PDR-3PDR-3 / Production, Distribution, and Repair, High Density
Washington, DC · Title 11 DCMR (2016 Zoning Regulations)
PDR-3 is DC's highest-density industrial zone, allowing large-scale industrial uses. Typically applied to major industrial sites and infrastructure facilities. No residential permitted. See the development standards for height and FAR.
Development standards in PDR-3
Maximum FAR
6
Subtitle J § 201.1
Maximum height
90 ft
Subtitle J § 203.2
By-right FAR varies by building type: Industrial 6
Federal Heights Act (1910) limits apply: 90 ft on residential streets, 110 ft on commercial streets, 130 ft on Pennsylvania Avenue. These federal limits cannot be exceeded by any local zoning approval or PUD.
Read from District of Columbia Zoning Regulations of 2016 (Title 11 DCMR), effective through 2026-04-03. Amendments adopted after that date (most recent 2026-07-17) are not yet reflected.
How complete is this market? Across 134,966 parcels we answer 93.9% of the 6 questions this site is built to answer, each with a source you can check. The rest are shown as “not recorded” rather than filled in — we would rather be short than wrong.
Permitted uses in PDR-3
AllowedAgricultural uses Subtitle U §801.1(a)
AllowedVeterinary hospital (incidental boarding, pet grooming, pet supply sales) May include incidental boarding for convalescence, pet grooming, and sale of pet supplies, but not as an independent line of business; Subtitle U §801.1(b)(1)
AllowedAnimal Shelter Subject to conditions: sound-absorbing materials required; not within 25 ft. of R, RA, RF, RC-1, CG-1, or D-1 zone; outdoor runs/yards permitted with restrictions including no animals 8pm-7am, fencing min 8 ft., max 3 animals at a time, no outdoor run within 200 ft. of residential use or zone; waste disposal and odor control requirements; must meet Standards of External Effects (§804); Subtitle U §801.1(b)(2)
AllowedArts, design, and creation uses Subtitle U §801.1(c)
AllowedChancery Subtitle U §801.1(d)
AllowedCollege or university uses Subtitle U §801.1(e)
AllowedCommunity-based institutional facility Subtitle U §801.1(f)
AllowedDaytime care Subtitle U §801.1(h)
AllowedEating and drinking establishments Permitted provided no part of the establishment contains a live performance, night club, or dance venue; Subtitle U §801.1(i)
AllowedEducation uses, private and public Subtitle U §801.1(j)
AllowedEmergency shelter Limited to not more than four (4) persons, not including resident supervisors or staff and their families; Subtitle U §801.1(k)
AllowedFirearm sales uses No part of establishment shall be located within 300 ft. of an R, RF, or RA zone; parks and recreation use; places of worship; public or private schools; or public libraries; Subtitle U §801.1(l)
AllowedGovernment uses, local and large scale Subtitle U §801.1(m)
AllowedHealth care Subtitle U §801.1(p)
AllowedInstitutional uses, general and religious Subtitle U §801.1(n)
AllowedLodging Subtitle U §801.1(o)
AllowedMarine Subtitle U §801.1(q)
AllowedMotor vehicle-related sales and repair Not permitted within 200 ft. of any R, RA, or RF zone or residential development; Subtitle U §801.1(r)
AllowedOffice Subtitle U §801.1(s)
AllowedParking Subtitle U §801.1(t)
AllowedParks and recreation Subtitle U §801.1(u)
AllowedProduction, distribution, and repair uses Subject to Standards of External Effects (§804); excludes prohibited activities: acetylene gas manufacture; bone products manufacture; calcium carbide manufacture; curing/tanning/storage of hides; excavation or quarrying of rock for commercial purpose; fertilizer manufacture; manufacture or storage of ammunition/explosives/firearms/military equipment (except storage incidental to firearm sales); manufacturing/processing/mixing/storing/distributing concrete or asphalt or related materials; refining or manufacture of bituminous products other than asphalt; rubber products manufacture or treatment; slaughter or rendering of animals; steel/blast/bloom furnace, coke oven, or rolling mill; Subtitle U §801.1(v)
Not AllowedAcetylene gas manufacture Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(1)
Not AllowedBone products manufacture Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(2)
Not AllowedCalcium carbide manufacture Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(3)
Not AllowedCuring, tanning, or storage of hides Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(4)
Not AllowedExcavation or quarrying of rock for commercial purpose Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(5)
Not AllowedFertilizer manufacture Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(6)
Not AllowedManufacture or storage of ammunition, explosives, firearms, or military equipment Explicitly prohibited; exception for storage of ammunition or firearms incidental to a firearm sales use; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(7)
Not AllowedManufacturing, processing, mixing, storing, or distributing concrete or asphalt, or materials used to make concrete or asphalt Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(8)
Not AllowedRefining or manufacture of bituminous products other than asphalt Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(9)
Not AllowedRubber products manufacture or treatment Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(10)
Not AllowedSlaughter or rendering of animals Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(11)
Not AllowedSteel furnace, blast furnace, bloom furnace, coke oven, or rolling mill Explicitly prohibited within production, distribution, and repair uses; Subtitle U §801.1(v)(12)
AllowedResidential use – caretaker/watchman/janitor apartment unit Limited to apartment unit for use of a caretaker, watchman, or janitor employed on the premises; Subtitle U §801.1(w)(1)
