This title shall apply only to an estate of a decedent who died on or after January 1, 1981. Title 20 of the D.C. Official Code enacted by virtue of An Act To enact Part III of the District of Columbia Code, entitled "Decedents' Estates and Fiduciary Relations", codifying the general and permanent laws relating to decedents' estates and fiduciary relations in the District of Columbia, approved September 14, 1965 (79 Stat. 703), and An Act To amend chapter 19 of title 20 of the District of Columbia Code to provide for distribution of a minor's share in a decedent's personal estate where the share does not exceed the value of $1,000, approved August 11, 1971 (85 Stat. 307), shall apply to an estate of a decedent who died before January 1, 1981.
D.C. Code § 20-109