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Zoning for Alley Lots

Zoning for Alley Lotsdiagram of rowhomes in DC demonstrating that properties fronting streets are not alley dwellings while properties fronting alleys are

The DC Office of Planning (OP), at the direction of the DC Zoning Commission and at the request of property owners, studied potential amendments to the zoning regulations governing alley lots. This included:

  • Minimum alley width necessary to create a new alley record lot
  • Minimum alley width necessary to establish a residential use on an alley lot
  • Uses generally on alley lots
  • Height of alley lot buildings

We submitted proposed changes to the Zoning Commission on May 19, 2025. View our report on the proposed zoning text amendment. These changes will be reviewed by the Zoning Commission, with the first public meeting scheduled for May 29, 2025.

Changes would have more relevance to some ANCs than others, as some neighborhoods have many alley lots, but others have almost none. Neighborhoods with the highest concentration of alley lots include Capitol Hill, Georgetown, and the neighborhoods immediately north of downtown. Please refer to the table of alley lots by ANC at the bottom of this page.

Google Street View of rowhomes fronting an alleyway in DCImage from BZA #20347 of a residential property with multiple entrances

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is an Alley Lot?

An alley lot is a lot that has no frontage on a street, only frontage on an alley. Any proposed zoning text changes would only be for alley lots.

What is Not an Alley Lot?

A lot that has frontage on a street is not an alley lot.  An alley lot is not a garage or other accessory building that may face an alley, but that is on a street-facing lot. Any proposed zoning text changes would not affect street-facing lots or accessory buildings on street-facing lots.

Public Engagement and Next Steps

Before filing the proposal, we spoke with alley lot property owners and ANC Commissioners to solicit their feedback. See below for links to meeting recordings, transcripts, and presentations. We will present the proposed changes to the Zoning Commission at an initial public meeting on May 29, 2025, when they will then decide whether to move forward and hold a public hearing on the changes. If they decide to hold a public hearing, we will seek additional public feedback in advance. The hearing itself will be an additional opportunity for public comment.

Check the Office of Zoning's Case Report Page for details and scheduled meetings on this project.

OP held two information sessions to present to ANCs and take their questions:

Contact Information

Contact the project team at [email protected].

Summary of Current Alley Lot Regulations

Possible Uses

R-1 and R-2 zones: agriculture, artist studio, camping, community solar facility, vehicle parking, storage, NOT residential

R-3, RF and RA zones: uses in R-1 or R-2 zones plus single-family residential
Conditions for Residential Use Existing lot of 450 sq. ft. or more; the lot is on an alley of 24 ft. wide minimum, or 15 ft. minimum within 300 ft. of a public street
Maximum Height 20 feet; no penthouse permitted
Yards No yard required adjacent to other alley lots; five ft. required adjacent to street-facing lots

Estimated Number of Alley Lots by ANC:

ANC Estimated # of Alley Lots ANC Estimated # of Alley Lots ANC Estimated # of Alley Lots ANC Estimated # of Alley Lots
1A 34 3A 17 5A 2 7B 24
1B 64 3B 19 5B 44 7C 31
1C 14 3C 51 5C 13 7D 140
1D 11 3D 21 5D 26 7E 2
1E 26 3E 25 5E 35 7F 3
2A 41 3F 19 5F 88 8A 12
2B 39 3/4G 27 6A 134 8B 4
2C 9 4A 20 6B 198 8C 49
2D 8 4B 61 6C 129 8D 1
2E 180 4C 59 6D 2 8E 1
2F 23 4D 64 6E 4 8F 2
2G 53 4E 68        

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