(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the Mayor of the District of Columbia is hereby authorized and directed, from time to time, to prescribe a schedule of fees to be paid for permits, certificates, and transcripts of records issued by the Inspector of Buildings of the District of Columbia, for the erection, alteration, repair, or removal of buildings and their appurtenances, and for the location of certain establishments for which permits may be required under the building regulations of the District of Columbia, said fees to cover the cost and expense of the issuance of said permits and certificates and of the inspection of the work done under said permits; said schedule shall be printed and conspicuously displayed in the office of said Inspector of Buildings; said fees shall be paid to the Collector of Taxes of the District of Columbia and shall be deposited by him in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the revenues of the District of Columbia.
(b) A child development home, as defined in § 4-401(3), shall be exempt from all fees relating to certificates of occupancy; other than reasonable fees charged for providing copies of a certificate of occupancy beyond the one certified copy of the certificate of occupancy to which the child development home is entitled free of charge.
(Mar. 3, 1909, 35 Stat. 689, ch. 250; Apr. 20, 1999, D.C. Law 12-255, § 2, 46 DCR 1279.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 5-433.
1973 Ed., § 5-429.
Emergency Act Amendments
For temporary (90-day) amendment of section, see § 2 of the Child Development home Promotion Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-444, October 9, 1998, 45 DCR 7304), and § 2 of the Child Development Home Promotion Legislative Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-604, January 20, 1999, 45 DCR 1281).
For temporary (90-day) amendment of section, see § 2 of the Child Development Home Promotion Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-57, April 16, 1999, 46 DCR 3862).
Legislative History of Laws
Law 12-255, the "Child Development Home Promotion Amendment Act of 1998," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 12-820, which was referred to the Committee on Human Services. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on December 1, 1998 and December 15, 1998, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on December 29, 1998, it was assigned Act No. 12-603 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 12-255 became effective on April 20, 1999.
Change in Government
This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 (D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act (D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.
Miscellaneous Notes
Office of Inspector of Buildings abolished: Section 3 of the Act of December 20, 1944, 58 Stat. 822, ch. 611, transferred all the duties, powers, rights, and authority of the Inspector of Buildings of the District of Columbia to the Director of Inspection of the District of Columbia. The Department of Inspections was abolished and the functions thereof transferred to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia by Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952. Reorganization Order No. 55 of the Board of Commissioners, dated June 30, 1953, and amended August 13, 1953, and December 17, 1953, established, under the direction and control of a Commissioner, a Department of Licenses and Inspections headed by a Director. The Order set out the purpose, organization, and functions of the new Department. The Order provided that all of the functions and positions of the following named organizations were transferred to the new Department of Licenses and Inspections: The Department of Inspections including the Engineering Section, the Building Inspection Section, the Electrical Section, the Elevator Inspection Section, the Fire Safety Inspection Section, the Plumbing Inspection Section, the Smoke and Boiler Inspection Section, and the Administrative Section, and similarly the Department of Weights, Measures and Markets, the License Bureau, the License Board, the License Committee, the Board of Special Appeals, the Board for the Condemnation of Dangerous and Unsafe Buildings, and the Central Permit Bureau. The Order provided that in accordance with the provisions of Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952, the named organizations were abolished. The executive functions of the Board of Commissioners were transferred to the Commissioner of the District of Columbia by § 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967. Functions vested in the Department of Licenses and Inspection by Reorganization No. 55 were transferred to the Director of the Department of Economic Development by Commissioner's Order No. 69-96, dated March 7, 1969. The Department of Economic Development was replaced by Mayor's Order No. 78-42, dated February 17, 1978, which Order established the Department of Licenses, Investigation and Inspections. The Department of Licenses, Investigation and Inspections was transferred to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1983.
Office of Collector of Taxes abolished: The Office of the Collector of Taxes was abolished and the functions thereof transferred to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia by Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952. All functions of the Office of the Collector of Taxes including the functions of all officers, employees, and subordinate agencies were transferred to the Director, Department of General Administration by Reorganization Order No. 3, dated August 28, 1952. Reorganization Order No. 20, dated November 10, 1952, transferred the functions of the Collector of Taxes to the Finance Office. The same Order provided for the Office of the Collector of Taxes headed by a Collector in the Finance Office, and abolished the previously existing Office of the Collector of Taxes. Reorganization Order No. 20 was superseded and replaced by Organization Order No. 121, dated December 12, 1957, which provided that the Finance Office (consisting of the Office of the Finance Officer, Property Tax Division, Revenue Division, Treasury Division, Accounting Division, and Data Processing Division) would continue under the direction and control of the Director of General Administration, and that the Treasury Division would perform the function of collecting revenues of the District of Columbia and depositing the same with the Treasurer of the United States. Organization Order No. 121 was revoked by Organization Order No. 3, dated December 13, 1967, Part IVC of which prescribed the functions of the Finance Office within a newly established Department of General Administration. The executive functions of the Board of Commissioners were transferred to the Commissioner of the District of Columbia by § 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967. Functions of the Finance Office as stated in Part IVC of Organization Order No. 3 were transferred to the Director of the Department of Finance and Revenue by Commissioner's Order No. 69-96, dated March 7, 1969.
In any case where building permits have been issued and no work has been begun thereunder, the person who has paid the fee for said permit may return said permit for cancellation, and upon the cancellation thereof there shall be refunded to him, in the manner prescribed by law for the refunding of erroneously paid taxes, the amount of said fee less the actual expense incident to the issuance of said permit, as determined by the Inspector of Buildings; provided, that application for such refund shall be made within 6 months after the issuance of said permit.
(Mar. 2, 1911, 36 Stat. 967, ch. 192.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 5-434.
1973 Ed., § 5-430.
