Title 8, Environmental and Animal Control and Protection.

In applying and construing this uniform act [this chapter], consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.

This chapter modifies, limits, or supersedes the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, approved June 30, 2000 (114 Stat. 467; 15 U.S.C. § 7001 et seq.), but does not modify, limit, or supersede section 101 of that act (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a) ) or authori…

(a) Any person may file a complaint of a trash collection noise violation with the Mayor. (b) A complaint under subsection (a) of this section shall be submitted in written form prescribed by the Mayor and made available on the District of Columbia website. The complaint shall be…

The Mayor, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 [§ 2-501 et seq.], may issue rules to implement the provisions of this chapter.

(a) For the purposes of this section, the term: (1) “Debris removal operations” means: (A) Actions contributing to the removal of debris, including the collection, pick-up, hauling, and storage of debris at a temporary site; (B) Segregation, reduction, and final disposal of debri…

(a) The Department of Public Works ("Department") shall establish a program that allows residents to drop off food waste weekly for compost. (b) The Department shall establish one drop-off site in each ward to operate year-round. (c) The Department shall provide the public with i…

(a) For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) "Battery" means a device that consists of one or more electrically connected electrochemical cells and is designed to store and deliver electric energy. (2) "Battery-containing product" means a product that contains or is packag…

(a) All producers of covered batteries and covered battery-containing products sold or offered for sale in the District of Columbia, including retail, wholesale, business-to-business, and online sales, shall: (1) Be a member of a battery stewardship organization pursuant to § 8-7…

(a) A proposed battery stewardship plan shall include, at a minimum: (1) A list of producers and brands, including: (A) All producers participating in the battery stewardship plan and contact information for each of the participating producers; (B) The brands of batteries and bat…

(a) A battery stewardship organization shall: (1) Develop and submit a battery stewardship plan that meets the requirements of § 8-771.03; (2) Maintain a public, regularly-updated website that lists all producers and producers' brands covered by the battery stewardship organizati…

(a) On or before June 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, a battery stewardship organization shall submit a report to DOEE describing activities carried out under the battery stewardship plan during the previous calendar year. The report shall include, at a minimum: (1) Any updated…

(a) DOEE shall maintain a website that includes: (1) A copy of all approved battery stewardship plans; (2) The names of producers participating in approved battery stewardship plans; (3) A list of all approved brands covered by a battery stewardship plan filed with DOEE; and (4) …

(a) A battery stewardship organization implementing an approved battery stewardship plan in compliance with the requirements of this chapter may bring a civil action against a producer for damages when: (1) The plaintiff incurs more than $1,000 in actual costs collecting, handlin…

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Chapter 45 of Title 28, a producer and a battery stewardship organization may negotiate, enter into agreements with, share the burdens of their operation with, and conduct business with each other in accordance with this chapter in ways that …

(a) Beginning January 1, 2022, no producer shall dispose of primary or rechargeable batteries in the District except through battery recycling programs or other methods approved by the Mayor. (b) Beginning August 1, 2023, no person in the District shall knowingly dispose of prima…

(a) The Mayor, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2, may issue rules to implement the provisions of this chapter. (b)(1) The Mayor shall charge an annual administrative fee to producers or battery stewardship organizations implementing approved battery stewardship pla…

The purpose of this chapter is to provide civil sanctions and to eliminate criminal liability for violating a variety of local laws and rules, to provide for civil enforcement of these violations, and to establish an expeditious administrative adjudicative system.

(a)(1) The Mayor of the District of Columbia (“Mayor”) shall enforce Chapter 10A of this title and Chapter 10B of this title, §§ 601, 603, 604, 605, 606(a), (c), and (h), 607(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), and (j), 608(a), 609(a), and 612 of Chapter 3 in Title 8 of the Di…

(a) For the purposes of this chapter, the term “nuisance” means a condition or circumstance violative of the provisions listed in § 8-802(a). (b) The Mayor may, consistent with constitutional safeguards, enter a residential or nonresidential premises and inspect and investigate a…

(a) In response to a notice of violation, a person issued a notice may do 1 of the following: (1) Admit the violation; (2) Admit the violation, but with an explanation; or (3) Deny the violation. (b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, no response other than tho…

(a) A hearing for judging a violation actionable under this chapter shall be held before a hearing examiner referred to in § 8-808, and the hearing shall be conducted according to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2. (b)(1) After due consideration of the evidence and arguments m…

(a) The Mayor shall reinspect a premises for which a notice of violation has been issued and for which abatement has been required. (b) The reinspection shall occur within a reasonable time of the date of issuance of the notice of violation or within a reasonable time of a hearin…

(a) The Mayor may impose any or all sanctions stated in this section. (b)(1) The Mayor shall prepare and the Council of the District of Columbia (“Council”) shall approve a schedule of fines for violating rules listed in § 8-802, and the fines, when adopted, shall be printed in t…

