Title 42, Real Property.

(a) For the purpose of carrying into effect § 42-3131.01, the Mayor of the District of Columbia and all other persons, including contractors and employees of contractors acting under his authority or by his direction, are authorized to enter upon and into any lands and tenements …

For the purposes of this subchapter, any notice required by law or by any regulation aforesaid to be served shall be deemed to have been served: (1) If delivered to the person to be notified, if sent by electronic mail to the last-known electronic mail address of the person to be…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* (a) For purposes o…

(a) Notice shall be deemed to be served properly on the date when mailed by first-class mail to the owner of record of the vacant building at the owner's mailing address as updated in the real property tax records of the Office of Tax and Revenue, or when effectuated in the manne…

(a) When making a determination that a building is vacant, the Mayor shall consider the following: (1) Neighbor complaints; (2) Advisory Neighborhood Commission certification; (3) Accumulated mail, fliers, or newspapers; (4) Past due utility notices, disconnected utilities, or lo…

(a) Except as provided in § 42-3131.06a, the owner of a vacant building shall, within 90 days after it becomes vacant, register the building and pay the registration fee. The Mayor may extend the time for good cause. (b)(1) Each application for the registration of a vacant buildi…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* (a) A vacant build…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* The owner shall be…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* (a) Repealed. (b) …

(a) The Mayor shall identify nonregistered vacant buildings in the District, excluding vacant buildings identified in § 42-3131.08, and blighted vacant buildings. The owner shall be notified that the owner’s building has been designated as a vacant building or as a blighted vacan…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* *NOTE: This sectio…

The Mayor may cause to be affixed to the property containing a vacant building required to be registered under this chapter a sign setting forth the name of the owner of each unit and any other pertinent information that the Mayor may require to protect the public health and welf…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* (a) Repealed. (b) …

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* (a) Within 15 days…

(a) No less than once a week, the Mayor shall transmit to the Office of Tax and Revenue a list of buildings: (1) Registered or designated as vacant; (2) Designated as blighted vacant; and (3) For which the time period to issue a notice of final determination under § 42-3131.15 ha…

(a) The Department of Buildings shall maintain, on a publicly available website, a database or list of vacant buildings. The database or list shall, at a minimum, contain the following information: (1) The address of the building, including the square, suffix, and lot number of t…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 11, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation affecting this section, click this link: Permanent Version.* The Mayor, pursuan…

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) “Abate” means to effectively remove or cover. (2) “Abatement costs” means the reasonably estimated costs incurred by the District to abate graffiti. (3) “Deputy Chief Financial Officer” means the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for t…

Graffiti is a nuisance and the owner of the property on which the graffiti is located shall abate the graffiti or authorize the Mayor to abate the graffiti as provided for in § 42-3141.03.

(a)(1) Whenever the Mayor identifies graffiti, the Mayor shall notify the owner that there is graffiti on the property that must be abated. (2) The notification shall be provided by delivering a written notice to the property on which, or at which, the graffiti is located. The no…

If the owner does not reply as provided for in § 42-3141.03(b)(1), (b)(2), or (b)(3), the owner shall be deemed to have authorized the Mayor to abate the graffiti. The Mayor may then abate the graffiti as if the owner had provided authorization under § 42-3141.03(b)(2).

(a) If an owner elects to abate the graffiti and the graffiti has not been abated by the date stated on the notice, the Mayor may issue a notice of violation for failure to comply with § 42-3141.02. (b)(1) The notice of violation shall be served on the owner, or the building supe…

(a) An owner who has received a notice of violation shall answer within 5 days after service of the notice of violation. At the time that an owner answers the notice of violation, the owner may request a hearing on the allegations set forth in the notice of violation. If the owne…

(a) If a default judgment is issued under § 42-3141.06 or if, after a hearing, the Office of Administrative Hearings finds the owner responsible for the violation set forth in the notice of violation, the District may abate the graffiti and the owner (not the owner’s agent) shall…

(a)(1) There is established as a nonlapsing fund the Graffiti Abatement Fund (“Fund”), into which shall be deposited: (A) All fines, penalties, interest, charges and costs, including abatement costs, assessed and collected pursuant to this chapter; (B) Any funds in the Graffiti T…

(a)(1) The amount to be paid under a notice of violation and any other charges, expenses, costs, including abatement costs, penalties, and interest shall be a continuing and perpetual lien in favor of the District upon all real and personal property belonging to a person named in…

