College and high-school name, image & likeness rules for District of Columbia (DC) — at a glance, in plain English. Not legal advice; confirm with a compliance office before acting.
At a glance
NIL in District of Columbia today.
College NIL: Legal (state law). High-school NIL: Allowed, per District NIL law + DCSAA (HS). NIL collectives: operating. Deal-disclosure threshold: Not specified. Governing statute: Uniform College Athlete Name, Image, or Likeness Act of 2022, as amended by the Uniform College Athlete Name, Image, or Likeness Act Amendment Act of 2025 (D.C. Official Code sec. 38-1631.01 et seq.; D.C. Law 24-245, Title II, as amended by D.C. Law 26-86 (B26-0175)), amended, effective February 2023. High-school governance: District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA). Last reviewed October 2026 — this is a plain-English overview pending verification, not legal advice.
What to know
How the rules play out in District of Columbia.
D.C. now has an active college NIL statute, and a 2025 amendment effective February 2026 lets schools and conferences help arrange or directly pay for NIL deals — confirm the current rules with a school's compliance office before relying on this summary. DCSAA's high-school NIL policy generally allows endorsement deals as long as DCSAA is notified and school branding stays out of it; verify current requirements with the DCSAA or an athletic director. College NIL in the District now layers the local statute together with NCAA rules and the House settlement's revenue-sharing and NIL Go clearinghouse review, so confirm how a specific school is applying all three before assuming a deal is cleared.
Who governs NIL in the District
The District of Columbia has its own college NIL statute: the Uniform College Athlete Name, Image, or Likeness Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-245), codified at D.C. Official Code section 38-1631.01 et seq. For most of its life the law mainly protected athletes from being restricted by their school, conference, or athletic association and regulated NIL agents, while barring the institutions themselves from paying athletes or helping arrange deals. A 2025 amendment act, effective February 3, 2026, removed that institutional-involvement ban: District colleges, conferences, and athletic associations may now help a college athlete select, arrange, or pay a NIL agent, and may compensate athletes directly for NIL, bringing District law in line with the national House v. NCAA settlement framework.
What the law allows and restricts
Beyond the 2025 institutional-involvement changes, the core rights and limits from the 2022 Act are still in force:
An institution, conference, or athletic association may not prevent or restrict a college athlete from earning NIL compensation, signing NIL agreements, or using a NIL agent.
NIL compensation may not be used to induce an athlete to enroll at, keep attending, or transfer to a particular school, and it may not be payment for athletic performance or participation itself.
NIL agents working with a District college athlete must follow the chapter's registration and contract-disclosure rules, including notifying the athlete's institution.
An institution or college athlete adversely affected by a violation has a civil cause of action for damages, reasonable attorney's fees, and court costs.
High-school rules (DCSAA)
The DCSAA's Do's and Don'ts Guide to NIL sets out the association's published rules for D.C. high schoolers:
You must notify DCSAA of any commercial or marketing endorsements.
You cannot wear your team uniform or use content with your school or DCSAA logos in NIL activities.
You can be compensated for almost anything, but you cannot be compensated for athletic participation or achievement, and current or prospective student-athletes cannot be paid for enrolling at or staying at a certain school.
Every deal needs a quid pro quo: you must actually be doing something, such as an ad, appearance, or post, for the compensation.
You can use a professional service provider such as an agent, tax advisor, attorney, or brand manager, as long as they are not representing you for professional athletic opportunities.
The practical read
A D.C. high schooler can take endorsement and social-media deals today as long as school and DCSAA identity stay out of the content, the DCSAA is notified of the deal, and the compensation pays for work rather than wins or enrollment. A D.C. college athlete's NIL deals now run through two layers at once: the District's own statute, which as of February 2026 lets a school or conference help arrange or even directly pay for NIL, and the NCAA or House settlement structure, under which third-party deals of 600 dollars or more are reported through the NIL Go clearinghouse and schools may share a capped amount of revenue directly with athletes.
What's moving
The institutional-pay provisions are brand new as of February 2026, so how Georgetown, George Washington, Howard, and American actually implement direct payments and agent assistance is still taking shape. Confirm current practice with a specific school's compliance office rather than assuming the statute alone settles the details.
Go deeper
Compare states, then run your numbers.
Compare District of Columbia with every other state in the NIL Rules by State tracker, estimate your take-home on NIL income with the free NIL Tax Calculator, and see what your name, image, and likeness is actually worth with HDBND's free athlete tools.
Frequently asked questions
Is college NIL legal in District of Columbia?
Yes — college athletes in District of Columbia can earn from their name, image, and likeness. Status: Legal (state law). District of Columbia has its own NIL statute layered on top of NCAA policy and the House settlement. Confirm the current rules with each school's compliance office.
Can high school athletes earn NIL in District of Columbia?
High-school NIL status in District of Columbia: Allowed, per District NIL law + DCSAA (HS). It's generally permitted under the association's amateurism and recruiting guardrails. This is a general overview, not legal advice.
Do athletes have to disclose NIL deals in District of Columbia?
The working disclosure threshold here is "Not specified." Under the House settlement, third-party deals at or above $600 at participating schools go to the NIL Go clearinghouse for review; some schools ask for every deal. Confirm your school's exact process.
Do D.C. high school athletes have to tell anyone about their NIL deals?
Yes. The DCSAA's published policy says athletes must notify the association of any commercial or marketing endorsements, with no minimum dollar amount mentioned, which is stricter in scope than the college-side 600 dollar clearinghouse threshold. Confirm the current notification process with your athletic director and the DCSAA before your deal starts.
Does D.C.'s own law now let colleges pay athletes directly for NIL?
Yes. A 2025 amendment to the District's Uniform College Athlete NIL Act, effective February 3, 2026, removed the prior ban on institutions and conferences compensating athletes or helping arrange a NIL agent, aligning District law with the national House settlement framework. Confirm how a specific D.C. school is implementing this with its athletics compliance office, since the practice is still new.
Can a D.C. high schooler use an agent for NIL work?
Yes, per the DCSAA guide you can use professional service providers such as agents, tax advisors, marketing consultants, attorneys, and brand managers for NIL activities, as long as they are not representing you for professional athletic opportunities. That professional-representation line matters for keeping amateur and future college eligibility. Verify any representation arrangement with your school and the DCSAA first.