District of Columbia Administrative Code

305 EXCEPTIONS TO DENSITY REGULATIONS FOR ENCLOSING OPEN ARCADES 305.1 Notwithstanding applicable FAR limitations and subject to this section, an existing open arcade in a building in any MU or D zone may be enclosed. 305.2 An open arcade area enclosed pursuant to this section mu…

306 HEIGHT 306.1 In addition to the height limitations of the Zoning Regulations, all buildings are also subject to and shall conform to the limitations of the Height Act. 306.2 Where the maximum height permitted within a zone differs from the maximum height permitted by the Heig…

307 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR BUILDING HEIGHT: NON-RESIDENTIAL ZONES 307.1 In other than residential zones, as defined in Subtitle A § 101.9, and except as permitted elsewhere in this section and the regulations, the building height measuring point (BHMP) shall be established at t…

308 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR BUILDING HEIGHT: RESIDENTIAL ZONES AS DEFINED IN SUBTITLE A § 101.9 308.1 The height of buildings, not including a penthouse or rooftop structure, in residential zones, as defined in Subtitle A § 101.9, shall be measured in accordance with the rules p…

309 SINGLE OR SEPARATE BUILDINGS 309.1 For purposes of this chapter, structures that are separated from the ground up by common division walls or contain multiple sections separated horizontally, such as wings or additions, are separate buildings. Structures or sections shall be …

310 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR NUMBER OF STORIES 310.1 The number of stories shall be counted at the point from which the height of the building is measured. 310.2 For the purposes of determining the maximum number of permitted stories, the term “story” shall not include cellars or…

311 LOT OCCUPANCY 311.1 Lot occupancy regulations are intended to provide a primary control of the total volume of buildings on a lot through the restriction of a building’s horizontal area above a designated horizontal plane. The lot occupancy standards applied through land use …

312 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR LOT OCCUPANCY 312.1 The building area, as defined by Subtitle B § 312.3, shall be subject to the lot occupancy standard prescribed in the development standards table for the zone in which the building is located. 312.2 Lot occupancy shall be calculate…

313 FRONT SETBACKS AND BUILD-TO LINES 313.1 Front setback and build-to regulations are intended to control the relationship of buildings to street lot lines. 313.2 Front setbacks and build-to lines regulate the distance between a building and a front lot line. 313.3 A lot may hav…

314 FRONT SETBACKS 314.1 When a zone has a front setback requirement, all buildings and structures must be set back from the entire length of all street lot lines, except as provided in Subtitle B § 317. 314.2 Front setbacks shall be regulated in one (1) of three (3) ways: (a) By…

315 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR FRONT SETBACKS FOR RESIDENTIAL HOUSE(R) AND RESIDENTIAL FLAT (RF) ZONES 315.1 A proposed building façade or structure facing a street lot line shall: (a) Be located not closer to the street than the point of the building façade closest to the street, …

316 FRONT BUILD-TO LINES 316.1 When a zone has a front build-to requirement, the front façade of all buildings and structures must directly abut the build-to line. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 2447, 2650 (March 4, 2016 – Part 2). District of Columbia Municipal Reg…

317 REAR YARDS 317.1 Rear yards regulate the distance between a building and a rear lot line. 317.2 Required rear yards regulate a minimum distance within the rear yard. 317.3 A HYPERLINK "https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/washington-dc/doc-view.aspx?pn=0&ajax=0&secid=420" \t "_…

318 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR REAR YARDS 318.1 The depth of a rear yard shall be measured as the mean horizontal distance between the rear line of a building and the rear lot line, except as provided elsewhere in this title. For purposes of measuring the rear yard, the rear line o…

319 SIDE YARDS 319.1 Side yards regulate the distance between a building and a side lot line. 319.2 A lot may have more than one (1) side yard. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 2447, 2650 (March 4, 2016 – Part 2). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Zoning Regu…

320 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR SIDE YARDS 320.1 A required side yard shall be parallel to a side lot line and apply to the entirety of principal buildings and structures. If a required side yard intersects with a required rear yard, the larger yard shall apply for the required dist…

321 COURTS 321.1 Court regulations control: (a) The minimum distance between two (2) building walls on the same lot that face one another, when the space between the two (2) walls is uncovered; and (b) The minimum area of closed courts. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 63 DC…

