1. (a) The Mayor may use authorized funds to establish a targeted homeowner grant program to assist homeowners with the rehabilitation of their historic property.
2. (b) A grant under this program may be used to rehabilitate a structure that contributes to the character of any historic district or historic landmark.
3. (c) A grant shall be limited to structural repairs or work on the exterior of a qualified structure;
4. (d) A grant shall not exceed $50,000.

5. (e)

   1. (1) A grant may be made to a taxpayer, as defined in § 47-1801.04(7), who has a household income of 120% or less of the area median income; provided, that:

      1. (A) The grant is for rehabilitation of the taxpayer’s principal place of residence or a structure that will be the taxpayer’s principal place of residence within 60 days after the rehabilitation is completed;
      2. (B) The taxpayer submits an application showing that the taxpayer meets the applicable household income criteria and is listed on the Office of Tax and Revenue’s records as currently receiving the homestead deduction for property taxes, and includes written consent from each person in the applicant’s household to disclosure by Office of Tax and Revenue to the Historic Preservation Office of his or her gross income; which disclosure shall be used solely for consideration of grant applications under this section.
   2. (2) The Office of Tax and Revenue shall report the gross income of each of the persons in the taxpayer’s household at the time the grant application is made pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) based upon the most recent income tax return of each person to the Historic Preservation Office prior to the award of a grant.
6. (f) A taxpayer who has a household income of more than 60% but no more than 90% of area median income shall be required to match the grant by contributing a minimum of 25% of the cost of the rehabilitation.
7. (g) A taxpayer who has a household income of more than 90% of area median income shall be required to match the grant by contributing a minimum of 50% of the cost of the rehabilitation.

8. (h) The Mayor shall:

   1. (1) Approve the scope of rehabilitation work prior to award of a grant;
   2. (2) Ensure that all work is consistent with the purposes of this subchapter and implementing regulations; and,
   3. (3) Award grants and disburse grant funds pursuant to rules and procedures the Mayor shall establish for this purpose.

9. (i)

   1. (1) The taxpayer shall enter into a preservation covenant with the State Historic Preservation Officer against the property on which the structure is located. The covenant shall run with the land and shall require that the rehabilitation improvements be maintained in good repair satisfactory to the State Historic Preservation Officer for 10 years after the date on which the grant is fully disbursed.

   2. (2) If the taxpayer does not maintain the certified rehabilitation improvements in good repair for any period of time covered by the covenant, the Mayor may take any enforcement action authorized under this subchapter and may assess the amount of the grant as a tax on the property, and shall:

      1. (A) Carry the tax on the regular tax rolls; and
      2. (B) Collect the tax in the same manner as real property taxes are collected provided; that a lien shall not be valid as against any bona fide purchaser, or holder of a security interest, mechanic’s lien, or other such creditor interested in the property, without notice, until notice by filing the lien in the Recorder of Deeds.

10. (j)

    1. (1) An action may be brought in the name of the District at any time within 3 years after the expiration of 60 days from the date that the tax was assessed to recover the amount of the unpaid tax.
    2. (2) A lien shall be satisfied by payment of the amount of the lien to the State Historic Preservation Officer.
11. (k) Repealed.

12. (l)

    1. (1) There is established as a special fund the Targeted Homeowner Grant Fund ("Fund"), which shall be administered by the Mayor in accordance with paragraph (3) of this subsection.
    2. (2) There shall be deposited in the Fund any funds appropriated for the purposes of the targeted homeowner grant program ("Program") authorized to be established by subsection (a) of this section.

    3. (3) Money in the Fund shall be used to:

       1. (A) Fund grants issued under the Program; and
       2. (B) Pay the costs of administering the Program; provided, that no more than 5% of the amount of the money authorized for expenditure from the Fund in a fiscal year may be expended in that fiscal year for this purpose.
    4. (4) Any money remaining available in the Fund at the end of a fiscal year, as determined by the Chief Financial Officer in the fiscal year-end close, shall be transferred to the unassigned fund balance of the General Fund of the District of Columbia as part of the fiscal year-end close.

History

Mar. 3, 1979, D.C. Law 2-144, § 11b

as added Mar. 2, 2007, D.C. Law 16-189, § 2(c), 53 DCR 6786

Mar. 25, 2009, D.C. Law 17-353, § 128(b), 56 DCR 1117

Mar. 3, 2010, D.C. Law 18-111, § 2121, 57 DCR 181

Mar. 3, 1979, D.C. Law 2-144, § 11c

Nov. 27, 2018, D.C. Law 22-180, § 2

Dec. 23, 2020, D.C. Law 23-162, § 2

Sept. 6, 2023, D.C. Law 25-50, § 2152

Dec. 6, 2025, D.C. Law 26-55, § 7128

Editor's Notes

Section 7071 of D.C. Law 17-219 repealed section 4 of D.C. Law 16-189.

Short Title

Short title: Section 2120 of D.C. Law 18-111 provided that subtitle M of title II of the act may be cited as the “Targeted Homeowner Grant Program Funding Amendment Act of 2009”.

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2121 of Fiscal Year Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-260, January 4, 2010, 57 DCR 345).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2121 of Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Support Second Emergency Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-207, October 15, 2009, 56 DCR 8234).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Housing Preservation Assistance Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2008 (D.C. Act 17-546, October 20, 2008, 55 DCR 11434).

For temporary (90 day) amendment, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Housing Preservation Assistance Emergency Amendment Act of 2008 (D.C. Act 17-470, July 28, 2008, 55 DCR 8761).

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 2(c) of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-500, October 23, 2006, 53 DCR 9046).

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 2(c) of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Emergency Amendment Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-472, July 31, 2006, 53 DCR 6781).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Emergency Amendment Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-427, July 25, 2018, 65 DCR 7990).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-157, Aug. 5, 2021, 68 DCR 008012).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-420, May 23, 2022, 69 DCR 6227).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-519, July 27, 2022, 69 DCR 009789).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Emergency Amendment Act of 2023 (D.C. Act 25-111, May 24, 2023, 70 DCR 7936).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Temporary Amendment Act of 2023 (D.C. Law 25-39, Aug. 17, 2023, 70 DCR 9083).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7128 of Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2025 (D.C. Act 26-146, Sept. 3, 2025, 72 DCR 9623).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7128 of Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2025 (D.C. Act 26-210, Nov. 24, 2025, 72 DCR 13514).

Temporary Legislation

Section 5(b) of D.C. Law 17-277 provided that the act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect.

“(3) A grant made to a taxpayer pursuant to this section shall be excluded in the computation of District gross income.”.

Section 2 of D.C. Law 17-277, in subsec. (e), added par. (3) to read as follows:

For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Temporary Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Law 24-41, Oct. 27, 2021, 68 DCR 009519).

For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Targeted Historic Preservation Assistance Temporary Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-163, Sept. 9, 2022, 69 DCR 008845).

Effect of Amendments

D.C. Law 18-111, in subsec. (k)(2), substituted “fiscal year” for “fiscal year, beginning from fiscal year 2006 through fiscal year 2010”; and, in subsec. (k)(2), deleted “applicable” following “each”.

D.C. Law 17-353 validated a previously made technical correction in the section designation.