DC Home Rule Act of 1973 — Congressional review & §602(a) reserved matters (DC)
Tracked preemption from the District of Columbia overlay bundle.
Overview
← All state preemptionsDistrict of Columbia overlay roll-upDistrict of Columbia zoning wikiDistrict of Columbia building codesFederal overlaysGlossaryFederal-conflict: Not flagged
Effective
1973-12-24
Sunset
—
Authority
federal
Scope
state:DC
Other District of Columbia preemptions
NCPC Submission Guidelines — tightened federal review staging (in force 2026-01-08)New York Avenue (NYE) text/map amendments — fixed 8% IZ set-asideComprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021 — District Elements + NCPC Federal ElementsDC Inclusionary Zoning Plus — deeper affordability overlayZR 2016 — Zoning Regulations of 2016 (11 DCMR)DC Inclusionary Zoning — mandatory citywide IZ (ZR 2016 Subtitle C Ch. 10)NCPC — federal review of DC projects affecting federal interestDC Zoning Enabling Act — Zoning Commission jurisdiction and federal-appointee structure
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
always true
Preempted fields
3 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
council_legislation_effective_window | override | 30_legislative_day_congressional_review | §602(c)(1) — ordinary Council acts subject to 30 legislative-day Congressional review before taking effect |
council_authority_to_amend_height_act | waive | — | §602(a)(6) — Council cannot amend or repeal Acts of Congress concerning federal functions/property or not restricted exclusively to DC; this textually locks the Height Act outside Council reach |
congressional_plenary_authority_over_dc | override | True | Constitution Art. I §8 cl. 17 — Congress retains plenary authority and may legislate directly on any DC matter |
Citation
Authority source
District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Pub. L. 93-198, 87 Stat. 774; DC Code §1-201.01 et seq.
§ §602(a) reserved matters; §602(c) Congressional review period
Research notes
Framework statute defining the limits of DC self-government. Not a parcel-level preemption — but every Council-enacted zoning-adjacent law (Comp Plan amendments, IZ statutory changes, zoning-enabling amendments) runs the §602(c) gauntlet. Zoning Commission regulatory actions (not Council acts) bypass §602(c) but remain subject to Congress's plenary authority. The textual hook keeping the Height Act outside DC reach is §602(a)(6).