14 DCMR § 14-506
VENTILATION OF HABITABLE ROOMS
Operative Text
506.1 Each habitable room shall have either natural or mechanical ventilation at least equal to the requirements of this section. 506.2 Natural ventilation shall be provided by an opening directly to the outside, the area of which is at least equal to five percent (5%) of the floor area of the room served, except as otherwise provided in this section. 506.3 Rooms opening on enclosed porches and meeting the ventilation requirements of Article 501-01-e of the 1941 Building Code, as amended, and rooms ventilated through sunporches and meeting the ventilation requirements of § 3-515 of the 1961 Building Code, as amended, shall be deemed to have adequate natural ventilation. 506.4 At least fifty percent (50%) of the required ventilation shall be furnished by an openable window, louvres located in the upper fifty percent (50%) of the room, side light, transom, glazed door, or door of the horizontally divided (dutch) or vertically divided (french) type. 506.5 For buildings erected, altered, or converted under permits issued prior to July 1, 1961, mechanical ventilation where used shall provide habitable rooms, other than kitchens, with at least three (3) air changes per hour. 506.6 Kitchens shall be provided with at least four (4) air changes per hour. 506.7 Openable area directly to the outside at least equal to three percent (3%) of the floor area of the habitable space served shall be available for use in case of temporary failure of mechanical ventilation, except as provided in § 506.8. 506.8 Interior kitchens which are not daylighted as required by § 502 may be artificially lighted and mechanically ventilated if they comply with the following: (a) Total floor area shall not exceed one hundred square feet (100 ft.2); (b) Unobstructed floor space (after the installation of kitchen cabinets and equipment including space reserved for the installation of stove and refrigerator) shall not exceed fifty square feet (50 ft.2); (c) Mechanical ventilation shall be centrally controlled and operated and shall provide a minimum of eight (8) changes of air per hour through an independent duct system; and (d) The interior kitchen is not to be counted as a habitable room. 506.9 Not more than seventy-five percent (75%) of the air supplied by mechanical ventilation shall be recirculated air. 506.10 The recirculation of air from kitchens, bathrooms, furnace rooms, laundry rooms, and garages is prohibited. 506.11 No air supplied to habitable rooms shall be drawn from a plenum or system fed with air returned from habitable rooms occupied by other families, common space, or commercial or industrial establishments. 506.12 For buildings erected, altered, or converted under permits issued after June 30, 1961, the requirements for mechanical ventilation shall be in accordance with the applicable provisions of sections 3-527 through 3-533, inclusive, of the 1961 D.C. Building Code, as amended.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-506 establishes minimum ventilation standards for every habitable room in the District of Columbia. Each such room must receive either natural ventilation—through openings to the outside totaling at least 5% of the room's floor area—or mechanical ventilation meeting specified air-change rates. The rule also restricts recirculation of air, prohibits drawing supply air from shared return systems, and sets special conditions for interior kitchens that lack daylight access.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating under D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-506 generally ensure that every habitable room has verifiable natural or mechanical ventilation meeting the section's thresholds—5% of floor area for natural openings, or the applicable air-change rates for mechanical systems depending on the building's permit date. Compliant operators also confirm that at least half of required ventilation comes from openable windows or equivalent devices, and that kitchen, bathroom, and garage air is never recirculated into habitable spaces. Maintaining documentation of ventilation system specifications and permit dates helps demonstrate ongoing compliance during inspections.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-506, tenants in the District of Columbia have a right to habitable rooms with adequate ventilation meeting the standards described in that section. If a room lacks sufficient natural or mechanical ventilation—for example, windows that cannot open or a mechanical system that appears non-functional—tenants may consider filing a complaint with the District's housing inspection authority or raising the condition as a housing code violation. Tenant-rights organizations in D.C. can help residents understand what documentation to gather and what enforcement options may be available.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
Rules and statutes cited by this regulation
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation