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Historic Preservation Law in the District of Columbia

The Law

• District of Columbia Code:
  Official Code on the West Group site (free) -- See Division I, Title 6, Chapter 11: Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection, and Chapter 12: Preservation of Historic Places and Areas in the Georgetown Area.
  D.C. Law 2-144 is contained in Division I, Title 6, Ch. 11, Subch. 1.
  DC Code Annotated on Academic Universe (LexisNexis) (Georgetown University Community only)
• The HPRB Regulations can be found at 10 D.C.M.R. Title 10A (2004).
  
• The Zoning Regulations of the District of Columbia control land use, density, height, and bulk characteristics of property in the city. Recent zoning amendments are also available on the web.
• Comprehensive Plan
  The District of Columbia has prepared the District elements of a 20-year Revised Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital (2006), which is a general policy document that provides overall guidance for future planning and development of the city. One element of the Comprehensive Plan, which is published in Title 10 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, is Chapter 10: Historic Preservation Element .
• Significant D.C. Court of Appeals Cases for Historic Preservation
  The DC Court of Appeals has jurisdiction under DC Code § 2-510 (a) (2001) to review decisions of the Mayor's Agent to determine whether they are arbitrary or otherwise contrary to law.
  
• Old Georgetown
  Properties in Georgetown fall under the authority of both the Historic Preservation Review Board and the Commission of Fine Arts. In accordance with the Shipstead-Luce Act of 1930 (46 Stat. 366) and the Old Georgetown Act of 1950 (64 Stat. 903), the Commission of Fine Arts advises on the height, color, design, and exterior appearance of private buildings in specified areas of the District and reviews permits for the construction, alteration, reconstruction, or razing of any buildings in Old Georgetown.  The HPRB rarely exercises its joint right to review except in the case where the addition or alteration cannot be seen from the public way or a city-wide issue is at stake.

D.C. Agencies

• D.C. Historic Preservation Office
  The work of the Office, now part of the D.C. Office of Planning, supports the efforts of the Historic Preservation Review Board, the Mayor's Agent, and the D.C. State Historic Preservation Officer, who is also the Director of the Historic Preservation Office. Its web site is: www.planning.dc.gov (click on historic preservation).
• District of Columbia Historic Preservation Guidelines
  Written "to provide guidance on appropriate changes to historic buildings as well as their maintenance and preservation." Published by the D.C. Office of Historic Preservation Division, see website above.
• Annual Reports to the Council of the District of Columbia on Implementation of the Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act of 1978 (commonly referred to as D.C. Law 2-144).
• D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites, updated through 2007 (see web site, above).
• Maps of D.C. Historic Districts are located on the web site, above.
• D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board
  The HPRB evaluates applications to see whether the proposed work meets the requirements of D.C. Law 2-144, and advises the Mayor's Agent.
• The HPRB meets once a month, on the fourth Thursday of the month.
• See The Historic Review Process FAQs, by the Office of Historic Preservation on the web site, above.
• Also see the Citizen's Guide to the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Process and to Appearing before the Historic Preservation Review Board, by the D.C. Preservation League's Education Committee (1997).
• If the HPRB recommends against an application, the applicant has the right to request a hearing before the Mayor's Agent.
• The D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board meeting hearings are recorded. For information on obtaining transcripts, contact the D.C. Historic Preservation Office.
• The Mayor's Agent acts on behalf of the Mayor in reviewing permits involving historic properties.  Regulations for the Mayor's Agent process can be found at 10 D.C.M.R. Title 10A Chapter 4. When hearings are held and decisions are issued, they are published by the Georgetown Law Library's D.C. Preservation Law Project.
• D.C. Public Library
  The Washingtoniana Division is the local history and current local information section of the D.C. Public Library. A research guide to Building and Neighborhood History is available. For Georgetown local history information, visit the Peabody Room at the Georgetown Regional Branch of the D.C. Public Library.

D.C. Organizations and Preservation-Related Web Sites

• Committee of 100 on the Federal City
• D.C. Preservation League
• Historical Society of Washington, DC
• Washington, DC: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary - includes information about particular historic buildings and districts

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