DC Permits: Filing, Review Timelines, and Penalties

Nearly every construction, renovation, demolition, or system-replacement project in Washington requires DC building permits issued by the Department of Buildings (DOB) before work can begin. D.C. Code § 6-641.09 makes it unlawful to build, reconstruct, alter, or occupy any structure without that approval, and the penalties for skipping it start at $2,000 per violation.{¹}

What Work Needs a Permit

DCMR Title 12A, Section 105.1 sets the trigger: you need a permit to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of any building, or to install or replace electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems.{²}

The code also lists work you can do without filing anything, provided the property isn’t in a historic district:

Cosmetic interior work including painting (non-fire-retardant), wallpapering, tiling, carpeting, cabinet installation, and countertop replacement
In-kind exterior repairs such as replacing roofing, siding, gutters, downspouts, private sidewalks, driveways, and patios with matching materials of the same dimensions
Minor repairs like brick pointing, caulking, plaster repair on non-rated assemblies, window screen and storm window installation, and in-kind fence repair
Small structures: a single garden shed under 50 square feet and under 10 feet tall, above-ground prefabricated pools under 24 inches deep and 1,000 gallons, retaining walls under 4 feet for one- and two-family homes, and residential playground equipment
Up to 160 square feet of non-fire-rated gypsum board

Exempt work still has to comply with the construction codes. The exemption only waives the permit application.{²}

A separate track handles work that spills into public space. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) controls everything between the property lines on a street, including sidewalks, tree spaces, and alleys. If your project needs scaffolding, a dumpster, a crane, or a lane closure, you’ll need a DDOT public space permit on top of your DOB permit.{³}

Where to File and What It Costs

Building permit applications go through Access DC, DOB’s single sign-on system. One- and two-family residential projects use the DOB Permit Wizard, which walks you through the application step by step. Commercial projects, solar installations, demolitions, and raze permits go through the Citizens Access Portal. You upload architectural plans and application forms as PDFs and pay fees electronically.{⁴}

Public space work is filed separately through the Transportation Online Permitting System (TOPS), where you plot the proposed occupancy on an interactive map and upload supporting documents.{⁵}

Fees are calculated by formula, not charged as a flat rate:

New construction and additions: $0.03 per cubic foot of construction
Alterations valued at $1,001 to $1 million: $30 plus 2% of construction value
Projects over $1 million: $10,030 plus 1% of total construction cost
Demolition: $30 plus 2% of construction cost
Raze permits: $0.02 per cubic foot

New construction also owes a Green Building Fee of $0.002 per square foot. At filing, DOB collects a deposit equal to 50% of the assessed permit fee, capped at $20,000, with the balance due before the permit is issued. Supplemental electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits carry their own fees based on the number of outlets, fixtures, motors, or appliance capacity involved.{⁶} DDOT public space fees are set separately under DCMR Title 24 and depend on the type and duration of occupancy.{⁷}

Documents to Gather Before You File

Having the right paperwork ready prevents weeks of back-and-forth with reviewers. For any exterior work, including additions, decks, and new construction, you need a certified building plat from the Office of the Surveyor showing property boundaries, existing structures, and all trees with a circumference of 12 inches or more measured at 4.5 feet above ground. Order one in person at the Surveyor’s office or through the Citizens Access Portal.{⁸}

Most projects beyond cosmetic work also require architectural drawings and structural calculations showing electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems. Inspectors will measure your finished work against these drawings, so accuracy matters. Your application states the scope of work and the estimated construction cost, which DOB uses to calculate fees.

The District requires Home Improvement Contractor licenses for residential work. Verify any contractor’s license is current through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection before you hire. Homeowners of one- and two-family homes can file their own applications through DOB’s Homeowner’s Center, but plumbing, mechanical, and electrical permits are trade permits that only licensed and bonded master trade professionals can pull. Even if you’re doing the general work yourself, a licensed plumber or electrician has to handle those permits separately.{⁹}

Neighbor Notification Before Filing

Some projects require you to notify adjoining property owners before DOB will even accept the application. Notification is mandatory when your work involves:

Excavation requiring a permit
Installing permanent or temporary structural support for an adjoining property, including underpinning
Changing the loads on a shared party wall or load-bearing member of an adjacent building
Needing access to a neighboring property for protective measures
Raze work within 3 feet of an adjoining lot line, or excavation more than 3 feet below existing grade

Written notice goes to the neighboring owner by certified mail or an approved private delivery service (FedEx, UPS, or DHL) at the address listed in the Office of Tax and Revenue’s real property database. You also post notice at the site on a form at least 11 by 17 inches, visible from the public way, for a continuous 30-day period. DOB won’t issue the permit until you submit photographic proof of posting and a notarized affidavit confirming the notice stayed up the full 30 days. DOB states that notification is not a mechanism for anyone to block or delay legal construction.{¹⁰}

