601. APPLICABILITY OF GREEN AREA RATIO STANDARDS

APPLICABILITY OF GREEN AREA RATIO STANDARDS The requirements of this chapter became applicable October 1, 2013. Except as provided in Subtitle C § 601.3 and pursuant to the conditions and requirements of this chapter, properties in all zones except the R and RF zones shall provide a GAR as specified in the development standards chapter for the specific zone. The GAR standards set forth in this chapter shall apply to all new buildings and to all existing buildings where any additions and interior renovations within any twelve (12) month period exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the assessed value of the building as set forth in the records of the Office of Tax and Revenue as of the date of the building permit application, except that GAR standards shall not apply to a development which meets any of the following conditions: New buildings or alterations to existing buildings that do not require certificates of occupancy; Municipal wastewater treatment facilities operated by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority; The interior renovation of an existing building that: Does not increase gross floor area by more than ten percent (10%); and Includes only minor exterior alterations, including, but not limited to, doors or windows, the addition of solar panels or wind generation devices, or the replacement of mechanical equipment. Within the Central Employment Area, the interior renovation of an existing building that meets all of the following: (1) Has an existing one hundred percent (100%) lot occupancy prior to the filing of the building permit; (2) Has an existing roof that cannot support a dead load of four inches (4 in.) of growth medium on the roof; and (3) The work proposed by the building permit application will not result in a roof capable of supporting a dead load of four inches (4 in.) of growth medium on the roof; or (e) A historic resource and any additions thereto subject to the provisions of Subtitle C § 601.7. Notwithstanding Subtitle C § 601.2 and Subtitle A § 301.4, the provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any application for a building permit: That has been officially accepted by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs as being complete prior to October 1, 2013 if the building permit plans are consistent; or Filed on or after October 1, 2013 if the building permit plans are consistent with: An unexpired approval of a first-stage, second-stage, or consolidated planned unit development, variance, special exception, design review under the CG or SEFC zones, or concept design by the Historic Preservation Review Board or Commission of Fine Arts; provided the vote to approve occurred prior to October 1, 2013; An unexpired approval of a variance, special exception, or design review under the CG or SEFC zones granted on or after October 1, 2013, for which a public hearing was held prior thereto; or An unexpired approval of a first-stage, second-stage, or consolidated planned unit development that was granted after October 1, 2013, but which was set down for a public hearing prior thereto. Any approved change or modification to a permit, project or application in Subtitle C §§ 601.3 and 601.4 that results in an increase in impervious surface or lot occupancy of twenty percent (20%) or more shall cause the GAR to be applicable for that portion of a project that is effected by the modification. In addition to meeting the applicable burden for obtaining further processing approval under a campus plan to construct or add to a building, the college or university applicant shall demonstrate the extent to which the building or addition meets the GAR standards. Further processing approval shall include the determination by the Zoning Commission that the proposed building is compliant with the intent of the GAR regulations. A historic resource and any additions thereto are exempt from the requirement of this chapter as a result of a change of use or an increase of intensity of use, except that this chapter shall be applicable when any addition results in an increase in the gross floor area of the historic resource by fifty percent (50%) or more. For the purposes of this chapter a “historical resource” is a building or structure listed in the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites or a building or structure certified in writing by the Historic Preservation Office as contributing to the character of the historic district in which it is located. The cost basis for additions, alterations or repairs to an existing building shall be the amount indicated by the applicant on the application for a building permit. Minimum required GAR score for a split zoned lot shall be calculated based on the weighted average of the score for each portion of the lot in each zone. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 2447, 2712 (March 4, 2016 – Part 2); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 10620 (August 19, 2016); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 70 DCR 011297 (August 25, 2023); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 73 DCR 009999 (July 10, 2026). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Zoning Regulations of 2016: General Rules 11-C DCMR § 601