Whoever shall forcibly enter upon any premises, or, having entered without force, shall unlawfully detain the same by force against any person previously in the peaceable possession of the same and claiming right thereto, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine of not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, or both.
§ 22–3302. Unlawful entry on property.
(a)(1) Any person who, without lawful authority, shall enter, or attempt to enter, any private dwelling, building, or other property, or part of such dwelling, building, or other property, against the will of the lawful occupant or of the person lawfully in charge thereof, or being therein or thereon, without lawful authority to remain therein or thereon shall refuse to quit the same on the demand of the lawful occupant, or of the person lawfully in charge thereof, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, imprisonment for not more than 180 days, or both. The presence of a person in any private dwelling, building, or other property that is otherwise vacant and boarded-up or otherwise secured in a manner that conveys that it is vacant and not to be entered, or displays a no trespassing sign, shall be prima facie evidence that any person found in such property has entered against the will of the person in legal possession of the property.
(2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “private dwelling” includes a privately owned house, apartment, condominium, or any building used as living quarters, or cooperative or public housing, as defined in section 3(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, approved August 22, 1974 (88 Stat. 654; 42 U.S.C. § 1437a(b)), the development or administration of which is assisted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or housing that is owned, operated, or financially assisted by the District of Columbia Housing Authority.
(b) Any person who, without lawful authority, shall enter, or attempt to enter, any public building, or other property, or part of such building, or other property, against the will of the lawful occupant or of the person lawfully in charge thereof or his or her agent, or being therein or thereon, without lawful authority to remain therein or thereon shall refuse to quit the same on the demand of the lawful occupant, or of the person lawfully in charge thereof or his or her agent, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both.
§ 22–3303. Grave robbery; buying or selling dead bodies.
Whoever, without legal authority or without the consent of the nearest surviving relative, shall disturb or remove any dead body from a grave for the purpose of dissecting, or of buying, selling, or in any way trafficking in the same, shall be imprisoned not less than 1 year nor more than 3 years. In addition to any other penalty provided under this section, a person may be fined an amount not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01.
§ 22–3304. Depredation of fixtures in houses. [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3305. Placing explosives with intent to destroy or injure property.
Whoever places, or causes to be placed, in, upon, under, against, or near to any building, car, vessel, monument, statue, or structure, gunpowder or any explosive substance of any kind whatsoever, with intent to destroy, throw down, or injure the whole or any part thereof, although no damage is done, shall be punished by a fine not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 and by imprisonment for not less than 2 years or more than 10 years.
§ 22–3306. Defacing books, manuscripts, publications, or works of art.
Any person who shall wrongfully deface, injure, or mutilate, tear, or destroy any book, pamphlet, or manuscript, or any portion thereof belonging to the Library of Congress, or to any public library in the District of Columbia, whether the property of the United States or of the District of Columbia or of any individual or corporation in said District, or who shall wrongfully deface, injure, mutilate, tear, or destroy any book, pamphlet, document, manuscript, public record, print, engraving, medal, newspaper, or work of art, the property of the United States or of the District of Columbia, shall be held guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall, when the offense is not otherwise punishable by some statute of the United States, be punished by a fine of not less than $10 and not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, and by imprisonment for not less than 1 month nor more than 180 days, or both, for every such offense.
§ 22–3307. Destroying or defacing public records.
Whoever maliciously or with intent to injure or defraud any other person defaces, mutilates, destroys, abstracts, or conceals the whole or any part of any record authorized by law to be made, or pertaining to any court or public office in the District, or any paper duly filed in such court or office, shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned not more than 180 days, or both.
§ 22–3308. Cutting down or destroying things growing on or attached to the land of another. [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3309. Destroying boundary markers.
Whoever maliciously cuts down, destroys, or removes any boundary tree, stone, or other mark or monument, or maliciously effaces any inscription thereon, either of his or her own lands or of the lands of any other person whatsoever, even though such boundary or bounded trees should stand within the person’s own land so cutting down and destroying the same, shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 and imprisoned not exceeding 180 days.
§ 22–3310. Destroying vines, bushes, shrubs, trees or protections thereof; penalty.
