A cooking facility is a component of a dwelling unit as defined in 11 DCMR § B-100.2: 

Dwelling Unit: One (1) or more habitable rooms comprising complete independent living facilities for one (1) or more persons, and including within those rooms permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation.  A dwelling unit is intended for a single household.  

A permanently attached stove appliance has long been considered a cooking facility which establishes a kitchen.  The Zoning Administrator had previously determined that an appliance containing a thermal oven makes the appliance a stove and that a permanently affixed microwave is not a stove.  However, a question arose as to whether a permanently affixed cooktop appliance without an oven constitutes a stove.   

The Zoning Administrator has determined that a stove may consist of a permanently affixed cooktop appliance with two (2) or more burners where the power supply to the cooktop is served by an: 

• Electrical connection with a minimum of a 220-240 Volts; or  

• A natural gas line 

For purposes of the above, a stove does not include other appliances that are not permanently affixed or which require an electrical power source of 110-220 Volts, such as a free-standing or “plug and go” appliance [microwave, crock pot, or other “counter top” appliance].