When Police Are Called To A House
RCW 10.31.100 — arrest within four hours of a family or intimate partner assault, of the primary aggressor
Four hours. An officer arrests a person eighteen years or older who, within the preceding four hours, assaulted a family or household member or intimate partner, where the officer believes a felonious assault occurred, an assault caused bodily injury whether observable or not, or a physical action was intended to cause fear of imminent serious bodily injury or death.
Not both. When the officer has probable cause that family or household members or intimate partners assaulted each other, the officer is not required to arrest both, and arrests the person the officer believes to be the primary aggressor.
Protection orders. An officer also arrests without a warrant on probable cause that a person with knowledge of a domestic violence protection order, or similar order, violated its restraint or exclusion provisions.
The offenses themselves, protective orders, and release conditions are set out in other sections that are not on this page. What happens in a particular case is a question for a licensed Washington attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- RCW 10.31.100 — Arrest without warrant
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Washington attorney.