It shall be unlawful for any person willfully to top, cut down, remove, girdle, break, wound, destroy, or in any manner injure any vine, bush, shrub, or tree not owned by that person, or any of the boxes, stakes or any other protection thereof, under a penalty not to exceed, for each and every such offense:
(1) In the case of any tree 55 inches or greater in circumference when measured at a height of four and one half feet, a fine of not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both; or
(2) For vines, bushes, shrubs, and smaller trees, a fine of not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both.
§ 22–3311. Disorderly conduct in public buildings or grounds; injury to or destruction of United States property.
Any person guilty of disorderly and unlawful conduct in or about the public buildings and public grounds belonging to the United States within the District of Columbia, or who shall wilfully injure the buildings or shrubs, or shall pull down, impair, or otherwise injure any fence, wall, or other inclosure, or shall injure any sink, culvert, pipe, hydrant, cistern, lamp, or bridge, or shall remove any stone, gravel, sand, or other property of the United States, or any other part of the public grounds or lots belonging to the United States in the District of Columbia, shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both.
§ 22–3312. Destroying or defacing buildings, statues, or monuments. [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3312.01. Defacing public or private property.
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons willfully and wantonly to disfigure, cut, chip, or cover, rub with, or otherwise place filth or excrement of any kind; to write, mark, or print obscene or indecent figures representing obscene or objects upon; to write, mark, draw, or paint, without the consent of the owner or proprietor thereof, or, in the case of public property, of the person having charge, custody, or control thereof, any word, sign, or figure upon:
(1) Any property, public or private, building, statue, monument, office, public passenger vehicle, mass transit equipment or facility, dwelling or structure of any kind including those in the course of erection; or
(2) The doors, windows, steps, railing, fencing, balconies, balustrades, stairs, porches, halls, walls, sides of any enclosure thereof, or any movable property.
§ 22–3312.02. Defacement of certain symbols; display of certain emblems.
It shall be unlawful for any person to burn, desecrate, mar, deface, or damage a religious or secular symbol, or to place or display a sign, mark, symbol, impression, or other emblem, including a Nazi swastika, noose, or real or simulated burning cross, on the private property of another, without the permission of the owner or the owner's designee, or on public property, where the person acts reckless to the fact that a reasonable person would perceive that the intent of the person acting is to:
(1) Deprive a person or class of persons of equal protection under federal or District law;
(2) Hinder or interfere with, or retaliate for, a person's exercise of any right secured by federal or District law;
(3) Threaten to injure, break, or destroy a person's property or harm a person's financial interests; or
(4) Threaten to do bodily harm to a person.
§ 22–3312.03. Wearing masks.
*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on June 9, 2024. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation, click this link: Permanent Version.*
*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on June 9, 2024. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation, click this link: Permanent Version.*
It shall be unlawful for any person over 16 years of age, while wearing any mask or other article whereby a substantial portion of the face is hidden, concealed, or covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer if the intent of the person is to avoid identification while engaging in:
(1) A dangerous crime, as that term is defined in § 23-1331(3);
(2) A crime of violence, as that term is defined in § 23-1331(4);
(3) Theft, as that term is defined in § 22-3211; or
(4) Threats to do bodily harm, as that term is defined in § 22-407.
§ 22–3312.03a. Abatement of graffiti. [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3312.03b. Collection against owner. [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3312.04. Penalties.
(a) Any person who violates any provision of § 22-3312.01 shall be fined not less than $250 and not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, or imprisoned for a period not to exceed 180 days, or both. Civil fines, penalties, and fees may be imposed as alternative sanctions for any infraction of the provisions of § 22-3312.01, pursuant to Chapter 8 of Title 8.
(b) Any person who violates any provision of § 22-3312.02 or § 22-3312.03 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, or imprisonment not to exceed 180 days, or both.
(c) In addition to the penalties provided in subsection (a) of this section, a person convicted of violating any provision of § 22-3312.01 may be required to perform community service as provided in § 16-712.
(d) Any person who willfully places graffiti on property without the consent of the owner shall be subject to the sanctions in subsection (a) of this section.
(e) Any person who willfully possesses graffiti material with the intent to place graffiti on property without the consent of the owner shall be fined not less than $100 or more than $1,000.
