The District of Columbia enacted the Quick Acquisition of Abandoned and Nuisance Property Act. This act provides the Mayor authority to file petition in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to alleviate nuisance and blight conditions on abandoned properties. The petition may seek to condemn, take possession, or take title to abandoned properties. Upon filing petition, the Mayor must deposit with the court, fair market value of the abandoned property and file notice of the petition with the recorder of deeds. If the fair market value of the property is determined to be less than the cost of public charges, taxes, and other assessments regarding the abandoned property, the District is entitled to judgment for the difference of the sun of those charges and the estimated value of the property. After Court takes title to an abandoned property, the Mayor may request that the Court name a public or quasi-public corporation, designated by the District, to take title to the property.

The Mayor may also acquire a residential dwelling unit or other structure by purchase, lease, condemnation, gift, or other legal means, for development and redevelopment, including the renovation, rehabilitation, and disposition, if the Mayor has determined that: the dwelling has deteriorated to the point to constitute a menace to public health, that the condition is likely to continue unless corrected, the condition is affecting surrounding properties, and a finding that the owner has failed to fix the condition himself. Upon a determination that the building is a menace to public health, the mayor must give notice to the building owner by posting a sign on the building. Within 30 days of the posted notice, the Mayor shall send notice via mail, to the recorded owners, and publish the notice in a newspaper for three consecutive days. Thirty days of the notice, the mayor may initiate abatement, unless the owner has filed an appeal Superior Court.