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MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
July 10, 2026
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
Enclosed for consideration and adoption by the Council of the District of Columbia is a bill
entitled the “Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act of 2026”.
This bill will provide the tools necessary for the Metropolitan Police Department to remove
individuals who remain in their short-term rentals or vacation units beyond the term of their stay.
Specifically, the Act will:
• A
mend the short-term rental law to clarify that a guest has no lawful right to remain after
the conclusion of their stay.
• Make clear that guests unlawfully staying beyond their term in a short-term rental,
vacation rental, or hotel are trespassing and, if needed, can be removed.
The Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act provides needed clarity on short-t erm
stays and reflects that reflects that continued leadership by making targeted updates to our laws
to address areas of uncertainty.
I urge the Council to take prompt and favorable action on the enclosed bill.
Sincerely,
Mu
riel Bowser
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Chairman Phil Mendelson
at the request of the Mayor
A BILL
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
15 To amend An Act To establish a code of law for the District of Columbia to clarify that
16 individuals who stay beyond the term of their rental, reservation, or other contractual
17 agreement in a hotel, motel, or similar establishment that provides lodging to transient
18 guests are without lawful authority to remain on the property; and to amend the Short-
19 Term Rental Regulation Act of 2018 to clarify that a transient guest of a short-term
20 rental, including a vacation rental, shall exit the premises at the conclusion of their rental
21 and shall have no right to remain on the premises after the conclusion of their rental
22 unless granted such right by the host.
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24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
25 act may be cited as the "Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act of 2026".
26 Sec. 2. Section 824(a) of An Act To establish a code of law for the District of Columbia ,
27 approved March 3, 1901 (31 Stat. 1324; D .C. Official Code § 22-3302(a)), is amended by adding
28 a new paragraph (3) to read as follows:
29 "(3) For the purposes of this subsection, a person who, without lawful permission,
30 remains in a hotel, motel, or similar establishment that provides lodging to transient guests
31 beyond the term of the person's rental, reservation, or other contractual agreement, or without
32 timely making a contractually required payment for the rental or reservation, shall be deemed to
33 be without lawful authority to remain in the property.".
34 Sec. 3. Section 107 of the Short-Term Rental Regulation Act of 2018, effective April 25,
35 2019 (D.C. Law 22-307; D.C. Official Code§ 30-201.07), is amended as follows:
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(a) The existing text is designated as subsection (a). 36 (b) Subsection (a) is amended by striking the phrase “short-term rental” and inserting the 37 phrase “short-term rental, including a vacation rental,” in its place. 38 (c) A new subsection (b) is added to read as follows: 39 “(b) A transient guest of a short-term rental, including a vacation rental, shall exit the 40 premises at the conclusion of their rental and shall have no right to remain on the premises after 41 the conclusion of their rental unless granted such right by the host.”. 42 Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 43 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 44 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 45 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 46 Sec. 5. Effective date. 47 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 48 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 60-day period of congressional review as 49 provided in section 602(c)(2) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 50 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.22(c)(2)), and publication in the District of 51 Columbia Register. 52
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 409, Washington, D.C. 20004
Phone (202) 262-6402 Email: adele.el-khouri@dc.gov
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
BRIAN L. SCHWALB PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY GENERAL ATTORNEY-CLIENT COMMUNICATION
LEGAL COUNSEL DIVISION
MEMORANDUM
TO: Tomás Talamante
D i r e c t o r
Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs
FROM: Adele El-Khouri
Deputy Attorney General
Legal Counsel Division
DATE: July 9, 2026
SUBJECT: Legal Sufficiency Review of the “Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act of
2026”
(AE-26-325)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This is to Certify that the Office of the Attorney General has reviewed the
above-referenced legislation and found it to be legally sufficient. If you have any questions in this
regard, please do not hesitate to call me at (202) 262-6402.
_________________________________
Adele El-Khouri