Zoning Reports & Verification Letters in Washington, D.C.
How to request a zoning verification letter in Washington, D.C., what it costs and who to contact, plus ALTA zoning reports for any Washington, D.C. property.
Scott Friedman
Have a property in Washington, D.C., a rush order or a portfolio? Scott can scope the right report and get a certified planner started right away.
How to get a zoning verification letter in Washington, D.C.
- Log in to the Office of Zoning's Interactive Zoning Information System (IZIS) and request a Certification of Zoning.
- Give the requester's name and address and the property's square, lot and street address.
- Upload a PDF plat, no larger than 11 by 17 inches, prepared by the DC Surveyor or a DC-licensed engineer, and pay the $50 fee.
- For a Zoning Compliance Letter from the Zoning Administrator instead, request, pay and receive it online through Access DC (citizenaccess.dc.gov).
- Document
- Certification of Zoning (Office of Zoning); Zoning Compliance Letter (DOB)
- Office
- DC Office of Zoning (certifications); Office of the Zoning Administrator, Department of Buildings (compliance and determination letters)
- Address
- Office of Zoning: 441 4th Street NW, Suite 200S, Washington, DC 20001
- Phone
- (202) 727-6311
- [email protected]
- How
- Online request (IZIS)
- Fee
- $50 for a Certification of Zoning; DC Code § 6-1406.02 sets Zoning Compliance Letter fees at $25 for a single lot and $100 for other requests
- Typical time
- Certification of Zoning within 10 business days; DOB Zoning Compliance Letter within three business days
- Official info
- DC Office of Zoning: Request a Certification of Zoning
Zoning in Washington, D.C.
D.C. is zoned under the Zoning Regulations of 2016, Title 11 of the DC Municipal Regulations, which followed the Zoning Regulations of 1958. The five-member Zoning Commission adopts and amends the regulations and the Zoning Map, and the Zoning Administrator at the Department of Buildings interprets and administers them.
Did you know?
The 164-foot Cairo and D.C.'s height limits
In 1894 Thomas Franklin Schneider's 12-story Cairo apartment building rose 164 feet above Washington's streets. The uproar led Congress to approve an act regulating building heights on March 1, 1899, with limits of 90 feet on residential streets, 110 feet on business streets and 130 feet on the widest business avenues, plus fireproof construction above 75 feet. Congress amended the law in 1910.
Source: The Cairo Hotel: How One Apartment Tower Wrote DC's Skyline Law (Ghosts of DC); The 1910 Height Act (Committee of 100 on the Federal City)
a federal law, not the zoning code, caps how tall D.C. can build The Height of Buildings Act of 1910, signed by President William Howard Taft on June 1, 1910, limits a building in Washington to the width of the street it faces plus 20 feet. It sets caps of 90 feet on residential streets, 130 feet on commercial streets and 160 feet on part of the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue NW. It amended an 1899 act passed after the 164-foot Cairo Hotel went up in 1894.
City letter or ZoningWorx report?
A local zoning letter is often enough for a quick check. Lenders, title companies and counsel usually need more.
- Confirms the zoning district
- Issued on the government's timeline
- Format and detail vary
- Requested and followed up by you
- Delivered in as little as 24–48 hours
- Zoning, permitted uses, setbacks, height, parking
- Nonconforming status and right to rebuild
- ALTA 3.0 & 3.1 compliant; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accepted
- Certified to your lender, title company and counsel
Washington, D.C. zoning questions
How do I get a zoning verification letter in Washington, D.C.?
Log in to the Office of Zoning's Interactive Zoning Information System (IZIS) and request a Certification of Zoning. Give the requester's name and address and the property's square, lot and street address. Upload a PDF plat, no larger than 11 by 17 inches, prepared by the DC Surveyor or a DC-licensed engineer, and pay the $50 fee. For a Zoning Compliance Letter from the Zoning Administrator instead, request, pay and receive it online through Access DC (citizenaccess.dc.gov).
How much does a zoning letter cost in Washington, D.C.?
$50 for a Certification of Zoning; DC Code § 6-1406.02 sets Zoning Compliance Letter fees at $25 for a single lot and $100 for other requests.
How long does it take to get a zoning letter in Washington, D.C.?
Certification of Zoning within 10 business days; DOB Zoning Compliance Letter within three business days.
What type of zoning does Washington, D.C. use?
D.C. is zoned under the Zoning Regulations of 2016, Title 11 of the DC Municipal Regulations, which followed the Zoning Regulations of 1958. The five-member Zoning Commission adopts and amends the regulations and the Zoning Map, and the Zoning Administrator at the Department of Buildings interprets and administers them.
Sources
- DC Office of Zoning: Request a Certification of Zoning
- DC Department of Buildings: Zoning Services
- DC Code § 6-1406.02: Compliance letter fees
- DC Office of Zoning: FAQs