State has a Far Right as Practicable Requirement

The District does not impose a bicycle-specific "far right as practicable" mandate distinct from the general rules of the road; a bicyclist has the same duties as any other vehicle operator except where Chapter 12 expressly provides otherwise, and riders are not required to stay out of the way of following motor traffic. The general-duties provision is 18 DCMR § 1201.1.

Allows Two Abreast Riding

The District permits bicyclists to ride two abreast on the roadway, except on paths or lanes exclusively for bicycles. Riders traveling two abreast must not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and must stay within a single lane.

Single File is Required

D.C. does not require bicyclists to ride single file; riders may travel two abreast within a single lane as long as they do not impede traffic.

Has a Safe Passing Law

D.C. requires motorists overtaking a bicyclist to provide a minimum of three feet of clearance — commonly called the District's Three-Foot Passing Law. The three-foot requirement is 18 DCMR § 2202.10.

Helmets are required on the road

Riders and passengers under age 16 must wear a helmet when operating or riding a bicycle. Parents or guardians may be fined for a child's violation, though the fine may be waived for a first offense or if a helmet is later obtained. There is no general helmet requirement for riders 16 or older.

If Bike Lanes are present, they are required ( except when unsafe )

D.C. does not require bicyclists to ride in a bike lane when one is available; cyclists may use ordinary travel lanes.

Riders may use the sidewalks

Sidewalk riding is generally allowed outside the Central Business District but prohibited within it; riders must yield to pedestrians and give an audible signal before passing. The sidewalk provisions are 18 DCMR § 1201.9 and § 1201.10.

Does the Impeding Statute Apply to Bikes

D.C. law does not impose a general requirement that a bicyclist move aside simply because a motor vehicle is following; bicycles are lawful vehicles entitled to use public streets, subject to the specific two-abreast provision requiring riders not to impede traffic when riding side by side.

Whether cyclists may treat stop signs as yield signs (the "Idaho stop").

Washington, D.C. has not adopted an Idaho Stop law. Bicyclists must obey stop signs, traffic signals, and other traffic-control devices the same as other vehicle operators.

Restrictions exist on e-bikes and usage

The District does not use the Class 1/2/3 e-bike system found in many states. Instead, D.C. Code defines a single "motorized bicycle" category: a pedal bicycle with a motor that cannot propel it faster than 20 mph on level ground. A device that exceeds that speed, or lacks functional pedals, does not qualify as a motorized bicycle and is regulated as a motor vehicle or a separate "electric mobility device" or "personal mobility device" instead.

Allows the concept of Contributory Negligence that allows any contributory fault resuls in 'no fault'

The District's common-law rule is pure contributory negligence — historically, any fault by the injured party, however small, could completely bar recovery. However, a statutory exception (the Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act, D.C. Code § 50-2204.52) protects "vulnerable users," including bicyclists, in collisions with motor vehicles: a cyclist's own negligence bars recovery only if it was a proximate cause of the injury and exceeded the combined negligence of all defendants — effectively a 51%-bar modified-comparative standard for cyclists, not the harsher common-law rule. Separately, a minor's failure to wear a helmet cannot be used as evidence of contributory negligence. "Vulnerable user" is defined for this subchapter in D.C. Code § 50-2204.51.