_Regulation · Other_

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

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

- **Jurisdiction:** [Washington, D.C.](/locations/washington-dc.md) (id: `5f944510-452b-40b6-9271-d94995276474`)
- **Kind:** `other`
- **Status (derived):** in_effect
- **Effective:** 2013-04-23

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.

## 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.

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