If your building permit or Certificate of Occupancy is being held up by DC’s Green Area Ratio (GAR) requirement, you need a landscape design that hits your required GAR score — and gets built the way it was designed, so it actually passes final inspection. DMV Horticulture designs and installs GAR-compliant landscape elements for architects, engineers, developers, and property owners across Washington, DC.
DMV Horticulture designs and installs Green Area Ratio elements for projects across every DC ward.
What Is DC’s Green Area Ratio (GAR) Requirement?
The Green Area Ratio is DOEE’s standard for landscape and site design on new construction, additions, and renovations that require a Certificate of Occupancy. Your GAR score is calculated from a mix of landscape elements — plantings, green roofs, permeable pavers, bioretention, and more — each weighted by a multiplier, divided by your lot area. Every zoning district has its own minimum GAR score, and DOEE won’t sign off on occupancy until your site meets it.
When You Need GAR Design Help
- Your civil or landscape plans don’t hit the minimum GAR score required for your zoning district
- You need a designer who understands which landscape elements carry the highest multipliers for your site
- Installed landscape elements need a Certified Landscape Expert (CLE) sign-off before Certificate of Occupancy
- An architect or engineer needs a GAR-literate landscape partner before drawings go to permit review
- A previous GAR design was rejected or came in under the required score
What’s Included
- GAR score calculation and gap analysis against your zoning district’s minimum
- Landscape design using the highest-value elements for your site: green roofs, vegetative walls, native plantings, permeable pavers, bioretention features, and other DOEE-approved stormwater solutions
- Installation, coordinated with your construction schedule
- CLE-ready documentation for Certificate of Occupancy sign-off
- Coordination with tree preservation requirements when GAR and tree protection overlap on the same site
- Soil decompaction (subsoiling with pine fines backfill) and tilling the top 12″ before planting, so roots and stormwater can actually get through compacted soil
GAR Projects We’ve Completed in DC
Our Process
Send us your site plan and current GAR score (or tell us you don’t have one yet). We calculate what’s needed to hit your zoning district’s minimum, design a landscape that gets there without blowing your budget, and install it to match the approved plan — so what DOEE inspects matches what was designed.
Why DMV Horticulture
Green Area Ratio by DMV Horticulture is led by Todd Krellner, who works GAR compliance from both sides: as a certified arborist who understands tree-related landscape elements, and as a landscape contractor who actually installs what gets designed. Because we also handle Tree Preservation Plans, projects that need both get one point of contact instead of two consultants who don’t talk to each other.
Green Area Ratio DC: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Green Area Ratio score? There’s no universal “good” score — each DC zoning district sets its own minimum GAR requirement. We calculate your specific target before designing anything.
Does GAR apply to my renovation? All new buildings requiring a Certificate of Occupancy must comply with GAR, along with additions or interior renovations where the cost of construction exceeds 100% of the assessed building value within any 12-month period. Most properties in R and RF residential zones, plus single-family homes, are generally exempt — we can confirm applicability for your project.
What counts toward my GAR score? Landscape elements like native plantings, green roofs, permeable pavers, bioretention features, and vegetative walls each carry a different multiplier. The right mix depends on your site’s size, shading, and structural constraints.
Do I need a Certified Landscape Expert (CLE) stamp? Yes — DOEE requires a CLE to sign off that installed GAR elements match the approved design before Certificate of Occupancy. See our CLE Priority Review if you need that sign-off fast.
Can GAR and tree preservation be handled together? Yes, and on many DC projects they should be — tree canopy and root zones directly affect which GAR elements are feasible where. We coordinate both under one plan.
Service Area
We design and install GAR-compliant landscapes for properties throughout Washington, DC — including Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Cleveland Park, Petworth, Adams Morgan, Chevy Chase, Shaw, Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Brookland, Bloomingdale, and Foxhall.
Get In Touch Today
Call or text 443-934-0871 or email info@greenarearatio.com to discuss your Green Area Ratio project.