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The District of Columbia records that decide what a home really costs and what the seller has to tell you: disclosure law, property-tax reset, the official registry, and the FEMA flood map — sourced, with the county offices that hold the files.
Check the records behind the address before you offer.
Check any address — free previewThe legal standard: Under the District of Columbia Residential Real Property Seller Disclosure Act (D.C. Code 42-1301 et seq.), sellers of 1-4 unit residential property must complete a Seller's Disclosure Statement in good faith on their actual knowledge, with stated exemptions.
DC sellers must give you the required Seller's Disclosure Statement, completed by the seller personally and answered on actual knowledge in good faith. If it is delivered after you sign the purchase agreement, you may terminate by written notice within 5 calendar days after receipt. It is not a warranty — still order inspections, especially in older rowhouses where the seller's 'unknown' answers are common.
Our research did not confirm whether District of Columbia law specifically requires flood-risk disclosure. Ask the seller directly, in writing, whether the home has ever flooded — and check the official flood map yourself (next section).
Sources: mpdc.dc.gov · otr.cfo.dc.gov · eforms.com
Your bill is based on OTR's annual market-value assessment, not the seller's bill and not reset to your purchase price. Apply for the Homestead Deduction immediately: filing October 1-March 31 gets the full year, while filing April 1-September 30 gets only half the benefit in the first year.
Homestead: The Homestead Deduction reduces assessed value by $95,100 for tax year 2027 for an owner-occupied principal residence of 5 or fewer units (OTR), and homesteaded properties also get a cap credit limiting taxable assessed-value growth to 10% per year; you must apply on Form ASD-100.
District of Columbia Sex Offender Registry is run by Metropolitan Police Department, Sex Offender Registry Unit. Search it by the home's address before you offer — and search again before closing, because registry data changes as people move.
Open the official District of Columbia registry
You can also search every state at once through the federal National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). A CurbFacts report shows the registry count for the home's ZIP — the same public data, organized for the decision.
The only flood map that decides a lender's insurance requirement is FEMA's — the National Flood Hazard Layer behind the official FEMA flood map viewer. Listing sites license private models that can and do disagree with it; when they conflict, the FEMA map is the one your lender and insurer use.
Check the exact parcel, not the ZIP code: flood-zone boundaries cut through streets, and two houses side by side can sit in different zones.
MPD provides address information at the block level only and publishes Class A and Class B offenders online; the full registry, including Class C, can only be reviewed in person at a police district or the Sex Offender Registry Unit — an online search understates the full list.
OTR states a new owner may receive the seller's assessment cap credit only in the half the property was purchased, and the buyer's own cap generally becomes available within a year after the new owner applies for the Homestead Deduction — expect a possible step-up in the interim.
What the District of Columbia disclosure does and does not cover, section by section, and the questions it never answers.
Read the guideHow to run an address through the official District of Columbia registry, and how to read what comes back.
Read the guideRecords live at the county level — assessor, recorder, permits. Pick the county for its records checklist.
Every CurbFacts report pulls the public records behind an address — flood determination, registry, tax reset, price history, permits, and what's planned nearby — and shows its sources.
Check any address — free preview