A separate, much shorter first step
A personal injury claim against the District of Columbia government still follows the general three-year statute of limitations under D.C. Code § 12-301 for actually filing the lawsuit. But before that lawsuit can proceed, written notice of the claim must reach the Mayor within just six months of the injury, under D.C. Code § 12-309(a) — a considerably shorter window than the three-year filing deadline most people associate with DC.
A genuinely convenient shortcut
Here's the detail worth knowing: this notice requirement can be satisfied by providing the Mayor with a copy of a written D.C. Metropolitan Police Department report covering the incident, rather than requiring a separate, custom-drafted notice document. If police responded to the incident and filed a report — a car accident involving a DC government vehicle, for example — that report itself can do the job, provided it's actually gotten to the Mayor's office within the six-month window.
Why this genuinely matters
Because six months is dramatically shorter than the three-year deadline that applies to the underlying lawsuit, it's entirely possible to lose the right to sue the District government while still believing there's plenty of time left under the rule most people have heard of. Anyone whose injury might involve the DC government in any way — a public road, a government vehicle, a public building, a District employee acting within the scope of their duties — should treat the six-month window as the truly operative deadline, not the familiar three-year figure.
Two separate requirements, not one
It's worth being precise: satisfying the six-month notice requirement doesn't itself file the lawsuit, and it doesn't extend the three-year deadline for actually doing so. Both requirements exist independently — the notice has to reach the Mayor in time, and the lawsuit itself still has to be filed within the general three-year period.
This is specific to the District government
This six-month notice rule applies specifically to claims against the District of Columbia government itself. It doesn't apply to claims against a private driver, business, or other individual defendant, which follow the ordinary three-year rule without this additional notice step.