The DC.Gov web portal was developed to provide 24-hour access to government services, support a new channel of information to and from residents, and integrate agency services. It is important that all agency websites on the portal present a unified, consistent presence to enhance usability for web visitors.

Web Style

The District of Columbia Web Style Guide is designed to give District agency web authors clear, up-to-date, and easy-to-use information for writing or editing documents, memos, presentations, and other online content.

It reflects the accepted guidelines and format authorized for the DC.Gov web portal and provides guidance on punctuation, capitalization, spelling, terminology, word or formatting usage, names, numbers, bullets, hyphenation, abbreviations, acronyms, and more. New items will be added as the content editing process continues to develop.

All District employees who produce written materials for internal and public use or contribute to the DC.Gov web portal will find the style guide useful.

Download a copy of the Web Style Guide^[PDF] or contact the OCTO Web Team at (202) 727-2727 or send comments if you have any style questions.

District Web Interface Standards

Web standards help streamline the DC portal development process, standardize the District's face to the world, and maximize the web experience for users.

The standards guides provide specific standards regarding appropriate content for the website; font sizes and styles; photos and graphics; Disability Act 508 standards; posting requests; forms and new applications; technical specifications; and more.

The DC.Gov web portal is transitioning to a new look and feel. Throughout this time, we will publish revised standards for the new portal.

Information regarding web development service level agreements, training and publishing procedures is available on the OCTO Web Team Intranet website. Please note: this site is only accessible to District government employees.