Zoning for Alley Lots

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

The changes we proposed 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.

Latest Changes

We submitted proposed changes to the Zoning Commission on May 19, 2025, and an updated proposal on January 2, 2026.

The Zoning Commission reviewed the draft changes at a May 29, 2025 public meeting and at a public hearing on January 12, 2026. They asked OP to revisit certain topics based on feedback from the previous hearing and are scheduled to consider the latest changes at a March 12 public meeting. Read our report following up on comments and requests raised at the January 12 public hearing. 

What is an Alley Lot?

An alley lot is a lot that has no frontage on a street, only frontage on an alley. Alley lots have a variety of configurations and relationships to street-facing lots. See two examples illustrated on the right. These proposed zoning text changes only apply to alley lots. Alleys themselves will not be created or closed through this process.

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. In the fall of 2025, we held an additional webinar for ANCs. The Zoning Commission hearing will also be an opportunity for public comment.

See below for ANC briefing presentations, transcripts, and recordings.

• April ANC Briefings:
  • April 1, 2025: View meeting recording and transcript
  • April 3, 2025: View meeting recording and transcript
  • Presentation
• October 20 ANC Briefings: View meeting recording, presentation, and transcript

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

Contact Information

Contact the project team at [email protected].

Summary of Current and Proposed Alley Lot Regulations

Existing Proposed Subdivision Lot Area: as prescribed by the zone Alley Width: 24 ft. minimum Lot Area: Clarify that minimum lot area for the zone applies for the subdivision, regardless of building type Alley Width: no change Special exception process for BZA review of lots not meeting matter-of-right requirements 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 plus single-family residential R-1 and R-2 zones: Residential permitted All zones: Accessory units or second principal units permitted as a matter of right or by special exception; other existing use permissions maintained, plus home occupations Conditions for Residential Use Lot Area: existing lot of 450 sq. ft. or more Alley Width: the lot is on an alley of 24 ft. wide minimum, or 15 ft. minimum within 300 ft. of a public street; special exception for smaller alleys Lot Area: no change Alley Width: no change to alley width minimum or special exception provision Vehicle Parking Vehicle parking requirements are the same for alley lots as for street-facing lots;  special exception relief available Vehicle parking not required for more alley uses Maximum Height 20 ft.; penthouse restricted Matter of Right: 25 ft.; penthouse restricted Special Exception: 35 ft. and 3 stories in residential zones; 40 ft. and 4 stories in commercial zones Yards and Lot Occupancy Yards: no yard required adjacent to other alley lots; five ft. required adjacent to street-facing lots Lot Occupancy: high percentage of lot occupancy for all alley lots Yards: larger yards for R-1 and R-2 zones Lot Occupancy: more restrictive lot occupancy in R-1 and R-2 zones

 

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