205. REAR YARD

REAR YARD Except as provided Subtitle B §§ 317 and 318.9 and in Subtitle I § 205.2, a rear yard shall be provided for each structure located in a D zone, the minimum depth of which yard shall be two and one-half inches (2.5 in.) per one foot (1 ft.) of vertical distance from the mean finished grade at the middle of the rear of the structure to the highest point of the main roof or parapet, but not less than twelve feet (12 ft.). A rear yard need not be provided: Within the depth specified in § Subtitle I 205.1 for the first twenty-five feet (25 ft.) above the mean finished grade at the middle of the rear of the structure and a horizontal plane) above the first plane; For a through lot, including a lot fronting on three or more streets; and For a corner lot, as provided for in Subtitle I § 205.4. The required rear yard shall be measured according to the regulations in Subtitle B § 31.8, with the following exception: if the lot abuts an alley, the rear yard may be measured to the center line of an alley-abutting a rear-lot line, rather than to the rear lot-line, in which case, for this subsection, the term “center line of an alley abutting a rear lot line,” shall have the same meaning as the term “rear lot line”. For a corner lot in any D zone except for the D-1-R zone, a court may be provided in lieu of a rear yard, subject to the following: The court shall comprise at least two (2) building walls and at least one (1) property line; The building walls need not have windows or face each other; The court shall be provided above a horizontal plane twenty-five feet (25 ft.) above the mean elevation of the rear lot line, and may be provided below that; and The court shall comply with the width requirements for a closed court as specified in Subtitle I § 207.1, with the height of the court being measured from the horizontal plane described in Subtitle I § 205.4(c), and with the width being computed for the entire height of the court above that plane. The Board of Zoning Adjustment may waive the rear yard requirements as a special exception pursuant to Subtitle X Chapter 9 and subject to the following conditions: The building shall provide for adequate off-street service functions, including parking and loading areas and access points. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 2447, 3041 (March 4, 2016 – Part 2); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 10932 (August 26, 2016); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 72 DCR 009494 (September 5, 2025); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 73 DCR 009999 (July 10, 2026). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Zoning Regulations of 2016: Downtown (D) Zones 11-I DCMR § 205