Recording
RCW 9.73.030 — every party's consent for a private conversation, and an announcement counts
Washington requires the consent of all the participants. In Washington, it is unlawful to record a private communication by phone or other device, or a private conversation, without first obtaining the consent of all the participants. A violation is a gross misdemeanor.
Consent is considered obtained when one party announces to all the others, in any reasonably effective manner, that the conversation is about to be recorded, and when it is recorded, the announcement is recorded too.
One party's consent is enough for calls or conversations of an emergency nature, ones conveying threats of extortion, blackmail or bodily harm, and anonymous or repeated calls or ones at an extremely inconvenient hour. The rule reaches private conversations; the statute's word is private.
Sources for this section (2)
- RCW 9.73.030 — Intercepting, recording, or divulging private communication; consent required
- RCW 9.73.080 — Privacy violations; penalties
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Washington attorney.