EVERY DEADLINE
26 periods Washington law measures, gathered out of the file and put in order, shortest first. Each one says what starts it, whose period it is, and what the law attaches to it. The shortest here is 24 hours. The longest is at least 3 years.
Every period on this page is stated by a section of the file and carries that section's own authority. None of it is a calculation: a period that turns on facts, on service, or on a court's discretion is described the way the section describes it and no further.
26 deadlines
Traffic stops1
4 days
The driver's written crash report
- From
- The crash
- Whose
- The driver
A driver in a crash with injury, death or property damage at or above the amount the state patrol sets makes a written report within four days, unless an officer makes one.
Court and money21
24 hours
Starting repairs for lost water, heat or electricity
- From
- The tenant's written notice
- Whose
- The landlord
Where the condition leaves the tenant without hot or cold water, heat or electricity, or is imminently hazardous to life, the landlord starts the repair within twenty four hours.
2 days
The landlord's notice before entering
- From
- The landlord's written notice
- Whose
- The landlord
Except in an emergency or where it is impracticable, the landlord gives at least two days' written notice, stating the time and a number to call, and enters only at reasonable times; to show the unit to buyers or tenants, one day's notice is enough.
3 days
Cancelling an installment sale made away from the store
- From
- Signing
- Whose
- The buyer
Notice goes to the seller's place of business by certified mail, return receipt requested, posted not later than midnight of the third day after signing, not counting Sundays and holidays; the clock counts every day, so its date is never later than the law's.
72 hours
Starting repairs to a supplied appliance or major fixture
- From
- The tenant's written notice
- Whose
- The landlord
Where the condition leaves the tenant without a refrigerator, range and oven, or a major plumbing fixture the landlord supplied, the landlord starts the repair within seventy two hours.
At least 3 days
The notice to quit for waste, nuisance or unlawful activity
- From
- Service of the written notice
- Whose
- The landlord
For waste, nuisance, or unlawful activity affecting the premises, the landlord gives at least three days' written notice to quit.
At least 5 days before
A name change application by a person under corrections supervision
- From
- The order changing the name
- Whose
- The applicant
A person under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections gives the department a copy of the application not fewer than five days before an order.
5 business days
The agency's first response to a records request
- From
- The agency receiving the request
- Whose
- The agency
Within five business days the agency provides the record, provides a link to it, acknowledges the request with a reasonable estimate of the time it needs, asks for clarification of an unclear request, or denies it.
At least 10 days
Fixing a breach of a material lease term
- From
- Service of the written notice
- Whose
- The tenant
For a breach of a material term other than money, the written notice requires the breach be fixed by a date at least 10 days after service.
10 days
Starting any other repair
- From
- The tenant's written notice
- Whose
- The landlord
For any other condition the landlord is responsible for, the landlord starts the repair within ten days of the written notice.
10 days
The seller's refund after a cancellation
- From
- The cancellation
- Whose
- The seller
After a cancellation, the seller, without being asked, refunds within ten days all deposits and down payments, and returns any trade in less reasonable costs of making it ready for sale.
14 days
The notice to pay or vacate
- From
- Service of the notice
- Whose
- The tenant
For unpaid rent, utilities or recurring charges, the notice is a 14 day notice to pay or vacate, in the form the statute sets out.
At least 20 days before
The tenant's notice ending a tenancy for a specified time
- From
- The tenancy's ending date
- Whose
- The tenant
A tenant may end a tenancy for a specified time by written notice not less than 20 days before its ending date.
30 days
Appealing an unemployment determination
- From
- The date of notification or mailing, whichever is earlier
- Whose
- The claimant or the employer
An appeal from a determination is filed with the appeal tribunal within thirty days.
30 days
The landlord's statement on the deposit
- From
- The agreement ending and the tenant moving out
- Whose
- The landlord
The landlord gives a full and specific statement of the basis for keeping any of the deposit, with copies of estimates or invoices for damage charges, and any refund due; mailing it within the 30 days to the tenant's last known address complies.
40 calendar days
Replacement or repurchase under the lemon law
- From
- The consumer's written request
- Whose
- The manufacturer
When a manufacturer cannot fix a nonconformity after a reasonable number of attempts, it replaces or repurchases the vehicle, at the consumer's option, within forty calendar days of the written request.
60 days
Appealing a Department of Labor and Industries order
- From
- The day the order was communicated
- Whose
- The worker, employer or other person aggrieved
A notice of appeal from a department order, decision or award is filed with the board and the director within sixty days.
90 days
Ending a lease after domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment or stalking
- From
- The act or event behind the order or report
- Whose
- The tenant
The request comes within ninety days of the act or event, and the tenant owes no rent after the last day of the month of moving out.
90 calendar days
Using paid sick leave at a new job
- From
- The first day of employment
- Whose
- The employee
Every employee accrues at least one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours worked, and may use it from the ninetieth calendar day of employment.
6 months
A complaint to the Human Rights Commission
- From
- The alleged act of discrimination
- Whose
- The person aggrieved
A complaint is filed within six months after the alleged act, except that a complaint of pregnancy discrimination or one about a real estate transaction has one year.
1 year
Filing a workers' compensation claim
- From
- The day of the injury
- Whose
- The worker
No claim is valid unless filed within one year after the day of the injury, except as the sections the statute names provide.
1 year
Suing over a public records request
- From
- The agency's claim of exemption or last production
- Whose
- The requester
An action to enforce the act is filed within one year of the agency's claim of exemption or its last production of a record.
Carrying a firearm1
30 days
Issuing a concealed pistol license
- From
- The application
- Whose
- The chief of police or sheriff
The chief of police or sheriff issues a license, good for five years, to an eligible applicant within thirty days after the application.
Charges and penalties1
At least 3 years
Vacating a misdemeanor conviction
- From
- Release from supervision or confinement, or the sentencing date, whichever is later
- Whose
- The person convicted
For most misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors, this much time has to have passed before applying to the sentencing court, with no new conviction in the three years before applying.
How you carry yourself2
60 calendar days
The wait after a claim against a local government
- From
- Presenting the claim
- Whose
- The person with the claim
No lawsuit may be started until sixty calendar days after the claim is first presented on the standard tort claim form, and the limitation period is tolled during those sixty days.
3 years
Suing for an injury to the person
- From
- The injury
- Whose
- The person injured
An action for any other injury to the person or rights of another not listed elsewhere is commenced within three years.
MyRightz is legal education, not legal advice. Nothing here creates an attorney client relationship. Applying the law to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Washington attorney.