(a) If the Mayor provides a paint voucher to an owner to abate graffiti at a particular property, the Mayor is not required to provide another paint voucher to abate graffiti at that property for the 12-month period following the date on which the paint voucher was provided. (b) …

(a) The Office of Administrative Hearings, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 [§ 2-501 et seq.], may issue rules to implement the provisions of § 42-3141.06. (b) The Mayor, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 [§ 2-501 et seq.], may issue rules to implem…

For the purposes of this subchapter the term: (1) “Abandoned property” means: (A) A structure: (i) That is unoccupied by an owner or a tenant; and (ii) On which the real property tax imposed by § 47-811 has not been paid in 18 months; (B) A vacant lot on which the real property t…

(a) The Mayor may acquire abandoned property or deteriorated property for the public purpose of eliminating slum and blight: (1) Pursuant to §§ 16-1311 through 16-1321; (2) Through gift or donation; (3) By assignment; or (4) Through voluntary sale by the owner. (b) The Mayor may …

(a) The Mayor may dispose of abandoned or deteriorated property acquired under § 42-3171.02, or acquired by any other means, including property the Mayor has altered or improved, through a competitive process or through a negotiated sale; provided, that: (1) Before disposition of…

If an occupant or tenant is displaced by the acquisition, development, redevelopment, or disposition of an abandoned or deteriorated property under this subchapter, the Mayor shall offer to the owner or tenant assistance under § 6-331.01; § 6-333.01; or § 6-333.02.

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Department” means the Department of Housing and Community Development. (2) “Deteriorated structure” means a structure that: (A) Is unoccupied; (B) The Mayor has determined: (i) Constitutes a threat to the public health, safety, …

(a) The Mayor may determine whether any structure in the District of Columbia is a deteriorated structure. (b) The Mayor may demolish or enclose a deteriorated structure if: (1) The Mayor takes the actions required by §§ 42-3173.03 and 42-3173.04; (2) A notice of initial determin…

(a) Prior to posting, mailing, publishing, or filing a notice of initial determination of a deteriorated structure under § 42-3173.05(b), the Mayor shall request from the Department an analysis of the cost of rehabilitating the structure and the feasibility and likelihood that th…

(a) Prior to posting, mailing, publishing, or filing a notice of initial determination under § 42-3173.05(b), the Mayor shall file with the Historic Preservation Review Board a notice which shall include the following information: (1) The address of the deteriorated structure or,…

(a) If the Mayor determines that a structure is a deteriorated structure, the Mayor shall prepare a notice of initial determination which shall include the following information: (1) The address of the deteriorated structure or, if the address is not available or does not adequat…

Interested parties shall have 30 days after the mailing or publication of the notice under § 42-3173.05, whichever is later, to take sufficient action.

(a)(1) If sufficient action has not been taken within the 30-day period of § 42-3173.06, the Mayor shall prepare a notice of final determination. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Mayor may revoke the notice of initial determination or hold in abeyance fur…

(a) If a petition for review is not filed under § 42-3173.09 within the time period specified in § 42-3173.09, the Mayor shall demolish or enclose the deteriorated structure within 120 days after the notice of final determination has been mailed or filed, whichever is earlier. (b…

(a) Within 30 days after the date of the mailing of the notice of final determination under § 42-3173.07, an interested party may file a petition for review in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia challenging the final determination. (b) If a petition has been filed und…

(a) Within 120 days after a deteriorated structure is enclosed or demolished under this subchapter, the Mayor shall determine the total costs incurred by the District to bring about the demolition or enclosure. The total costs shall: (1) Include all reasonable costs, including ad…

(a) Amounts collected by the District of Columbia under this subchapter shall be deposited into the fund established by § 42-3131.01(b)(1). (b) Amounts in the fund established by § 42-3131.01(b)(1), may be used to pay the costs incurred by the District to demolish or enclose a st…

The remedies set forth in this subchapter shall be cumulative and not exclusive.

When real estate is leased for a certain term no notice to quit shall be necessary, but the landlord shall be entitled to the possession, without such notice, immediately upon the expiration of the term.

(a) A commercial tenancy from month-to-month, or from quarter–to-quarter, may be terminated by a 30-day notice in writing from the housing provider to the tenant to quit, or by such a notice from the tenant to the housing provider of the tenant's intention to quit. The notice sha…