Washington Eviction Laws

Washington notice periods for ending a tenancy and starting an eviction, each as LeaseCraft read it in the statute at the official source, with its citation and read date (most recently ).

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Washington notice periods

Periods are as the statute states them: some are minimums, some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means there is no statutory period; "No pre-suit notice" means none is required before filing.

SituationNotice periodSource
Unpaid rent 14 days RCW 59.12.030(3); RCW 59.18.057(1); RCW 59.18.650(2)(a)
Read
Lease violation 10 days RCW 59.12.030(4); RCW 59.18.650(2)(b)
Read
Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure 3 days RCW 59.12.030(5); RCW 59.18.650(2)(c)
Read
Ending a month-to-month tenancy 20 days RCW 59.18.200(1)(a); RCW 59.12.030(2); RCW 59.18.650
Read
Tenant staying after the lease ends Lease controls RCW 59.12.030(1); RCW 59.18.650(1)(b),(c)
Read
Ending a week-to-week tenancy 20 days RCW 59.18.200(1)(a); RCW 59.18.650
Read

What the Washington statute says

Unpaid rent 14 days
  • Applies to tenancies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (chapter 59.18 RCW); non-RLTA tenancies keep the 3-day notice in RCW 59.12.030(3).
  • Notice must be 'in substantially the following form' set out in RCW 59.18.057(1) (pay-or-vacate form with itemized amounts, payment address, AG/2-1-1 legal-aid information).
  • Just-cause statute RCW 59.18.650(2)(a) independently requires the 14-day pay-or-vacate notice before eviction for nonpayment.
  • Service under RCW 59.12.040; when served by mail, five additional days must elapse before an action may be commenced (as amended 2025 c 44 / 2026 c 144).
Lease violation 10 days
  • Tenant may cure by performing the condition/covenant within 10 days after service of the notice (RCW 59.12.030(4)).
  • RCW 59.18.650(2)(b): the compliance date in the notice 'must be at least 10 days after service of the notice'.
Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure 3 days
  • Triggers: tenant commits or permits waste, sets up or carries on an unlawful business, or maintains a nuisance (RCW 59.12.030(5); RCW 59.18.650(2)(c)).
  • Other no-cure grounds under RCW 59.18.650 carry their own periods: 60 days' notice after four or more lease-violation notices in 12 months (2(n)); gang-related activity per RCW 59.18.130 (RCW 59.12.030(7)).
Ending a month-to-month tenancy 20 days
  • Since 2021 c 212 a LANDLORD may end a periodic tenancy only for a cause enumerated in RCW 59.18.650(2); the 20-day tenant-to-landlord notice in RCW 59.18.200(1)(a) no longer gives landlords a no-cause option.
  • Cause-specific landlord notice periods under RCW 59.18.650(2): 20 days (shared dwelling with owner, 2(i); end of rental term), 30 days (transitional housing, 2(j)), 60 days (fixed-term non-renewal 1(b)/(c); other good cause 2(m); repeated violations 2(n)), 90 days (owner/immediate family move-in 2(d); sale of single-family residence 2(e)), 120 days (demolition/substantial rehab/change of use/condo conversion, RCW 59.18.200(2)).
  • RCW 59.12.030(2) still frames the unlawful-detainer ground as notice served 'more than 20 days prior to the end of such month or period'.
Tenant staying after the lease ends Lease controls
  • RCW 59.12.030(1): a tenant holding over after expiration of a term is guilty of unlawful detainer without notice; but under RCW 59.18.650(1)(b)-(c) an RLTA landlord may treat a fixed term as expired only after 60 days' advance written notice (else the tenancy continues month to month).
Ending a week-to-week tenancy 20 days
  • RCW 59.18.200(1)(a) treats any tenancy with periodic rent as 'from period to period' ending on 20 days' written notice preceding the end of a period; no separate shorter period for week-to-week.

Just cause, delivery, form and local rules in Washington

How the notice may be delivered

RCW 59.12.040: personal delivery to the tenant; or, if absent from the usual place of abode, leaving a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion there AND mailing a copy; or, if no such person is found, affixing a copy in a conspicuous place on the premises AND mailing a copy; when service is made by mail, five additional days must be allowed before an action is commenced; proof by affidavit of the server.

  • 2025 c 44 (HB 1003, eff. 2025-07-27) changed the mail rule to five additional days and required certified mail; 2026 c 144 (HB 2664, eff. 2026-06-11) removed the certified-mail requirement (regular mail, posted from within the state, postage prepaid).

