{"data":{"id":"us-dc/d.c.-code-28-4102","jurisdiction":"us-dc","citation":"D.C. Code § 28-4102","heading":"Overcharging.","body":"(a)\nExcept as provided in subsection (a-1) of this section, it shall be unlawful for any person to charge more than that person's normal retail price for any goods or services sold during an emergency resulting from a natural disaster declared pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or during a public emergency declared pursuant to § 7-2304.\n\n(a-1)\nA person may charge more than the normal retail price for any goods or services sold during an emergency resulting from a natural disaster declared pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or during a public emergency declared pursuant to § 7-2304, if:\n(1)\nThe price increase is directly attributable to additional costs imposed on the person by the supplier of goods; or\n(2)\nThe price increase is directly attributable to additional costs for labor or materials used to provide the service or produce the goods.\n\n(b)\n(1)\nWithin 48 hours of a natural disaster, the Mayor may declare, for not more than 30 calendar days, a state of emergency for the purposes of this chapter. The Mayor shall prepare an emergency declaration that shall include a description of the existence, nature, extent, and duration of the emergency.\n(2)\nUpon the issuance of a declaration of an emergency or as soon as practicable given the nature of the emergency, the Mayor shall publish a copy of the emergency declaration in the District of Columbia Register and in 2 daily newspapers of general circulation.","path":["Title 28. Commercial Instruments and Transactions. [Enacted title]","Chapter 41. Natural Disaster Consumer Protection."],"source_url":"https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/28-4102","current_through":"2026-10-22 (D.C. Law 26-190)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-10-26T05:48:18Z","sha256":"aeb1f80199baed452168965e9623a62f016cb51deb221fc2f5d69fd185c7af0d","source_id":"us-dc","stale":false,"prev":"us-dc/d.c.-code-28-4101","next":"us-dc/d.c.-code-28-4102.01"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}