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Regulation · Other

Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.)

Washington DC's codified autonomous-vehicle statute: the Autonomous Vehicle Act of 2012 (effective Apr 23, 2013), codified at D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq. (Chapter 23A), amended by the Autonomous Vehicles Testing Program Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C.

Law 23-156) and a 2024 testing-permit-requirement amendment. Unlike New York's annually-renewed testing rider, DC has a permanent codified chapter with SAE J3016 definitions. However it is testing-only and currently dormant: DDOT has not opened the driverless-permit application pathway, and as of late 2025 testing requires a human physically present.

No commercial robotaxi service operates in DC. CAP-AND-FLAG: thin source coverage reflects the statute's low activity, not a sourcing gap.

Jurisdiction: United States/District of Columbia/Washington, D.C. · Effective 2013-04-23

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (4)

  1. https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/50-2351
  2. https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/titles/50/chapters/23A
  3. https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/23-156
  4. https://www.ncsl.org/transportation/autonomous-vehicles-legislation-database

Status history

  • In effect · 2013-04-23 · editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 5b-2 robotaxi-state laws)

    DC Autonomous Vehicle Act of 2012 in effect (Apr 23, 2013); amended 2020 (D.C. Law 23-156) and 2024. Testing-only; driverless-permit pathway not opened; no commercial robotaxi service in DC as of 2025.

Common questions

What does Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) cover?
Washington DC's codified autonomous-vehicle statute: the Autonomous Vehicle Act of 2012 (effective Apr 23, 2013), codified at D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq. (Chapter 23A), amended by the Autonomous Vehicles Testing Program Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-156) and a 2024 testing-permit-requirement amendment. Unlike New York's annually-renewed testing rider, DC has a permanent codified chapter with SAE J3016 definitions. However it is testing-only and currently dormant: DDOT has not opened the driverless-permit application pathway, and as of late 2025 testing requires a human physically present. No commercial robotaxi service operates in DC. CAP-AND-FLAG: thin source coverage reflects the statute's low activity, not a sourcing gap.
Where does Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) apply?
Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) is recorded as a other applying in Washington, D.C. on the DEPLOY registry.
When did Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) take effect?
Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) is recorded as effective April 23, 2013 on the DEPLOY registry.
Is Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) still in effect?
Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) is currently in effect and applies to covered operators in the named jurisdiction.
What types of robots does Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) apply to?
Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.) is recorded as applying to autonomous vehicles on the DEPLOY registry.
Which robot models on the DEPLOY registry fall under Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.)?
8 robot models on the DEPLOY registry match the form-factor scope of Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.): Apollo RT6, Argo AI Self-Driving System, Aurora, Aurora Driver and 4 others. Form-factor scope match does not by itself establish compliance status; review the underlying primary sources for each operator.
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-05-31

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-05-31

Architectural position

Cohort: av

Sources by quality tier

4
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Washington DC autonomous vehicle law (D.C. Code 50-2351 et seq.).

Canonical ID 5e1e85f7-c848-443f-8add-797be4db7f02