District of Columbia laws by category

The District of Columbia allows only a short list of permitted items — sparklers no more than 20 inches long (not tube or champagne-style sparklers), fountains, cones, torches, box fire, snakes, colored lights, paper novelties and caps. Exceptions may apply — read the full rule.

The District of Columbia requires a permit to carry concealed, and the minimum age is 21. DC is very restrictive: a DC Concealed Carry Pistol License from MPD is mandatory, you must own a DC-registered pistol and complete 18 hours of training, and the District recognizes no other state's permit.

The District of Columbia is not a control state: spirits, beer and wine are sold at private Class A liquor stores, while grocery and convenience stores hold Class B licenses limited to beer and wine only (no spirits). ABCA is the regulator.

Radar detectors are banned in the District of Columbia — it is illegal to use one or even have one in a vehicle, and illegal to sell them (DCMR 18-736).

In the District of Columbia, open fires are prohibited (20 DCMR 604.1). Exceptions may apply — read the full rule.

A fishing license is required for ages 16–64 in all District waters. Licenses are issued by the DC Department of Energy & Environment (online only); under-16 and 65+ are exempt.

6.00% sales tax; no separate local sales tax. Per the DC Office of Tax and Revenue, the general rate remains 6.0% through September 30, 2027: the increase to 7.0% that had been scheduled for October 1, 2026 (after the October 1, 2025 step to 6.5% was cancelled) has been postponed again.

In the District of Columbia, recreational possession, gifting, and home cultivation are legal for adults 21 and older (Initiative 71), but commercial recreational sales are not permitted — there is no licensed adult-use retail. Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

Not applicable: the District of Columbia has no hunting season. All wildlife in the District is protected and none may be killed or taken except as the District's wildlife rules allow (19 DCMR 1560.1), and those rules open no hunting season, so there is no hunter-orange rule.

Legal in the District of Columbia — online/mobile district-wide and retail; minimum age 18 (some operators require 21). FanDuel is the Lottery's district-wide app; commercial apps and retail sportsbooks (Capital One Arena, Nationals Park, Audi Field) also operate. Regulated by the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming.

Anyone operating a vessel on District of Columbia waterways must have a Boating Safety Certificate, issued on completing the MPD Harbor Patrol boating safety course.

Switchblade knives are banned: it is unlawful to possess a switchblade knife in the District of Columbia (D.C. Code 22-4514(a)).

DC has no drone-specific privacy statute; its general voyeurism law (22-3531) criminalizes surreptitiously capturing images of a person's private areas by any electronic device.