The provisions of this section shall apply to all streets, avenues, alleys, highways, footways, sidewalks, public parkings, and other public space in the District of Columbia (also referred to simply as "public space").
Persons engaged in the erection, alteration, demolition, or repair of any building may occupy the public space with building materials and appliances if a permit is secured from the Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
Each permit shall specify any condition, in addition to the provisions of this chapter, upon which it is granted.
All applications for storage of materials on the roadway, including debris removed from a building or building site, or material excavated from a building site, shall be approved by the Director of the Department of Public Works, subject to the conditions specified in this chapter.
The Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs may revoke a permit to occupy public space at any time the Director determines that the terms of the permit have been violated, or when traffic conditions or the public convenience may warrant revocation.
Building materials must be stored on private property until needed at the building that is being altered or repaired.
Old brick or building materials taken from a building may be stacked in front of the building site for a limited time specified in the permit, when these materials will be used in the construction of a new building to be erected on the site.
The maximum area permitted to be occupied shall not extend beyond seven feet (7 ft.) from the curb on streets where there are no railway tracks.
On streets having railway tracks, the area occupied shall not be more than one-half (1/2) the distance from the curb to the nearest rail from the curb; and, in no case, shall material be placed nearer than seven feet (7 ft.) from the outer rail of the track nearest the materials.
The material shall be compactly stacked or arranged to occupy as little space as possible, and to secure vehicles and pedestrians from danger.
Within twenty-five feet (25 ft.) of the intersection of building lines at street corners, the material shall not be piled higher than four feet (4 ft.).
All building material shall be removed from public space when the roof is placed on a building, or when ordered to be removed by the Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
Building material or earth from excavation deposited or stored in an alley shall be removed immediately when the Mayor orders removal.
In all cases, the manner in which earth and materials are deposited in an alley shall permit the free use of the alley for the passage of vehicles, and shall allow unobstructed egress from the property abutting on the alley.
When considered necessary by the Mayor, the space allotted for materials may extend laterally in the roadway twenty feet (20 ft.) on each side of the lot on which the building is being erected.
A width of not less than six feet (6 ft.) shall be kept clear on the sidewalks. Beyond this required passageway, however, the sidewalk may be inclosed with a tight board fence used under the same conditions as the roadway; Provided, that no materials or rubbish are deposited or placed within two feet (2 ft.) of any tree, and provided that there is no vault under the sidewalk.
If any enclosing fence shall prevent passage on the sidewalk, a temporary plank sidewalk shall be constructed and maintained in good repair and free from rubbish, dirt, and snow. The temporary plank shall not be less than six feet (6 ft.) in width in the clear.
Dressing stone and cleaning brick or other materials may be stored within the parking line, if suitably enclosed by a tight fencing.
Each builder or owner occupying the roadway or sidewalk with materials shall exhibit a red light at night. The light shall be placed in a manner that warns the public of the obstruction of the roadway and sidewalk, and shows distinctly the clear passageway left in the roadway and sidewalk.
When the space occupied by the materials extends along the curb for twenty feet (20 ft.) or more, at least one (1) light shall be exhibited at each end of the obstruction, and hung clear of the obstruction on the side adjoining the roadway.
A temporary wooden office or storage shed not over two hundred square feet (200 ft.2) in floor area may be erected within the space allowed for the storage of building material. The shed shall be subject to removal when so ordered by the Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
Earth taken from excavation, and rubbish taken from the building, shall not be stored upon sidewalks or roadways, but shall be taken directly from buildings and removed from day to day.
When material or rubbish is removed through windows or other openings in the upper stories of a building, the material or rubbish shall be well wetted down and removed by means of tight chutes extending from the building to a point of discharge, as directed or approved by the Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 24, r. 24-110