322 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR GENERAL COURT 322.1 The provisions of this chapter do not require a court, but regulate its minimum required dimensions where they exist. 322.2 Where a court is open to a yard or any lot line, the court width requirements apply only to the dimension t…

323 PROJECTIONS INTO REQUIRED OPEN SPACES 323.1 Except for the projections and encroachments specified in this section and the exceptions in Subtitle B § 324, every part of a required yard or court or other required open space shall be open and unobstructed to the sky. 323.2 Corn…

324 STRUCTURES IN REQUIRED OPEN SPACES 324.1 Every part of a yard required under this title shall be open and unobstructed to the sky from the ground up except as follows: A structure that is no more than four feet (4 ft.) in height above the grade at any point, may occupy any ya…

325 TRANSITIONS 325.1 Transition regulations control the physical relationship of buildings and lot improvements, in designated zones, to reduce potential impacts on existing neighbors in adjacent zones. 325.2 Potential impacts intended to be avoided by transition regulations inc…

326 GENERAL REGULATIONS FOR ZONE TO ZONE TRANSITIONS 326.1 Transition regulations shall be required as height transitions or as buffer transitions when specifically required by a zone district. 326.2 Height transitions limit the height of buildings based on an angled plane drawn …

327 GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR TRANSITION REGULATIONS 327.1 The projections identified in the following table are permitted to encroach into any required height transition plane subject to the following limits: TABLE B § 329.1: LIMITATIONS ON ENCROACHMENT INTO ANY REQUIRED HEIGHT TRA…

328 RULES OF MEASUREMENT FOR FLOOR TO CEILING CLEAR HEIGHT 328.1 The upper point of the measurement is the finished ceiling that is unobstructed by any of the following: (a) Elements of the building structure, other than columns and walls; (b) Components of mechanical, plumbing, …

PURPOSE AND APPLICABILITY Subtitle C provides general regulations applicable to all zones unless otherwise stated in this title. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 2447, 2712 (March 4, 2016 – Part 2). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Zoning Regulations of 2016…

INTRODUCTION The purposes of the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) Program are: To further the Housing Element of the Comprehensive Plan by increasing the amount and expanding the geographic distribution of adequate, affordable housing available to current and future residents; To utilize…

APPLICABILITY 1001.1 Achievable bonus density is the amount of the permitted bonus density that is utilized within a particular Inclusionary Development provided in Subtitle C § 1002. 1001.2 Except as provided in Subtitle C § 1001.5, the requirements of this chapter shall apply t…

1002 MODIFICATIONS OF DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND BONUSES TO INCENTIVIZE INCLUSIONARY ZONING 1002.1 Developments subject to the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) provisions of this chapter are eligible for the modifications of development standards and bonus density established in this sect…

1003 SET-ASIDE REQUIREMENTS 1003.1 Except as provided in Subtitle C § 1003.11, an Inclusionary Development other than an IZ Plus Inclusionary Development that does not employ Type I construction as classified in Chapter 6 of the District of Columbia Building Code (Title 12-A DCMR…

PURCHASE AND TENANCY REGULATIONS Except as provided for in Subtitle C § 1004.2, all inclusionary units created pursuant to this chapter shall be leased or sold only to eligible households for so long as the inclusionary residential development exists. An owner/occupant of an incl…

DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS REGARDING INCLUSIONARY UNITS 1005.1 Where the set-aside requirement of Subtitle C § 1003 (excluding any set-aside requirement satisfied by providing a contribution to a housing trust fund pursuant to Subtitle C § 1006.10) is eight hundred fifty (850) square …

1006 OFF-SITE COMPLIANCE WITH INCLUSIONARY ZONING The Board of Zoning Adjustment is authorized to permit some or all of the set-aside requirements of Subtitle C § 1003 to be met by off-site construction upon proof, based upon a specific economic analysis, that compliance on-site …

RELIEF FROM INCLUSIONARY ZONING REQUIREMENTS The Board of Zoning Adjustment is authorized to grant partial or complete relief from the requirements of Subtitle C § 1003 upon a showing that compliance, whether on-site, off-site, or a combination thereof, would deny an inclusionary…

