On Feb. 3, the D.C. Council approved a bill that would stop landlords from evicting tenants on days when the temperature is expected to hit 95 degrees or higher.
The Extreme Heat Eviction Protection Act of 2025 was first introduced by Councilmember Janeese Lewis George last March and has been slowly making its way through the council. At a public hearing for the bill on Nov.20, legal advocates spoke about how extreme weather affects housing in the District and testified in support of the bill, though representatives for housing providers opposed it.
The bill helps to mirror the protections already put in place during hypothermia season, when evictions are prohibited in dangerously cold weather. In advocating for the bill, Lewis George emphasized that extreme heat can be just as deadly as the cold. “DC law already extends these same protections to tenants in below-freezing temperatures, with the recognition that housing is the first line of protection against extreme temperatures,” she wrote in her November newsletter about the bill. Lewis George continued, “The bill would take a simple step that would make a big difference, pausing evictions on any day when temperatures rise above 95 degrees by 8 a.m.”
After the public hearing, the bill moved through the council’s usual process. It was reviewed in committee, and no councilmembers spoke against it. When the bill came up for a final vote at the Feb. 3 legislative meeting, all councilmembers present voted yes. With council approval, the bill now goes to the mayor for review before it can take effect. If approved, supporters hope it will give tenants more stability during heat waves and prevent people from having to be outside during unsafe weather.
“Extreme heat kills,” wrote Lewis George in her newsletter, “and we know that unhoused residents and those without adequate resources face the greatest risk.”
This article originally appeared in Street Sense’s Feb. 11, 2026 edition.