Review Timelines

Once filed, your application is routed through every review discipline that applies to the project. A typical filed project passes through zoning, structural, mechanical and plumbing, electrical, fire, green building, and energy reviews. Restaurants, excavation projects, and work in historic districts or public space trigger extra reviews from agencies like the Office of Planning, DDOT, DC Health, the Department of Energy and Environment, and DC Water.{¹¹}

DOB publishes internal service-level targets for reviews:

Homeowner’s Center applications: next business day
Digital walk-through projects: next business day
Solar reviews: 15 business days
Standard filed projects: 30 business days

Multi-agency reviews can run longer in practice, especially when zoning variances or historic preservation hearings are involved. If a reviewer flags an issue, the clock resets when you resubmit corrected plans.{¹²}

If you need the standard timeline compressed, DOB runs a paid Accelerated Plan Review (APR) program covering demolition, new construction, additions, tenant improvements, interior alterations, use changes, revisions, and foundation-to-grade work. Raze permits and code modifications are excluded. APR demands a 100% complete set of construction drawings and every supporting approval already in hand, including zoning, stormwater, DDOT consent letters, and any Board of Zoning Adjustment orders. Incomplete filings aren’t accepted, and APR fees are invoiced separately from the standard permit cost.{¹³}

If Your Property Is in a Historic District

Historic designation adds a review layer to any exterior work. The Historic Preservation Office (HPO) reviews building permit applications for exterior changes on designated historic properties, and over 95 percent of these applications clear through expedited staff review without a public hearing. Larger or more complex projects go to the Historic Preservation Review Board for a formal concept review, with input from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, before you spend money on final construction drawings. There’s no separate preservation permit; the review is built into the standard DOB permit process.{¹⁴}

Properties near the National Mall, the Potomac waterfront, and Rock Creek Park face additional scrutiny under the Shipstead-Luce Act, which gives the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) jurisdiction over exterior design. You must file your DOB building permit application before submitting for CFA review. If you aren’t sure whether your property falls within the Shipstead-Luce area, call the CFA staff architect at (202) 504-2200 before you file.{¹⁵}

The permit exemptions for cosmetic and in-kind work don’t apply in historic districts. Even painting or replacing a roof in kind can require HPO clearance if your property carries a historic designation.{¹⁶}

After the Permit: Inspections and Occupancy

Inspections are required at construction milestones such as foundations, framing, electrical rough-ins, and plumbing. Inspectors verify the work matches the approved plans and meets code. You schedule inspections through the DOB portal, and work cannot proceed to the next phase until the previous inspection passes.{¹⁷}

D.C. law requires a certificate of occupancy before anyone can legally use a new building, a space with a changed occupancy type, or any project that alters how a building is used.{¹} Certificate of occupancy fees scale with building size. A building between 5,001 and 50,000 square feet pays $42 plus $0.004 per square foot plus a $33 filing fee.{⁶}

A permit becomes invalid if work doesn’t begin within one year of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for one year after it starts. Letting a permit lapse means starting the application process over, so keep the project moving or apply for an extension before the deadline.

Penalties for Working Without a Permit

Working without a permit, outside the scope of your permit, or outside allowed hours (before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, or any time on Sundays and holidays) carries a $2,000 fine per infraction. A second offense doubles to $4,000. DOB will also post a stop-work order that freezes all construction.{¹⁸}

Lifting a stop-work order takes more than paying the fine. You must halt all activity immediately, leave the posted order in place, and submit a compliance review request through the DOB website. DOB will not release the order until you pay the full permit fee, so you end up paying both the penalty and the permit cost you tried to avoid.{¹⁹} D.C. Code § 6-641.09 also authorizes fines of up to $100 per day for every day a violation continues, which can stack quickly on a stalled project.{¹}

1
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 6-641.09 – Building Permits; Certificates of Occupancy
2
D.C. Municipal Regulations. D.C. Municipal Regulations – Section 12-A105 Permits
3
District Department of Transportation. Public Space Regulation
4
Department of Buildings. Access DC Initiative
5
District Department of Transportation. Transportation Online Permitting System
6
Department of Buildings. Building Permit Fee Schedule
7
D.C. Municipal Regulations. D.C. Municipal Regulations – Section 24-225 Public Space Permit Fees
8
Department of Buildings. Get a Building Plat
9
Department of Buildings. Homeowner’s Center
10
Department of Buildings. Neighbor Notification
11
Department of Buildings. Overview of Permitting Process
12
Department of Buildings. Plan Review and Permit Timelines – Service Level Agreements
13
Department of Buildings. Accelerated Plan Review Program
14
Office of Planning. Permits and Design Review
15
Commission of Fine Arts. How to Submit
16
Department of Buildings. How to Get a Permit
17
Department of Buildings. Get An Inspection
18
Department of Buildings. Report Illegal Construction
19
Office of Planning. Stop Work Order