DC Launches Project to Modernize Online Access to District Regulations and Services

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 15, 2026

CONTACT:

Caitlin McMahon (EOM) - 202-716-3185; [email protected]

Bileh Dougsiyeh (EOM) - 202-727-6306; [email protected]

DC Launches Project to Modernize Online Access to District Regulations and Services

(Washington, DC) - This week, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Secretary (OS), through its subsidiary office, the Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances, launched a project to upgrade the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations and Register website (DC Regs). The new version of the DC Regs website, a free, publicly available platform that houses DC's regulatory code and other key District Government publications, is expected to be available in Summer 2027.

The District's administrative code, Mayor's Orders, public notices, and other official DC Regs documents play an important role in helping people understand how to exercise their rights, meet their responsibilities, and utilize government services. Users of the new system will be able to more easily access rules or official documents on a specific topic, move seamlessly between statutes and regulations, and compare changes in regulations over time.

The new open-source, computer-readable format is designed with residents and business-owners in mind, simplifying printing and digital translation, enabling more specific citation, and allowing for easier integration with AI tools and other technology. Additionally, the site's new capabilities will save valuable time and effort for the lawmakers and government staff who execute, update, and frequently reference the District's laws.

Beyond the public-facing website, the upgrade includes tools to automate codification and publication of the District's laws, a time-consuming process for attorneys and staff. Secretary of State Kimberly Bassett said, "These tools will let us spend less time on manual administrative processes, and more time on delivering high-quality services to the Mayor, District agencies and the public."

The updates to the DC Regs website will be delivered through a partnership between the District's Office of the Secretary and the Open Law Library, a nonprofit organization that builds open-source legal publishing and legislative drafting software to make laws more accessible, transparent, and machine-readable. This upgrade is part of a larger overhaul of DC government websites to keep pace with how people access information in the digital age.