AllowedResidential use – artist studio apartment unit Apartment unit integrated with and accessory to an artist studio; occupancy limited to the artist using the studio and their household; Subtitle U §801.1(w)(2)
AllowedResidential use – dwelling existing on May 12, 1958 Existing residential dwelling as of May 12, 1958; any addition or enlargement shall not result in lot occupancy greater than 60%; Subtitle U §801.1(w)(3)
AllowedRetail uses Large format retail is excluded; Subtitle U §801.1(x)
Not AllowedLarge format retail Explicitly excluded from permitted retail uses; Subtitle U §801.1(x)
AllowedService uses If the use offers massage services, must either be a licensed massage establishment under D.C. Official Code §47-2811 or only offer massage services by massage therapists with a professional license under Title 17 DCMR; Subtitle U §801.1(z)
AllowedTransportation infrastructure Subtitle U §801.1(y)
AllowedUtilities (basic) uses If the use is an electronic equipment facility exceeding 25% of gross floor area of a building on site: building shall not be located within 800 ft. of an established or planned Metrorail station, and shall not be located within 1,250 ft. of the edge of a river as measured at mean high tide; Subtitle U §801.1(z)
AllowedWaste incineration, including for conversion to energy Subject to Standards of External Effects (§804); not permitted on any lot located in whole or in part within 100 ft. of a residential zone; Subtitle U §801.1(aa)
AllowedWholesale or storage establishment, including open storage Junk yard is excluded; Subtitle U §801.1(bb)
Not AllowedJunk yard Explicitly excluded from wholesale or storage establishment uses; Subtitle U §801.1(bb)
ConditionalAnimal sales, care, and boarding uses not meeting the conditions of matter-of-right of Subtitle U § 801.1(b) Includes animal boarding, pet grooming, pet shops, veterinary boarding hospitals, and animal shelters. Subject to conditions including no abutting residential use or zone, no external yards for animals, odor/waste controls, and BZA may impose additional requirements.; Subtitle U §802.1(a)
ConditionalEating and drinking establishments with a live performance, night club or dance venue Subject to conditions including no abutting residential use or zone, no other such venue within 1,000 ft., no external performances or amplification, and BZA may impose additional requirements.; Subtitle U §802.1(c)
Not AllowedEmergency shelter not meeting the conditions of Subtitle U § 801.1(j) Explicitly not permitted in the PDR-3 zone per § 802.1(d)(4).; Subtitle U §802.1(d)(4)
ConditionalEntertainment, assembly, and performing arts uses Subject to conditions including no abutting residential use or zone, no other live performance/night club/dance venue within 1,000 ft., no external performances or amplification, and BZA may impose additional requirements.; Subtitle U §802.1(e)
ConditionalProduction, distribution, and repair uses involving excavation of clay, sand, or gravel, or manufacturing/processing/mixing/storing/distributing of concrete or asphalt or their materials Subject to extensive conditions including setbacks from residential/retail/office/institutional uses, truck access restrictions, operational hour limits near residential zones, enclosure and landscaping requirements, and required agency coordination.; Subtitle U §802.1(f)
Not AllowedRepair of automobiles (any devoted use), including body work, within two hundred feet of a residential zone or residential development This special exception applies only in PDR-1, PDR-2, PDR-5, or PDR-6 zones. PDR-3 is not listed; therefore this use as a special exception under this provision is not available in PDR-3.; Subtitle U §802.1(f)
ConditionalService uses not meeting the conditions of Subtitle U § 801.1(x), or whose principal use is the administration of massages Subject to conditions that the use shall not be objectionable due to character, noise, or traffic, and BZA may impose additional requirements including hours of operation limits.; Subtitle U §802.1(g)
ConditionalUtilities (basic) uses not meeting the conditions of Subtitle U § 801.1(z) For electronic equipment facilities (EEF), BZA must consider impact on neighborhood revitalization, streetscape, pedestrian movement, economic development potential, and design/landscaping requirements.; Subtitle U §802.1(h)
ConditionalWaste-related service uses not permitted under Subtitle U § 801.1(aa), excluding hazardous waste Subject to extensive conditions including standards of external effects, vehicular access requirements, setbacks from residential zones, enclosure and landscaping, operational hour limits near residential zones, and additional requirements for solid waste handling facilities.; Subtitle U §802.1(i)
"Conditional" means the use generally requires a public hearing or special-exception approval — a very different timeline and risk profile from a by-right permit.
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Standards as recorded by Zonescore: 11 DCMR Subtitle J (PDR zones), PDR-3
Every development standard on this page shows where it came from. Figures cited to a section are quoted from Title 11 DCMR itself and verified word for word against the code text. Figures linked to an official zoning GIS record come from the DC Office of Zoning's own mapped zoning data, which is dated and re-queryable but is a summary of the code rather than the code — where a standard is banded or recently amended, the ordinance text governs. Anything we cannot source is shown as “not recorded” rather than filled in. Use permissions follow Subtitle U.