# District of Columbia — Landlord retaliation presumption period by US state

For District of Columbia, presumption period is 6 months; what the presumption does is the trier of fact shall presume retaliatory action has been taken, and shall enter judgment in the tenant’s favor unless the housing provider comes forward with clear and convincing evidence to rebut this presumption; example of a protected activity is Organized, been a member of, or been involved in any lawful activities pertaining to a tenant organization; statute is D.C. Code § 42-3505.02, recorded from its source on 2026-09-02.

- **State:** District of Columbia _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Presumption period:** 6 months _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **What the presumption does:** the trier of fact shall presume retaliatory action has been taken, and shall enter judgment in the tenant’s favor unless the housing provider comes forward with clear and convincing evidence to rebut this presumption _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Example of a protected activity:** Organized, been a member of, or been involved in any lawful activities pertaining to a tenant organization _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Statute:** D.C. Code § 42-3505.02 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> (b) In determining whether an action taken by a housing provider against a tenant is retaliatory action, the trier of fact shall presume retaliatory action has been taken, and shall enter judgment in the tenant’s favor unless the housing provider comes forward with clear and convincing evidence to rebut this presumption, if within the 6 months preceding the housing provider’s action, the tenant:

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Example of a protected activity

> (4) Organized, been a member of, or been involved in any lawful activities pertaining to a tenant organization;

## Source

- https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/42-3505.02

Last verified: 2026-09-02. Review by: 2027-09-02.
Part of [Landlord retaliation presumption period by US state](https://referencesource.org/landlord-retaliation-presumption-period-by-state/).