D.C. Code § 5-119.01

This is the official text of D.C. Code § 5-119.01, part of District of Columbia’s Code — part of the compiled statutory law of District of Columbia, published by the state as "Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§ 5-119.01. Property Clerk office created; definitions.

Official statutory text

(a) There shall be an office of the Metropolitan Police District known as the Office of the Property Clerk. The Property Clerk shall be a member of the Metropolitan Police force. The staff shall consist of civilians who are not members of the Metropolitan Police force, except that police officers may provide security for lost, stolen, or abandoned property held by the office.
(b) For purposes of §§ 5-119.02 through 5-119.10 and §§ 5-119.12 through 5-119.18 :
(1) The term “lost property” means any personal property, tangible or intangible, except a motor vehicle, the owner of which is unknown and which has been casually or involuntarily parted with through negligence, carelessness, or inadvertence.
(2) The term “finder of lost property” means any person other than a public officer of the Metropolitan Police Department who has found lost property.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in District of Columbia?

Find a District of Columbia lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.