§ 22–1341. Unlawful entry of a motor vehicle.

(a) It is unlawful to enter or be inside of the motor vehicle of another person without the permission of the owner or person lawfully in charge of the motor vehicle. A person who violates this subsection shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, imprisoned for not more than 90 days, or both.

(b) Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to:

(1) An employee of the District government in connection with his or her official duties;

(2) A tow crane operator who has valid authorization from the District government or from the property owner on whose property the motor vehicle is illegally parked; or

(3) A person with a security interest in the motor vehicle who is legally authorized to seize the motor vehicle.

(c) For the purposes of this section, the term “enter the motor vehicle” means to insert any part of one’s body into any part of the motor vehicle, including the passenger compartment, the trunk or cargo area, or the engine compartment.

[(d)] A violation of § 35-252 shall not constitute a violation of this section.

(Dec. 10, 2009, D.C. Law 18-88, § 102, 56 DCR 7413; June 11, 2013, D.C. Law 19-317, § 213(b), 60 DCR 2064; May 3, 2019, D.C. Law 22-310, § 2, 66 DCR 1395.)

Section References

This section is referenced in § 23-581.

Effect of Amendments

The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 19-317 substituted “not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01” for “not more than $500” in (a).

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 102 of Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-181, August 6, 2009, 56 DCR 6903).

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 102 of Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-227, October 21, 2009, 56 DCR 8668).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 213(b) of the Criminal Fine Proportionality Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-45, April 1, 2013, 60 DCR 5400, 20 DCSTAT 1300).

Editor's Notes

Applicability of D.C. Law 19-317: Section 401 of D.C. Law 19-317 provided that the act shall apply only to offenses committed on or after June 11, 2013.