(a) A Solid Waste Nuisance Abatement Fund (“Fund”) is hereby established, separate from the General Fund of the District of Columbia, into which all fines, penalties, interest, charges and costs assessed pursuant to this chapter shall be deposited. The deposit of these monies sha…

(a) The Mayor shall appoint a chief hearing examiner and other hearing examiners needed to implement this chapter, and the administration of the hearing provided for in this section and in § 8-805 shall be regulated by the chief hearing examiner. (b) The powers of hearing examine…

(a) The hearing examiner’s decision may be appealed within 15 days of the issuance of the decision to the Board of Appeals and Review. (b) The parties may appeal a decision of the Board of Appeals and Review within 15 days of the issuance of the decision to the District of Columb…

The Mayor shall issue rules to implement this chapter under the provisions of subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2, and the rules shall, at the least, establish a program of community service which may be used, according to an agreement under §§ 8-805(c)(3) and 8-807(e), as an al…

(a) A person who is stopped by a police officer or other officials authorized by the Mayor to enforce the regulations listed in § 8-802(a)(1) after the person has committed a violation of these regulations shall be required to inform the officer or other authorized official of hi…

(a) The Mayor shall submit to the Council statistics on the number of notices of infractions and violations issued for violation of regulations listed in § 8-802(a)(1), and the number of notices subsequently dismissed. (b) The statistics shall identify, by Ward, the number of not…

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) “Commercial purpose” means for the purpose of a person’s economic gain. (1A) “Dispose” means to discharge, deposit, dump, or place any solid waste in the District of Columbia. (2) “District” means the District of Columbia. (2A) “Haz…

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to dispose or cause or permit the disposal of solid waste, hazardous waste, or medical waste in or upon any street, lot, park, public place, or any other public or private area, whether or not for a commercial purpose, unless the site is au…

The Mayor may establish a special law enforcement unit with police powers to enforce this chapter, Chapter 8 of this title, Chapter 13 of this title, subchapter II of Chapter 1 of this title, and the Water and Sanitation Codes, as compiled in 21 DCMR 700 , et seq.

The Mayor is authorized to offer and pay rewards for information that, in the opinion of the Mayor, leads to the apprehension and charging of any person for violating § 8-902(a) and the collection of a penalty or fine from the person.

All motor vehicles which are used, or intended to be used, to transport, or in any manner to facilitate a violation of this chapter shall be subject to forfeiture. All seizures and forfeitures of motor vehicles under this section shall follow the standards and procedures set fort…

The Mayor is authorized to promulgate regulations necessary to implement and enforce this chapter in accordance with subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2.

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) "Back-of-house commercial food waste" means commercial food waste separated at the point of discard by employees of a commercial establishment. The term "back-of-house commercial food waste" does not include food waste discarded dir…

To the maximum extent practicable, the District shall direct its solid waste management policies and diversion activities in the following order of priority: (1) Source reduction and reuse; (2) Recycling or composting of solid waste, or conversion of compostable solid waste into …

(a)(1) Solid waste in the District shall be separated at the point of discard into the following categories: (A) Recyclable materials; (B) Compostable materials; and (C) Trash. (2) Paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection shall apply upon the Mayor's implementation of a compost collec…

(a) All entities identified in subsection (b) of this section shall: (1) Donate excess edible food to the extent practicable consistent with Chapter 3 of Title 48; (2) Source-separate all back-of-house commercial food waste generated at its premises and: (A) Arrange for the separ…

(a) By January 1, 2022, the Mayor shall establish a collection point in the District for waste collectors to bring source-separated glass for transfer to a glass recycling facility. (b) Once the collection point required by subsection (a) of this section is established, the Mayor…

(a) No license shall be issued to any waste tire generator that fails to provide the Mayor with information concerning the site's location, size, and the approximate number of waste tires that have been accumulated at the site, which may not exceed 500. (b)(1) The Mayor, pursuant…

(a) A private collection property owner shall provide adequate waste collection service, including: (1) Supplying waste containers to make source separation accessible for individuals discarding solid waste at the property; provided, that the containers shall: (A) Be capable of c…

(a) All District facilities and agencies shall: (1) Separate waste in accordance with § 8-1031.03 and provide adequate waste collection service in accordance with § 8-1031.04; and (2) Maximize diversion of waste from landfill or incineration, including through promotion of reduct…

Private collection properties shall enter into contracts with collectors of solid waste to receive services not less than twice per week at each property; provided that contracts may authorize less frequent collection during weeks where a District holiday or hazardous weather con…

(a) A collector shall appropriately and visibly label any solid waste container the collector provides to a property to indicate, by visuals or description, the category of waste for which the container is intended, unless the container complies with a color scheme established by…

(a) A collector shall register with the Office of Waste Diversion before operating in the District in accordance with this section. (b) The Office of Waste Diversion shall issue registrations annually for collectors and vehicles engaged in the collection and transportation of sol…