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Is it legal to record a call in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia is a one-party consent state for recording conversations. In a one-party consent state, a party to the conversation may record it.

The statute

a person acting under color of law to intercept a wire or oral communication, where such person is a party to the communication, or where one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to such interception; or (3) a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire or oral communication, where such person is a party to the communication, or where one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to such interception, unless such communication is intercepted for the purpose of committing any criminal or tortious act in

D.C. Code 23-542(b)(3). Last verified 2026-07-03.source

Sources

Important

This page is general information, not legal advice. Recording laws have edge cases that this summary does not cover, including in-person versus phone recording, calls that cross state lines, and law-enforcement exceptions. Laws change. Confirm the current statute at the official source linked below, and consult your own counsel before relying on it.