RCWs and WACs and Bears “OH MY!”

In Washington, we are governed by a system of laws. These include federal, state, and local (municipal) statutes, regulations, rules, and ordinances. In addition, there is a whole body of case law, that serves to interpret the application of these underlying laws. For example, there are many laws and regulations surrounding estate planning that are found in Title 11 of the RCW. The Criminal Code is found under Title 9A. Interested in Fish and Wildlife, go to Title 77.

The Constitution of Washington is the primary source of state law and is second only to the United States Constitution in our state.

The Washington state legislature drafts and enacts statutory laws which are codified as the RCWs. First, legislators introduce “bills” each year. These bills are debated, discussed, and, finally, put to a vote. If the legislature passes a bill and the governor signs it, it is codified into law as part of an “RCW statute.”

Revised Code of Washington

“RCW” stands for the Revised Code of Washington.

This collection of statutes is written by the Washington State Legislature. An organized database of this compilation of laws is managed by the Washington courts and can be accessed on the Washington State Legislature website.

The RCW is organized by Title/Chapter/Section:

• Title: The Title serves to organize large groups of related laws, including civil and criminal statutes on a wide variety of topics. A list of these Titles can be found here.
• Chapter: Each Title is further subdivided into specific ‘Chapters' that provide an organized sub-grouping of each large area of law.
• Section: Each Chapter is then broken into a series of ‘Sections' that spell out the requirements of each law.

RCWs may be revised, repealed, or recodified by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor. These changes are then incorporated into the revised code and continually published and available online. Comparable to the Revised Code of Washington (RCWs), the laws governing Washington agencies are codified in the Washington Annotated Code.

“WAC” stands for Washington Annotated Code.

WACs are organized by specific agency and subject area and are available online.

For example, the rules related to the Attorney General's Office are located under WAC Title 44. The Lottery Commission rules are located under WAC Title 315. There are almost 500 separate WAC titles. The WACs govern agency decision-making. WACs, by nature, continue to evolve and change. When examining an agency decision, it is critically important to review it in terms of the specific WACs that were in effect at the time the decision was made. Copies of the WACs that have existed each year since 2004 are available in the WAC archive.

Let Our Experienced Attorneys Help You

If you have an issue or legal problem you are trying to solve, it is wise to consult with your attorney. However, if you want to become more familiar with a legal issue or how the state is run, the RCWs and WACs serve as an excellent place to start. After all, knowledge is power and an informed client makes the best client. At The Whipple Law Group, we endeavor to take the mystery out of the legal process and empower our clients to make the best decisions for themselves.