The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) has authority to hear and decide rental housing and condominium cases brought under specific D.C. laws that are administered by divisions of the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
OAH is given “jurisdiction” over these cases by the OAH Establishment Act. Jurisdiction refers to a court’s authority to hear and decide a case. You can find the specific laws giving OAH jurisdiction over these cases in Title 2, Chapter 18A, Section 2–1831.03 of the D.C. Code. Visit the Rules & Laws page for more information about the OAH Establishment Act and other laws that govern how OAH operates.
For some rental housing and condominium issues, OAH has “exclusive jurisdiction,” meaning OAH is the only court that can hear the case at the trial level. But for others, OAH has “concurrent jurisdiction,” meaning either OAH or the D.C. Superior Court can hear the case at the trial level. In other words, there is more than one “forum” that may hear the case. There are also cases involving related issues over which the D.C. Superior Court has exclusive jurisdiction, meaning OAH has no jurisdiction. For example, only the D.C. Superior Court can hear eviction cases.
The forum requirements or options are explained in the relevant laws for each type of case. It is ultimately your responsibility to know the appropriate forum. And if you have more than one option, you must determine which option is best for you.