(a) The Council of the District of Columbia is authorized and empowered to classify, according to use, method of operation, and size, buildings containing living or lodging quarters of every description, to require licenses for the business operated in each such building as in its judgment requires inspection, supervision or regulation by any municipal agency or agencies, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia is authorized and empowered to fix a schedule of license fees therefor in such amount as, in his judgment, will be commensurate with the cost to the District of Columbia of such inspection, supervision or regulation: owners of residential buildings in which one or more dwelling units or rooming units are offered for rent or lease shall obtain from the Mayor a license to operate such business.

(a-1)(1) An owner of a residential building in which one or more dwelling units or rooming units are offered for rent or lease shall provide to the Mayor a 24-hour accessible telephone number and publicly post the telephone number in the residential building.

(2) The telephone number required pursuant to this subsection shall be continuously and conspicuously posted for residents to view. Any change in a posted telephone number shall be provided to the Mayor and the correct number posted in the building as required by this subsection within a reasonable amount of time, as determined by the Mayor or as set forth in rules issued pursuant to this subsection.

(3) The failure to post and maintain a telephone number as required by this subsection shall be a civil infraction for the purposes of [[Chapter 18 of Title 2]], and an owner found in violation may be subject to suspension or revocation of the owner's basic business license.

(b) Licenses for hotels, inns and motels, boarding houses and rooming houses, bed and breakfasts, and other transient Housing businesses shall be issued under the basic business license system as a Housing: Transient endorsement on a basic business license.

(c)(1) Licenses for apartment houses, all community based residential facilities, and other residential Housing businesses shall be issued under the basic business license system as a Housing: Residential endorsement on a basic business license.

(2) As a condition of licensure, apartment houses, all community-based residential facilities, and other residential housing businesses shall post and provide to the Mayor a telephone number as required by subsection (a-1) of this section.

(c-1)(1) Licenses for short term rentals in dwellings shall be issued under the basic business license system as a "Short Term Rental" endorsement on a basic business license.

(2) Licenses for vacation rentals, defined as short-term rentals that operate within a host's residential property wherein a transient guest has exclusive use of the host's property during the transient guest's stay and the host is not present on the premises, shall be issued under the basic business license system as a "Short Term Rental: Vacation Rental" endorsement on a basic business license.

(d) Licenses for businesses engaged in home improvement services issued under this section shall be issued as a General Services and Repair endorsement to a basic business license under the basic business license system as set forth in subchapter I-A of this chapter.

(July 1, 1902, 32 Stat. 626, ch. 1352, § 7, par. 28; July 1, 1932, 47 Stat. 555, ch. 366; July 22, 1947, 61 Stat. 402, ch. 296, § 3; July 25, 1995, D.C. Law 11-30, § 10, 42 DCR 1547; enacted, Apr. 9, 1997, D.C. Law 11-254,§ 2, 44 DCR 1575; Apr. 20, 1999, D.C. Law 12-261, § 2003(pp)(25), 46 DCR 3142; Oct. 28, 2003, D.C. Law 15-38, § 2(b), 50 DCR 6913; Feb. 18, 2017, D.C. Law 21-213, § 3(b), 63 DCR 15330; Apr. 25, 2019, D.C. Law 22-307, § 201(b), 66 DCR 898.)

1981 Ed., § 47-2828.

1973 Ed., § 47-2328.

This section is referenced in § 2-1401.02.

D.C. Law 15-38, in subsec. (b), substituted “bed and breakfasts, and other transient Housing businesses shall be issued under the basic business license system as a Housing: Transient endorsement on a basic business license” for “and other transient Class A Housing businesses shall be issued under the master business license system as a Class A Housing: Transient endorsement on a master license”; in subsec. (c), substituted “all community based residential facilities, and other residential Housing businesses shall be issued under the basic business license system as a Housing: Residential endorsement on a basic business license” for “cooperative associations, and other residential Class A Housing businesses shall be issued under the master business license system as a Class A Housing: Residential endorsement on a master license”; and, in subsec. (d), substituted “General Services and Repair endorsement to a basic business license under the basic business license system” for “Class B General Services and Repair endorsement to a master business license under the master business license system”.

Human rights, “housing business” defined, see § 2-1401.02.

Mayor, Council and other offices, application of certain sections to boards, commissions and committees, see § 1-32

Applicability of D.C. Law 22-307: Section 6(b) of D.C. Act 23-165 repealed, on an emergency basis, § 301 of D.C. Law 22-307. Therefore the changes made to this section by D.C. Law 22-307 have been implemented.

Applicability of D.C. Law 22-307: § 301 of D.C. Law 22-307 provided that the change made to this section by § 201(b) of D.C. Law 22-307 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(b) of Streamlining Regulation Emergency Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-145, August 11, 2003, 50 DCR 6896).