Household cleaners, paint thinners and adhesives sold in D.C. would face stricter limits on volatile organic compounds under a rule proposed by the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE).
DOEE published the proposed rulemaking on Friday, Aug. 28, in the D.C. Register. Residents have 30 days to submit comments, putting the deadline at approximately Sept. 27.
The proposal would update Chapter 7 of Title 20 of the D.C. Municipal Regulations by adopting the Ozone Transport Commission's (OTC) Phase III and Phase IV model rules for consumer products. Seven states have already adopted those standards as part of a regional strategy to cut ozone pollution: Maryland, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New Jersey.
D.C. last updated its consumer-product VOC rules in December 2011, when it adopted the OTC's Phase II amendments. The original Phase I rules date to April 2004.
What would change
The new rules would add product categories and lower allowable VOC content for several types of products. Affected items include bathroom and tile cleaners, construction and floor-covering adhesives, electronic cleaners, general-purpose cleaners, oven and grill cleaners, paint thinners and multi-purpose solvents.
The stricter limits would take effect 180 days after the final rule is published. DOEE said it will set a specific calendar date in the final version.
Because many District retailers may still stock products that do not meet the new limits, DOEE is proposing sell-through provisions. The agency is specifically asking the public to weigh in on those terms.
Why now
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reclassified the Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region as moderate nonattainment for the 2015 ozone standard, effective Nov. 7, 2022. That designation obligated D.C. to strengthen its air quality rules.
The region has since improved. EPA determined in April 2025 that the area met the ozone standard by its Aug. 3, 2024, deadline, according to a separate DOEE notice published July 28. Recent monitoring showed design values of 0.069 parts per million for both the 2022–2024 and 2023–2025 periods, below the 0.070 ppm threshold.
DOEE is still moving forward with the rule change. Once finalized, the agency plans to submit it to EPA as an amendment to the District's State Implementation Plan.
How to comment
Joseph Jakuta, associate director of air quality at DOEE, is the contact for the rulemaking. Written comments can be sent to the DOEE Air Quality Division at 1200 First St. NE, Fifth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20002, or by email at [email protected].
Residents can also request a public hearing within the 30-day window. If a hearing request arrives too late for DOEE to schedule one during the comment period, the agency said it will extend the deadline through a follow-up notice.
The proposal also includes a technical correction, fixing a unit error in an existing regulation that mistakenly read "gallons per liter" instead of "grams per liter" for a VOC emissions limit.
