14 DCMR § 14-3803
SERVICE OF PLEADINGS, MOTIONS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Operative Text
3803.1 All pleadings, motions, and other documents required to be served on any person under this chapter shall be served on that person or shall be served on the representative designated by a party, as provided in § 3812, in the manner provided in this section. 3803.2 When a party has a representative of record as provided in § 3812, service shall be made upon the representative. 3803.3 Notwithstanding § 904(a) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3509.04(a)), for the purposes of this chapter, service upon any person or representative shall be completed only: (a) By handing the document to the person, by leaving it at the person’s place of business with a responsible person in charge, or by leaving it at the person’s usual place of residence with a person of suitable age and discretion; (b) By first-class mail of the United States Postal Service, properly stamped and addressed; (c) By email attachment in Portable Document Format (“.pdf” file type) or Microsoft Word format (“.doc” or “.docx” file types); provided, that the prior written consent of the person to be served to electronic service has been filed with the Commission, the Rent Administrator, or the Office of Administrative Hearings in the course of the proceeding for which service is made; or (d) By any other means that is in conformity with an order of the Commission in the course of the proceeding for which service is made. 3803.4 Actual receipt of service shall bar any claim of defective service, except for a claim with respect to the timeliness of service. A party that consents to service by email is responsible for monitoring its email account, including any “junk” or “spam” folders, and a party that fails to do so will not be excused from having actually received service. 3803.5 Service by mail of the U.S. Postal Service shall be complete upon mailing. Service by email attachment shall be complete upon transmission by the serving party’s email system, unless the party promptly receives a notice that the message has been delayed or disrupted by technical failure or defect, and the failure or defect is not within the control of the receiving party (for example, a “full mailbox” is within a receiving party’s control). 3803.6 Pleadings, motions, and other documents shall be served on the other party or parties prior to or at the same time as they are filed with the Commission. 3803.7 Every pleading, motion, and other document filed with the Commission shall include a signed statement that it was served as required, which shall be captioned as a “certificate of service” and show the date, name of the person(s) served, address at which service was made, and the manner of service, and: (a) If service is made by a process server, proof of service shall be in an affidavit showing the date, the person served, address at which service was made, the manner of service, and the name and address of the process server; or (b) If service is made by email attachment, proof of service shall show the date and time of service, the email address of the person served, the name of the person serving, and the email address used to send the attachment.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3803 establishes the rules governing how pleadings, motions, and other documents must be delivered to parties in housing proceedings before the District of Columbia Rent Stabilization Commission. Acceptable methods include personal hand-delivery, first-class U.S. mail, or email attachment in PDF or Word format—but email is only valid when the recipient has previously filed written consent with the Commission, the Rent Administrator, or the Office of Administrative Hearings. The provision also specifies when service is considered legally complete and requires that every filed document include a signed certificate of service detailing the date, recipient, address, and method used.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers involved in DC rent proceedings governed by D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3803 generally ensure that all filings are served on the opposing party at or before the time documents are submitted to the Commission. Compliant operators attach a signed certificate of service to every filing, accurately reflecting the date, the name and address of the person served, and the method of delivery. When a party has a designated representative of record, service is directed to that representative rather than the party directly, and operators who have consented to email service are responsible for actively monitoring their inbox, including spam and junk folders.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3803, tenants participating in DC rent proceedings have the right to receive proper service of all pleadings and motions through recognized methods—personal delivery, first-class mail, or email if written consent was previously filed. Tenants who believe they were not properly served may raise defective service as a procedural issue, though actually receiving a document generally bars that claim except as to timeliness. Tenants navigating service disputes or questions about their rights in these proceedings may find it helpful to consult a tenant-rights organization or review the Commission's procedural rules for further guidance.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation