVIDENCE OF OCCURRENCE AND PERFORMANCE 2408.1 A notary public who performs a notarial act pursuant to a commission or an electronic notary endorsement from ONCA shall do so within the geographic borders of the …

2409 AUTHORIZED ELECTRONIC NOTARIAL ACTS 2409.1 A notary public who has received an electronic notary endorsement from ONCA may perform the following electronic notarial acts: Taking an acknowledgment; Taking verification on oath or affirmation; Witnessing or attesting a signatur…

2410 REQUIREMENTS FOR TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS 2410.1 A tamper-evident technology shall comply with these rules: A technology provider shall enroll only notaries public who have been issued an electronic notary endorsement pursuant to Section 2400. A technology provi…

2411 REFUSAL OF REQUESTS TO USE SYSTEM 2411.1 An electronic notary may refuse to perform a notarial act for the reasons listed in Section 8 of the Act (D.C. Official Code 1-1231.07) and Section 2421 of this chapter, and shall also refuse a request to: Use a tamper-evident technol…

2412 COMPLETION OF ELECTRONIC NOTARIAL CERTIFICATE 2412.1 For every electronic notarial act and remote notarial act, a notary public shall complete an electronic notarial certificate that complies with the requirements of Sections 15 and 16 of the Act (D.C. Official Code §§ 1-123…

2413 CERTIFICATION OF ELECTRONIC NOTARIAL ACTS 2413.1 An electronic notary or remote notary shall sign notarial certification on an electronic record with an electronic signature that complies with Section 2414 and authenticate an electronic notarial act with an official electron…

2414 ELECTRONIC NOTARIAL SIGNATURE 2414.1 An electronic notary shall use a tamper-evident technology that complies with Section 2410 to produce the notary’s electronic signature in a manner that is capable of independent verification. 2414.2 An electronic notary shall take reason…

2415 ELECTRONIC NOTARIAL SEAL 2415.1 An electronic seal may be used to authenticate an electronic notarial act if the electronic notarial certificate conforms to the requirements set forth in Sections 15 and 16 of the Act (D.C. Official Code §§ 1-1231.14 and 1-1231.15). 2415.2 Th…

2416 AUTHORIZED REMOTE NOTARIAL ACTS 2416.1 Before a notary public performs the notary public’s initial remote notarial act, the notary public must notify ONCA in writing that the notary public will be performing notarial acts with respect to remotely located individuals and iden…

2417 STANDARDS FOR VERIFYING THE IDENTITY OF REMOTELY LOCATED INDIVIDUALS 2417.1 In performing remote notarial acts, if a notary public does not have personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the identity of a remotely located individual under subsection 2417.4 of this secti…

2418 STANDARDS FOR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY 2418.1 Communication technology for remote notarial acts must provide for synchronous (i.e., existing or occurring at the same time) audio-visual feeds of sufficient audio clarity and video resolution to enable the notary public and rem…

2419 CERTIFICATE OF REMOTE NOTARIAL ACTS 2419.1 A form of notarial certificate for a remote notarial act satisfies the requirement of Section 14a(h) of the Act (DC Official Code § 1-1231.13a(h)) and Section 14a(i) of the Act (DC Official Code § 1-1231.13a(i)) if it is in the form…

2420 RETENTION OF AUDIO-VISUAL RECORDINGS; REPOSITORIES 2420.1 A notary public must retain any audio-visual recording created under Section 14a(b)(3) of the Act (DC Official Code § 1-1231.13a(b)(3)) in a computer or other electronic storage device that protects the recording agai…

2421 REFUSAL TO PERFORM NOTARIAL ACTS 2421.1 A notary public may refuse to perform a notarial act unless refusal is prohibited by a law other than this chapter. 2421.2 A notary public, other than a notary public acting pursuant to a commission from the federal government, may ref…

2422 JOURNAL OF NOTARIAL ACTS REQUIRED 2422.1 Each notary public, including each electronic notary or remote notary, shall record each notarial act in a journal at the time of notarization in compliance with Section 19 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.18) and these rules a…

2423 FORMAT OF JOURNALS OF NOTARIAL ACTS 2423.1 A tangible notarial journal shall: Be a permanent, bound book with numbered pages; and Have the capacity to record for each notarial act: The information required by Section 19 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.18(c)(1)-(7)); …

2424 DISPOSITION OF JOURNALS OF NOTORIAL ACTS 2424.1 The personal representative or guardian of a notary public commissioned by ONCA shall, if the notary dies or is adjudicated incompetent, follow Section 2422.1(f) related to the disposition of the notary’s journals. 2424.2 If a …

2425 FEES FOR NOTARIAL ACTS 2425.1 The maximum fee a notary public commissioned by ONCA may charge for notarial acts are: Notarial Acts Fee Witnessing or attesting a signature $5.00 Taking an acknowledgment or a verification upon oath or affirmation $5.00 Certifying or attesting …