RCW 59.12.040 (history 2026 c 144 s 1; 2025 c 44 s 1; 2021 c 115 s 14) · read

Required form or contents

Mandatory: every 14-day pay-or-vacate notice under RCW 59.12.030(3) 'must be in substantially the following form' set out in RCW 59.18.057(1), itemizing rent/utilities/other charges due, total, payment deadline, where and how to pay, eviction warning, right-to-counsel statement and AG/2-1-1 legal-aid contact information; AG translations at https://www.atg.wa.gov/landlord-tenant. Rent-increase notices must follow RCW 59.18.720 (2025 c 209).

RCW 59.18.057(1) (history 2023 c 336 s 3; 2021 c 115 s 10; 2020 c 315 s 2; 2019 c 356 s 3); RCW 59.18.720 · read

Statewide just-cause rule

Yes: a statewide law requires a stated legal reason to end some tenancies

  • Covered housing: all tenancies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (chapter 59.18 RCW); a landlord 'may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes enumerated in subsection (2)'.
  • Exemptions/limits: a landlord may end a 6-12 month initial fixed term, or a 12+ month fixed term, without cause on 60 days' advance written notice (RCW 59.18.650(1)(b),(c)); shared-dwelling and transitional-housing situations have their own 20/30-day grounds; the remaining-occupant provision does not apply to subsidized housing (RCW 59.18.650(3)).

RCW 59.18.650 (2021 c 212 s 2) · read

City and county rules

Could not verify LeaseCraft has not verified this at the official source (Seattle SMC 22.206.160 (Just Cause Eviction Ordinance)), so this page states no rule.

For Washington landlords

  • Find the period for your situation in the table above and count it from the day the notice is delivered.
  • Deliver the notice the way Washington law allows and keep a record of how and when.
  • A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant.

For Washington tenants

  • Compare the notice you received with the period for its situation in the table above and the date it reached you.
  • A notice is not a court order. If a case is filed, the court papers say how and by when to respond.
  • Local legal aid and tenant organizations can explain your options.

How an eviction generally proceeds

A general outline, not Washington law: the steps, their names and their deadlines differ by state and court. The Washington rules LeaseCraft has verified are the ones above.

  1. Written notice. The landlord gives the notice the situation calls for and waits out its period.
  2. Court filing. If the tenant has not paid, cured or left, the landlord files an eviction case in court.
  3. Hearing. Both sides can be heard; the tenant may raise defenses such as an improper notice.
  4. Judgment. The court decides who has the right to the property.
  5. Removal. If the court rules for the landlord, removal follows its order. A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant.

Washington eviction questions

  • 14 days, under RCW 59.12.030(3); RCW 59.18.057(1); RCW 59.18.650(2)(a). Applies to tenancies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (chapter 59.18 RCW); non-RLTA tenancies keep the 3-day notice in RCW 59.12.030(3). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.

  • 10 days, under RCW 59.12.030(4); RCW 59.18.650(2)(b). Tenant may cure by performing the condition/covenant within 10 days after service of the notice (RCW 59.12.030(4)). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.

  • 20 days, under RCW 59.18.200(1)(a); RCW 59.12.030(2); RCW 59.18.650. Since 2021 c 212 a LANDLORD may end a periodic tenancy only for a cause enumerated in RCW 59.18.650(2); the 20-day tenant-to-landlord notice in RCW 59.18.200(1)(a) no longer gives landlords a no-cause option. LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.

  • RCW 59.12.040: personal delivery to the tenant; or, if absent from the usual place of abode, leaving a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion there AND mailing a copy; or, if no such person is found, affixing a copy in a conspicuous place on the premises AND mailing a copy; when service is made by mail, five additional days must be allowed before an action is commenced; proof by affidavit of the server. Source: RCW 59.12.040 (history 2026 c 144 s 1; 2025 c 44 s 1; 2021 c 115 s 14). 2025 c 44 (HB 1003, eff. 2025-07-27) changed the mail rule to five additional days and required certified mail; 2026 c 144 (HB 2664, eff. 2026-06-11) removed the certified-mail requirement (regular mail, posted from within the state, postage prepaid). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.

  • Yes: a statewide law requires a stated legal reason to end some tenancies, under RCW 59.18.650 (2021 c 212 s 2). Covered housing: all tenancies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (chapter 59.18 RCW); a landlord 'may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes enumerated in subsection (2)'. LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.

  • 20 days, under RCW 59.18.200(1)(a); RCW 59.18.650. RCW 59.18.200(1)(a) treats any tenancy with periodic rent as 'from period to period' ending on 20 days' written notice preceding the end of a period; no separate shorter period for week-to-week. LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.

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Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.