Effective Monday, November 18, 2024, ABCA’s office location has changed. ABCA’s permanent address is now 899 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 4200, Washington, DC 20002. 

ABCA’s physical office will continue to service customers, including walk-ins, between 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday except on District Government and federal holidays. Our main line number remains (202) 442-4423. 

Please note that when visiting our office, we are located in a secure building and all visitors need to be buzzed into the building by lobby security and pass through magnetometers.

When exiting the elevators on the fourth floor, enter Suite 4200A for medical cannabis and Suite 4200B for alcohol. Both lobbies are connected for customer convenience.

When planning your visit, consider using public transportation. The Union Station Metro Station on the Red Line is three short blocks away and several bus lines service the location. Paid street and garage parking is available in the surrounding buildings.  

Changes to the ABC Board

ABCA Board has three new appointees. Chaired by Donovan Anderson (Ward 7), the ABC Board is responsible for administering, enforcing, and adjudicating DC’s alcohol and medical cannabis laws. The appointments expand the ABC Board to five members.  

Teri Janine Quinn is a Ward 5-based attorney and a longtime civic leader, who has led the Bloomingdale Civic Association for more than 13 years. She previously served two terms as Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5E. Quinn is an alumna of Howard University School of Law. Her term will end on May 7, 2027. 

David Meadows is long-time Ward 8 LGBTQIA+ community advocate and has served in leadership roles for the District Government and civic organizations. Previously, he served as the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds, and as the Executive Director of the DC Democratic Party. He is an alumnus of the College of Southern Maryland. His term ends May 7, 2028. 

Ryan Jones is a Ward 5-based corporate attorney and civil litigator. Prior to establishing his own firm, Jones served as an Associate Attorney General with the DC Office of the Attorney General, and Director of Legislation and Policy at the DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University, his juris doctorate from Southern Illinois University School of Law, and his Legal Master’s degree from George Washington University Law School. His term ends May 7, 2027. 

Board member James Short’s last day on the dais was October 30, 2024, following a decade tenure. Prior to joining the ABC Board, Short worked over 12 years in the Fire Marshal’s Office in DC’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. 

Nominations to the ABC Board are made by the Mayor and approved by the DC Council. Full board terms are four (4) years in length. 

ABC Board meetings are open to the public and held regularly on Wednesdays. The ABC Board’s weekly calendar and agenda notices can be viewed at abca.dc.gov. 

Extended Inauguration Week Hours 

On-Premises Retailers and Manufacturers with an On-Site Sales and Consumption Endorsement can register to sell and serve alcohol until 4:00 a.m. and operate 24 hours a day during Presidential Inauguration Week running January 14-21, 2025.  

• To register, a licensee must submit a completed registration form and payment by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. A daily fee applies for each day a venue wants to extend their hours during the week. Settlement Agreements and Board Orders may affect eligibility. 

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) can submit written resolutions temporarily waiving closing-hour restrictions included in a venue’s ABC Board-approved Settlement Agreement for any portion or the entirety of the week. Resolutions must be received by ABCA by Thursday, January 9, 2025. 

Licensees are advised that they can only extend their hours on the Martin Luther King Jr., holiday on January 20, 2025, if they are registered to do so as part of the Extended Presidential Inauguration Hours program. Registration in the standard Extended Holiday Hours Program does not apply. Complete details about the District Government’s plans for Inauguration Week are available online. 

Direct registration questions to ABCA.AlcoholLicensing@dc.gov. 

Extended Holiday Hours 

Compliance Filings

Persons holding select alcohol license classes and types are required by DC law to submit compliance filings by prescribed deadlines. Failure to do so may result in penalties or license suspension or revocation or affect renewal eligibility. For all compliance filings, due dates falling on weekends or District Government or federal holidays carry over to the next business day. 

Wine Pubs | Wednesday, January 15 
Annual statements for Wine Pub license holders are due by Wednesday, January 15, 2025. The reporting period is January 1-December 31, 2024. Filings must be submitted online.  

Hotel, Restaurants, and Brew Pubs | Thursday, January 30
Fourth quarter statements for Hotel, Restaurant, and Brew Pub are due on Thursday, January 30, 2025, for activity occurring between October 1-December 30, 2024. Filings must be submitted online. 

Caterer and Third-Party Alcohol Delivery | Thursday, January 30 
Caterer and Third-Party Alcohol Delivery license holders must file by Thursday, January 30, 2025. The reporting period is July 1 - December 31, 2024. Submissions must be emailed to ABCA.Compliance@dc.gov. Submissions must include the:  

• Date of each delivery (MM-DD-YYYY)
• Total number of alcoholic beverages included in the delivery
• Trade name, street address, and alcohol license number of the business that the alcohol purchase was made and delivered on behalf of. 

DC law requires alcohol license holders to procure a "Certificate of Clean Hands" from the District’s Office of Tax and Revenue that certifies they are in compliance with their DC related financial obligations. If not in good standing, individuals and businesses can be/ may be denied licenses and permits, among other District Government services.  

Alcohol retailers are required to include a Certificate of Clean Hands when applying for a license renewal. In 2024, the Council of the District of Columbia enacted legislation that increased the threshold amount to receive a Clean Hands certificate from $100 to $1,000.  

Request a Clean Hands certificate by visiting MyTax.DC.gov.

North Shaw Moratorium Zone
The North Shaw Moratorium Zone has been extended until Thursday, February 6, 2025. The in-effect emergency rulemaking establishes a moratorium zone that extends approximately six hundred feet (600 ft.) in all directions from 1909 9th Street NW and limits the number of: 

• Additional taverns, nightclubs, and multipurpose facility licenses
• Additional new or amended entertainment endorsement, cover charge, and dance floor requests 

More details can be found in the North Shaw Moratorium Zone Notice of Emergency and Proposed Rulemaking. 

Gateway-Langdon Park Moratorium Zone 
The Gateway-Langdon Park Moratorium Zone Notice of Emergency Rulemaking extends the moratorium rules through Thursday, February 6, 2025.  

The rulemaking:  

• Maintains the cap of three (3) licenses for Nightclubs 

• Lifts the cap on Multipurpose Facilities 

• Eliminates the prohibition on Entertainment Endorsements being issued to Restaurants and Taverns 

Training and Information Sessions

ABCA offers training and information sessions throughout the year. Offerings are virtual and free with advanced registration.   

ABC 101 | Tuesday, December 17 | 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. | REGISTER 

This course introduces new and prospective licensees to key alcohol operator basics such as local laws, enforcement, and best practices.   

ID Compliance | Monday, February 24 | 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. |   REGISTER 

This course focuses on the prevention of underage drinking by reducing youth access to alcohol through retailer education. Participants will learn how to identify acceptable and counterfeit photo identification, confiscation protocol, and the Sale to Minor program.
Funded by US DOT/NHTSA and DC HSO.  

View ABCA's complete training schedule and available recordings.