It’s important to hear directly from the people we serve. DCRA Director Ernest Chrappah invites homeowners to a Facebook Live event, where he will share an agency update on projects that will benefit homeowners and take questions via chat from homeowners who wish to talk to him about their home projects. We want to learn how we can better support you and move your project forward.
Tuesday, September 29 @ 4:00 pm
To join the conversation, follow us at www.facebook.com/DCDCRA.
Meanwhile, if you are just beginning a home project, check out DCRA's Homeowners Center for all the resources you need to get your project from start to finish. Whether it’s a new deck, fence, or a larger renovation project, we’re here to help!
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We will always strive to improve and better meet our customers’ needs. A short while ago, our customers weren’t pleased with the level of service that the agency provided – not by a long shot – and we heard you. Today, driven by the changes to modernize the agency, to make it more accessible and to be more transparent, we are seeing tremendous progress.
Our customer satisfaction scores have risen and are now trending at 86%, meaning that 86% of our customers have received satisfactory or excellent customer service. Our goal is to continuing working to reduce the experiences where we fall short and get them down into the single digits. Recently, we have seen weeks where we are almost there.
On average, each month the DCRA customer service team fields more than 19,000 emails, 16,000 phone calls and 1,000 live chats, assisting customers in moving their projects forward, establishing businesses and remaining in compliance with District regulations.
Whether you contact us through our online inquiry form, phone at 202.442.4400 or live chat available on dcra.dc.gov, we are here to serve you.
Just over one year ago, DCRA launched our Resident Inspector Program; an innovative approach that applies successful elements of the on-demand, gig economy to three of the most requested types of inspections performed by DCRA. Put simply, DCRA trains District residents to perform housing, illegal construction, and vacant building inspections, and then pays the trained inspectors whenever they successfully complete an inspection.
Since the Resident Inspector Program’s launch in June of 2019, the impact has been huge. As of August, more than 170 people have become certified Resident Inspectors; more than one-third of whom are women, which is significant in a field where women often face barriers of entry.
Perhaps the truest measure of the program’s success is the number of inspections that have taken place as a result.
Over the last year:
- 654 housing, or property maintenance, inspections have been completed;
- 537 vacant building inspections have been completed; and
- 558 illegal construction inspections have been completed.
The Resident Inspector Program is making a huge difference for our city. And in case you haven’t heard, people are taking notice.
Check out these two recent TV news stories highlighting our program from NBC4 and ABC7, this video from Mayor Bowser’s office or our blog post on Medium.
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The DCRA Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) protects District residents, visitors and businesses by investigating complaints and initiating investigations of deceptive, unfair, or unlawful trade practices against consumers in the District. The CPU also investigates complaints to ensure that businesses are operating in compliance with applicable licensing, zoning and corporation regulations and statutes.
Recently, the CPU has been busy ensuring that Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Orders regarding business operations during the pandemic are being followed, specifically regarding social distancing, requirements for face coverings, and properly disinfecting and cleaning spaces.
To date, CPU investigators have conducted 560 site visits and confirmed that over 780 businesses in the District are in compliance.
Fulfilling our mission to keep residents and businesses safe, consumer protection complaints will continue to be investigated, and we encourage residents to report fraudulent and illegal behavior.
 Are you a business with approved outdoor space (also known as a Streatery)? Food and non-food retailers are eligible to apply for the program to obtain assistance with your outdoor dining spaces.
For answers to FAQs and more information, visit coronavirus.dc.gov/recovery-business.
To assist businesses in taking advantage of the Streatery Winter Ready Grant Program, any Certificate of Use that expires during the public health emergency will be considered valid, and people will have until 45 days after the declared emergency is over to renew their Certificate of Use. Please note that renewals can be done online at any time
While permits must still be obtained for tents larger than 400 sq. ft., to further support Streateries, DCRA and DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services will temporarily waive fees for food retailers to obtain tent and propane permits. Apply for your tent permit and propane permit now. Smaller tents may be applied for through the DC Department of Transportation.
For resources and additional information about the District of Columbia Government’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.
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