Washington documents
Washington 14-Day Notice to Pay or Vacate
The notice that must precede a nonpayment eviction — 14 days for residential tenancies, on the official form the Attorney General publishes.
Reviewed September 2026 • Statewide resource
Before you use any document on this page: we recommend having your attorney review it first. Laws and required forms change, city ordinances add requirements on top of state law, and a notice that is defective in form or timing can cost far more than a legal review. This page is general information for property owners, not legal advice.
Before a Washington landlord can file an eviction case for unpaid rent, the tenant must receive a written notice requiring, in the alternative, payment of the rent or surrender of the premises — and for residential tenancies under chapter 59.18 RCW, the tenant then has 14 days after service to comply. Secondary sources still circulate the old three-day figure; three days applies outside the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, not to an ordinary residential tenancy.
This is one of the few notices where the state hands you the document itself: the Attorney General publishes the 14-day notice form, updated for 2026, in English and translated versions, and serving a homemade notice instead of the current form is an avoidable way to lose weeks.
Serving it correctly matters as much as the text
Service must follow RCW 59.12.040 — personal service, or the substitute methods it allows, with proof. A notice with the right words served the wrong way fails, and the 14 days start over. This is the document where we most strongly recommend attorney review before service: it is the foundation of any unlawful detainer case that follows, and a defect surfaces months later, in court, at maximum cost.
What it cannot do
The notice covers rent. A lease violation that is not about money takes the 10-day comply-or-vacate notice instead, and ending the tenancy itself is governed by statewide just cause. Late fees cannot be smuggled in either — and in Tacoma, no fee at all may be charged for the service of a notice.
Official sources for this document
The official 2026 pay-or-vacate form, in English and translations, on the AGO landlord-tenant page.
www.atg.wa.gov
Subsection (3): the pay-or-vacate notice and the 14-day period for residential tenancies.
app.leg.wa.gov
The court forms that follow if the notice expires without payment.
www.courts.wa.gov
Frequently asked questions
How many days does a Washington pay-or-vacate notice give? +
14 days after service for residential tenancies under chapter 59.18 RCW. The three-day period in RCW 59.12.030(3) applies to tenancies outside the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act.
Is there an official form? +
Yes. The Washington Attorney General publishes the 14-day notice form, updated for 2026, in English and multiple translations on its landlord-tenant page. Use the current version rather than a template.
How must the notice be served? +
In accordance with RCW 59.12.040 — personal service or its substitute methods, with proof of service. Defective service is the most common reason these notices fail.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these. Rent caps change annually and city ordinances change by council action — check the current figure before serving a notice.
- RCW 59.12.030 — verified 2026-09-11
- Washington Attorney General — landlord-tenant (14-day forms) — verified 2026-09-11
This page is general information for property owners, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Rules differ by property and by circumstance — consult an attorney licensed in Washington before acting on a notice, an eviction or a deposit dispute.
We serve these notices every week
Utopia Management has managed Washington rentals since 1994. Compliance with the notice periods, the caps and the paperwork above is part of full management, not an extra.
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