The Law: D.C. Lemon Law and the Consumer Protection Procedures Act

The District of Columbia’s lemon law — the Automobile Consumer Protection Act, D.C. Code § 50-501 to § 50-510 — delivers a refund or replacement through the District’s Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration, and it links to one of the nation’s strongest consumer statutes: the Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA), which awards treble damages or $1,500 per violation (whichever is greater), plus attorney fees and punitive damages. Federal Magnuson-Moss completes the toolkit.

The three pillars

1. D.C. Lemon Law (Automobile Consumer Protection Act) — § 50-501 to § 50-510. A one-safety-attempt / four-attempt / 30-day presumption; an 18,000-mile or two-year window; a consumer-elected refund or replacement; a 12,000-mile free-band use offset; mandatory Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration (§ 50-503); and a four-year deadline to sue (§ 50-507).
2. Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA) — D.C. Code § 28-3901 et seq., with the private remedy at § 28-3905(k): treble damages or $1,500 per violation, whichever is greater, reasonable attorney fees, punitive damages, and injunctive relief.
3. Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act — 15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq. Civil court; § 2310(d)(2) attorney fees; federal-court access (D.D.C.).

D.C. pairs a consumer-friendly lemon law with a CPPA that is among the most powerful UDAP statutes in the country.

Topics in this section

• D.C. Lemon Law statute (§ 50-501) — Eligibility, the 18,000-mile/two-year window, the presumption, the consumer-elected remedy, and the 12,000-mile free-band offset.
• Consumer Protection Procedures Act (§ 28-3905) — Treble or $1,500/violation, attorney fees, and punitive damages.
• Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act — Federal overlay and fee hook.
• Repair-attempt presumption — The one-safety-attempt, four-attempt, and 30-day thresholds.
• Statute of limitations — The four-year deadline and the CPPA and Magnuson-Moss clocks.

Why three statutes instead of one

The Lemon Law delivers refund or replacement through arbitration. The CPPA adds:

• Treble damages or $1,500 per violation, whichever is greater (§ 28-3905(k)).
• Reasonable attorney fees and punitive damages.
• Injunctive relief for unlawful trade practices.

Magnuson-Moss adds federal-court access (D.D.C.), § 2310(d)(2) fees, and a parallel runway.

How they interact procedurally

1. Report the defect within the 18,000-mile/two-year window and document repair attempts (one safety attempt, four general, or 30 days).
2. File with the Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration — the mandatory first forum (§ 50-502, § 50-503).
3. Civil action — Superior Court of D.C. (or D.D.C.), pairing the lemon law with the CPPA and Magnuson-Moss, within the four-year window (§ 50-507).

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