(Washington, DC) - The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will hold a public forum with auto repair shops and towing lot operators on Thursday, May 28, 2009 from 1:30 pm to 4 pm to discuss new regulations and how these businesses can ensure compliance with new regulations.

The public forum will be held at the Reeves Center, 2000 14th Street NW, in the Office on Latino Affairs meeting room on the second floor. For more information

DCRA issued final regulations governing the operations of towing service storage lots and outdoor auto repair and storage by consumer goods repair dealers in the District of Columbia. Both regulations were first published in the DC Register as a proposed rulemaking on March 6, 2009, and were republished in the DC Register as a final and effective rulemaking on April 24, 2009 (56 DCR 3096).

The new regulations are intended to prevent towing lots and outdoor auto repair and storage in the District of Columbia from being operated or maintained in ways that can endanger or inconvenience customers, detract from the attractiveness of District neighborhoods, or threaten harm to the environment.

Copies of the regulations and the letters sent to businesses are available here:

• Copy of Public Forum Invitation Flier*
• New regulations for Outdoor Repair and Storage of Vehicles (DC Municipal Regulations, Title 16, Section 652)*
• New regulations Operation of Towing Service Storage Lots (DC Municipal Regulations, Title 16, Section 405.8)*
• Copy of Letter Sent to all Auto Repair Businesses on April 29, 2009*
• Copy of Letter Sent to all Towing Service Storage Lots on April 29, 2009*

DCRA will enforce the new regulations for auto repair businesses in four stages: 

• In stage one, which ends May 31, 2009, DCRA will educate businesses and the public about the new regulations and encourage voluntary compliance. 
• In stage two, which begins June 1, 2009, and ends June 30, 2009, DCRA will enforce the new restrictions on off-premise repairs, as well as the restrictions on outdoor storage of motor vehicles. 
• In stage three, which begins July 1, 2009, DCRA will enforce the new restrictions on outdoor repairs, but not against dealers who have applied to DCRA for permits to make improvements that would correct their violations, such as building permits needed to construct garages in which to repair motor vehicles. 
• In stage four, which begins September 1, 2009, DCRA will begin enforcing against all violations of the new regulations.

DCRA will also enforce the new regulations for towing service lots in four stages: 

• In stage one, which ends May 31, 2009, DCRA will educate operators and the public about the new regulations and encourage voluntary compliance. 
• In stage two, which begins June 1, 2009, and ends June 30, 2009, DCRA will enforce the new restrictions on the permissible purposes for which vehicles may be stored or parked on towing lots, the new 60-day restriction on storing vehicles that have been towed for customers, and the requirement that vehicle parts and trash be properly stored. 
• In stage three, which begins July 1, 2009, DCRA will enforce the remainder of the new regulations, but not against operators who have applied to DCRA for permits to make improvements that would correct their violations, such as building permits needed to construct an office with heating, electricity, and a bathroom. 
• In stage four, which begins September 1, 2009, DCRA will begin enforcing against all violations of the new regulations.

Businesses who are unable to apply for necessary permits by July 1, 2009, or who are unable to come into full compliance by September 1, 2009, may request extensions of time, which DCRA will grant only for good cause shown.