Washington building & ADU permits
Recent permit activity, updated continuously.
Washington, D.C. is the nation's capital and a single jurisdiction, so its zoning and permitting run through the District rather than any state. The DC Department of Buildings publishes permits under a CC0 public-domain license that explicitly permits commercial use, which Igni ingests and classifies for ADU activity.
Igni is tracking 8,703 residential and building permits in Washington, DC — including 9 classified accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) filings. The most active ZIP is 20002. The most recent filing Igni tracked was Sep 16, 2026. All records come from opendata.dc.gov — DC Dept. of Buildings (ArcGIS), an official government open-data feed, and are refreshed continuously.
8703
Permits tracked
9
ADU permits
22
Distinct ZIP codes
Sep 16, 2026
Newest permit
Recent permits
A sample of the freshest permits in this jurisdiction — ZIP and city only (no street addresses).
| ZIP | Permit type | ADU type | Valuation | Applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20020 | Other | — | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| 20011 | Other | — | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| 20011 | Other | — | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| 20012 | Other | — | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| 20020 | Other | — | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| 20015 | Other | — | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| 20003 | Other | — | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| 20002 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20002 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20009 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20007 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20018 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20008 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20017 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20006 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20016 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20001 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20019 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20002 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
| 20011 | Other | — | — | Sep 16, 2026 |
Top ZIP codes by recent activity
Housing law — District of Columbia
In the District of Columbia, accessory dwelling units follow the District's own zoning rules rather than any statewide mandate, since D.C. is a single jurisdiction.
Residential density in the District is governed by D.C.'s zoning code; there is no separate statewide upzoning law.
Washington ADU rules
Washington, D.C. is a single jurisdiction, so its accessory dwelling unit rules run through the District's Zoning Regulations of 2016 rather than any state law. In most of the city's lower-density Residential (R) zones, an accessory apartment is allowed as a matter of right when it meets the use conditions in Subtitle U of the regulations — meaning no special zoning approval is needed beyond the standard building permit. An accessory apartment can be created inside the main house or within an accessory building such as a garage or carriage house.
District rules require owner-occupancy: the owner must live in either the principal dwelling or the accessory apartment, and that condition cannot be waived. A handful of zones — including the R-19 and R-20 areas mapped largely around Georgetown — instead require a Board of Zoning Adjustment special-exception approval after a hearing. In the Residential Flat (RF) rowhouse zones, the framework differs: those lots are generally allowed two principal dwelling units as a 'two-unit flat' under separate standards, without the owner-occupancy condition that applies to accessory apartments.
Because the path and standards turn on the specific zone, confirming a property's zoning before designing a unit is essential.
This is an informational summary — verify current rules with the city's planning/permitting department; not legal advice.
See also: District of Columbia ADU law and what is an ADU?
Data source
Sourced from opendata.dc.gov — DC Dept. of Buildings (ArcGIS). CC0 — public domain (commercial use permitted).
Learn more about ADUs & building permits
Background reading on accessory dwelling units, building permits, and how Igni turns Washington permit records into leads.
Washington permit data — FAQ
Where does Igni get Washington permit data?
How fresh is Washington permit data?
Does Washington allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs)?
Get permit leads — Washington
Fresh, filterable residential and ADU permit leads from Washington — delivered before your competitors even know.
Informational only, not legal advice. Headline counts reflect all permits Igni has tracked for this jurisdiction; the table shows recent activity. Housing law changes — verify current statutes before relying on this.