B 26-0757

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:
   •   Amend 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-term
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,
Muriel Bowser
Enclosures
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                                                                   #7#~
                                                                      Chairman Phil Mendelson
3at the request of the Mayor
4
5
6A BILL
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8
9
10IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15 To amend An Act To establish a code of law for the District of Columbia to clarify that
16individuals who stay beyond the term of their rental, reservation, or other contractual
17agreement in a hotel, motel, or similar establishment that provides lodging to transient
18guests are without lawful authority to remain on the property; and to amend the Short-
19Term Rental Regulation Act of 2018 to clarify that a transient guest of a short-term
20rental, including a vacation rental, shall exit the premises at the conclusion of their rental
21and shall have no right to remain on the premises after the conclusion of their rental
22unless granted such right by the host.
23
24BE 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".
26Sec. 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.".
34Sec. 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:
36(a) The existing text is designated as subsection (a).
37(b) Subsection (a) is amended by striking the phrase “short-term rental” and inserting the
38 phrase “short-term rental, including a vacation rental,” in its place.
39(c) A new subsection (b) is added to read as follows:
40“(b) A transient guest of a short-term rental, including a vacation rental, shall exit the
41 premises at the conclusion of their rental and shall have no right to remain on the premises after
42 the conclusion of their rental unless granted such right by the host.”.
43Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement.
44The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
45 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,
46 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
47Sec. 5. Effective date.
48This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
49 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 60-day period of congressional review as
50 provided in section 602(c)(2) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December
51 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.22(c)(2)), and publication in the District of
52 Columbia Register.
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                 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
         Director
         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
                    1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 409, Washington, D.C. 20004
                          Phone (202) 262-6402 Email: adele.el-khouri@dc.gov