(f) In addition to any fine or sentence imposed under this section, the court shall order the person convicted to make restitution to the owner of the property, or to the party responsible for the property upon which the graffiti has been placed, for the damage or loss caused, directly or indirectly, by the graffiti, in a reasonable amount and manner as determined by the court.
(g) The District of Columbia courts shall find parents or guardians civilly liable for all fines imposed or payments for abatement required if the minor cannot pay within a reasonable period of time established by the court.
(4) “Graffiti” means an inscription, writing, drawing, marking, or design that is painted, sprayed, etched, scratched, or otherwise placed on structures, buildings, dwellings, statues, monuments, fences, vehicles, or other similar materials that are on public or private property without the consent of the owner, manager, or agent in charge of the property, and the graffiti is visible from a public right-of-way.
(5) “Graffiti material” means any aerosol can, bottle, spray device or other mechanism designed to dispense paint or a similar substance under pressure, indelible marker, paint stick, adhesive label, and engraving device capable of leaving a visible mark on a natural or man-made surface.
(6) “Minor” means a person less than 18 years of age.
(7) Repealed.
(8) Repealed.
(9) “Public or private property” shall include any building, bridge, fence or other structure, any street, alley, sidewalk, or other vehicular or pedestrian right-of-way, any article of street furniture, lamppost, bus shelter, newspaper box, or trash receptacle, any tree, rock, or other natural fixture, any utility or public service equipment, or any other personal property located outdoors, whether publicly or privately owned.
(10) “Sign” means a name, identification, description, display, or illustration which is affixed to, or represented directly or indirectly upon a building, structure, or piece of land and which directs attention to an object, product, place, activity, person, institution, organization, or business.
§ 22–3313. Destroying or defacing building material for streets.
It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to destroy, break, cut, disfigure, deface, burn, or otherwise injure any building materials, or materials intended for the improvement of any street, avenue, alley, foot pavement, roads, highways, or inclosure, whether public or private property, or remove the same (except in pursuance of law or by consent of the owner) from the place where the same may be collected for purposes of building or improvement as aforesaid; or to remove, cut, destroy, or injure any scaffolding, ladder, or other thing used in or about such building or improvement, under a penalty of not more than $25 for each and every such offense.
§ 22–3314. Destroying cemetery railing or tomb.
If any person shall maliciously cut down, demolish, or otherwise injure any railing, fence, or inclosure around or upon any cemetery, or shall injure or deface any tomb or inscription thereon, such person shall be fined not more than $100.
§ 22–3315. Offenses against property of electric lighting, heating, or power companies [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3316. Tapping gas pipes [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3317. Tapping or injuring water pipes; tampering with water meters [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 22–3318. Malicious pollution of water.
Every person who maliciously commits any act by reason of which the supply of water, or any part thereof, to the City of Washington, becomes impure, filthy, or unfit for use, shall be fined not less than $500 and not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, or imprisoned at hard labor not more than 3 years nor less than 1 year.
§ 22–3319. Placing obstructions on or displacement of railway tracks.
Whoever maliciously places an obstruction on or near the track of any steam or street railway, or displaces or injures anything appertaining to such track, with intent to endanger the passage of any locomotive or car, shall be imprisoned for not more than 10 years. In addition to any other penalty provided under this section, a person may be fined an amount not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01.
§ 22–3320. Obstructing public road; removing milestones.
If any person shall alter or in any manner obstruct or encroach on a public road, or cut, destroy, deface, or remove any milestones set up on such road, or place any rubbish, dirt, logs, or make any pit or hole therein, such person may be indicted, and, upon conviction thereof before the proper court, shall be fined or imprisoned, in the discretion of the court, according to the nature of the offense.
§ 22–3321. Obstructing public highway.
Any person who, without lawful authority, shall obstruct the free use of any of the public highways, which had been used and recognized as public county roads for 25 years prior to May 3, 1862, and which were thereafter duly surveyed, recorded, and declared public highways according to law, shall be subject to a fine for each offense of not less than $100 nor more than $250 and be imprisoned till the fine and the costs of suit and collection of the same are paid.
§ 22–3322. Fines under § 22-3321 to be collected in name of United States.
The fines provided for in § 22-3321 shall be collected in the name of the United States.
