Washington Notice to Vacate

Washington notice periods

Each period is the one LeaseCraft's record of the statute holds. Read it with the conditions under it: some periods are minimums and some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means the record holds no statutory period for that situation, and "No pre-suit notice" means it holds no notice before filing. The source column shows the law and the date LeaseCraft read it on the official site (most recently 2026-09-27).

What the Washington statute says

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'.

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.

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).

Delivery, form and other Washington rules

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 2026-09-27

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 2026-09-27

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. Check it before you serve the notice.

Preparing the notice

The form asks for the tenancy, the date the tenant must leave and how the notice is delivered, and states the notice period plainly. You enter the period; where LeaseCraft has verified the Washington period for ending a month-to-month tenancy, it refuses a shorter one.

Create a Washington notice to vacate

A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant. Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Notice to Vacate rules in nearby states

Notice to Vacate rules for every state