APPLICABILITY DATE With the exception of penthouse habitable space approved by the Zoning Commission pursuant to Subtitle C § 1506.3, the provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any building approved by the Zoning Commission pursuant to a planned unit development if the app…

INTRODUCTION This chapter identifies waterfront regulations proximate to the Potomac River, Anacostia River, or Washington Channel. Waterfront regulations are intended to provide for: Physical and visual public accessibility to and along the waterfront; Protection of natural reso…

APPLICABILITY The waterfront shall be that area proximate to either the Potomac or Anacostia rivers. The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all properties with frontage on the Anacostia or Potomac Rivers. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 2447, 2712 (March 4, 20…

GENERAL WATERFRONT REGULATIONS A waterfront setback to any building or structure shall be provided in accordance with the following provisions: The waterfront setback shall be a minimum of seventy-five feet (75 ft.) in depth, except as noted in individual zones; The waterfront se…

GENERAL PROCEDURES This chapter contains the general procedural regulations for the administration of combined lot agreements for those zones where a combined lot process is permitted. The allowable residential and nonresidential bulk, or of bonus floor area if applicable, of eli…

PURPOSE The purposes of the regulation of antennas, antenna towers, and monopoles as a particular type of structure shall be as follows: The Zoning Commission has determined that certain antennas, antenna towers, and monopoles, because of their size, shape, design, construction, …

CERTIFICATION OF FCC COMPLIANCE FOR TRANSMITTING ANTENNAS No application for a building permit for a transmitting antenna may be considered completed unless it is accompanied by a certification evidencing that the proposed transmitting antenna will comply with the radio frequency…

MATTER OF RIGHT ANTENNAS All antennas that comply with the applicable provisions of this chapter are permitted as a matter of right in all zones, except broadcast antennas, which shall not be permitted in residence zones. No signs of any kind, including advertisements, may be pla…

GROUND MOUNTED ANTENNAS All ground mounted antennas, except those regulated by Subtitle C § 1306 or exempted by Subtitle C § 1307, shall comply with the following conditions: In any R, RA, MU-1, MU-2, MU-10 through MU-14, zone, only one (1) antenna may be located per lot and may …

ROOF-MOUNTED ANTENNAS All roof-mounted antennas, except those regulated by Subtitle C § 1306 or exempted by Subtitle C § 1307, shall comply with the following conditions: Each part of an antenna shall be set back from each edge, excluding party walls, of the roof a minimum distan…

BUILDING-MOUNTED ANTENNAS All building mounted antennas, except those regulated by Subtitle C § 1306 or exempted by Subtitle C § 1307, shall comply with the following conditions: The top of the antenna shall not extend above the top of the wall, or roof of the building or structu…

ANTENNAS LOCATED IN STEALTH STRUCTURES Antennas located in stealth structures may be permitted provided the following conditions are met: The proposed stealth design provides adequate screening of the antennas; The proposed structure is not out of scale with the subject property …

EXEMPTED ANTENNAS 1307.1 The requirements of Subtitle C §§ 1303 through 1306 shall not apply to any antenna that is: (a) Entirely enclosed within a building, but is not the primary use within the building; (b) Entirely enclosed on all sides by a penthouse or rooftop structure, or…

ANTENNA MOUNTED ON ANTENNA TOWERS AND MONOPOLES Antennas may be mounted as a matter of right on an antenna tower or monopole that: Is located in a PDR zone; Was approved by, and constructed in accordance, with an order of the Board of Zoning Adjustment; or Was constructed in acco…

ANTENNA TOWERS AND MONOPOLES IN THE PDR-4 ZONES (MATTER OF RIGHT) An antenna tower or monopole, either alone or in conjunction with a studio or in conjunction with the erection, alteration, or use of buildings for transmission or reception equipment, shall be permitted in the PDR…

ANTENNA TOWERS AND MONOPOLES AS PART OF A CAMPUS PLAN An antenna tower or monopole may be permitted, subject to and as a part of an approved campus plan subject to the special exception standards of Subtitle C §§ 1312.1 and 1312.2. No advertising, special art, or campus identific…

OFFICE OF PLANNING REPORT The Zoning Administrator shall not take final action on an application to permit an antenna tower, a monopole, or an antenna not exempted by Subtitle C § 1307 or for the modification of an existing antenna not exempted by Subtitle C § 1311.4 until a repo…