2426 FORMS 2426.1 The forms in Section 16 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.15) are examples of certificates with the sufficient information included. In contexts where another District law requires a specific form, that form shall be used. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking publishe…

2427 CHANGE OF NAME OR ADDRESS 2427.1 When a notary public changes their name or address, the notary shall notify ONCA of such change on forms prescribed by ONCA within fifteen (15) business days. 2427.2 A name change notification must be accompanied by a bond rider from the bond…

2428 DENIAL OR REFUSAL TO RENEW, REVOKE, SUSPEND, OR IMPOSE A CONDITION ON A COMMISSION AS NOTARY PUBLIC OR ENDORSEMENT AS AN ELECTRONIC NOTARY 2428.1 (a) Notwithstanding Subsection 2400.8, ONCA may deny, refuse to renew, revoke, suspend, or impose a condition on a commission as …

2429 PROHIBITED ACTS 2429.1 A commission as a notary public shall not authorize an individual to: (a) Assist persons in drafting legal records, give legal advice, or otherwise practice law; (b) Act as an immigration consultant or an expert on immigration matters; (c) Represent a …

2430 CHANGE OF APPLICATION INFORMATION 2430.1 If any of the information submitted on a notary public’s commission application pursuant to Section 2400 changes, the notary public shall report this change to ONCA in writing, or by email to HYPERLINK "mailto:notary@dc.gov"notary@dc.…

2431 FILING A PETITION FOR REVIEW OF ADVERSE NOTARY COMMISSION DECISION 2431.1 A petition for review shall be sent to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), pursuant to the OAH Rules of Practice and Procedures set forth in 1 DCMR Chapter 28. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking publish…

2432 CERTIFICATION (AUTHENTICATIONS) OF NOTARIES PUBLIC AND CERTIFICATION OF RECORDS 2432.1 The Secretary shall issue certifications (authentications) of seals and signatures of notaries appointed in the District of Columbia pursuant to An Act To relieve the Commissioners of the …

2499 DEFINITIONS 2499.1 For the purposes of this chapter, the term: “Acknowledgment” means a declaration by an individual that states the individual has signed a record for the purposes stated in the record, and if the record is executed in a representative capacity, that the per…

2500 BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY 2500.1 The provisions of this chapter are adopted by the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (the Board) pursuant to its authority under Non-Health Related Occupations and Professions Licensure Act of 1998, effective April 20, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-261…

2501 APPLICATION FOR LICENSURE AND EXAMINATION 2501.1 Each applicant for a Certified Public Accountant’s license in the District of Columbia by examination, reciprocity, or for an endorsement of a Certified Public Accountant license, shall duly file with the Board an application …

2502 BOARD ACTION ON APPLICATIONS 2502.1 The Board may review and take action on all applications. 2502.2 The applicant shall have the burden of proving that he or she meets the required qualifications. 2502.3 The Board may not presume qualifications not shown on the application.…

2503 EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS 2503.1 An applicant for licensure as a certified public accountant shall establish to the satisfaction of the Board that he or she: (a) Holds a baccalaureate degree with a concentration in accounting conferred by a college or university recognized by…

2504 EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS 2504.1 An applicant for initial issuance of a license shall show that he or she has had at least one year of experience. One year of experience shall consist of full or part-time employment that extends over a period of no less than a year and no more…

2505 EXAMINATIONS 2505.1 The examination approved by the Board shall test the knowledge and skills required for performance as an entry-level certified public accountant. The Board may vote to utilize an examination developed and administered by a third party, but any examination…

2506 CREDIT FOR EXAMINATION; TIME PERIOD TO PASS 2506.1 The candidate is required to pass all Test Sections of the Uniform CPA Examination in order to qualify for a license. 2506.2 Upon receipt of advisory grades from the examination provider, the Board will review and may adopt …

2507 EXAMINATION SECURITY AND IRREGULARITIES 2507.1 Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a scheduled examination, the release of grades, or the issuance of licenses and certificates may be postponed due to: A breach of examination security; Unauthorized acquisitio…

2508 LICENSURE OF CPAS BY RECIPROCITY OR ENDORSEMENT 2508.1 The Board may issue a license to practice as a CPA in the District of Columbia to an individual applying for licensure by reciprocity or endorsement only after the Board or its designee has: (a) Verified that the qualifi…

2509 RECIPROCITY FOR ACCOUNTANTS LICENSED IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES 2509.1 The Board may issue a license to practice as a CPA in the District of Columbia to applicants licensed in foreign countries who meet the following criteria: (a) The applicant is a member in good standing of any …

2510 CODE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT: INDEPENDENCE, INTEGRITY, AND OBJECTIVITY STANDARDS 2510.1 A licensee shall not permit his or her name to be associated with financial statements of an enterprise when the association would imply that the licensee is acting as an independent cert…

2511 CODE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT: COMPETENCE AND TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2511.1 A licensee shall not undertake any engagement for the performance of professional services that he or she cannot reasonably expect to complete with due professional competence, including compliance, wher…