Washington driving law, answered
Every answer here comes from Washington State Driver Guide and, where the manual is silent, the Revised Code of Washington: Chapter 46.04 RCW: Definitions, Chapter 46.12 RCW: Certificates of title, Chapter 46.16A RCW: Registration, Chapter 46.19 RCW: Special parking privileges for persons with disabilities, Chapter 46.20 RCW: Drivers' licenses—Identicards, Chapter 46.29 RCW: Financial responsibility, Chapter 46.30 RCW: Mandatory liability insurance, Chapter 46.37 RCW: Vehicle lighting and other equipment, Chapter 46.52 RCW: Accidents—Reports—Abandoned vehicles, Chapter 46.61 RCW: Rules of the road, Chapter 46.63 RCW: Disposition of traffic infractions, Chapter 46.64 RCW: Enforcement, Chapter 46.65 RCW: Washington habitual traffic offenders act, Chapter 66.44 RCW, Section 66.44.270: Furnishing liquor to minors—Possession, use, with the page or the section it is in.
Statutes fetched on 8 October 2026; manuals fetched on 14 September 2026. How the answers are made
How far from a fire hydrant must you park?
A driver may not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. A hose has to reach the hydrant, and a parked car is the thing the crew has to work around.
Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How far from a stop sign or traffic signal must you park?
A driver may not park within 30 feet of a traffic signal, stop sign, or yield sign. A car parked at the corner hides the sign and everything coming past it.
Within 30 feet of a traffic signal, stop sign, or yield sign.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How far from a railroad crossing must you park?
A driver may not park within 50 feet of a railroad crossing. A parked car close to the tracks hides the crossing from everybody approaching it.
Within 50 feet of a railroad crossing.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How far from a fire station driveway must you park?
(v) Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of said entrance when properly signposted; or
Washington law, RCW 46.61.570(1)(b)
As of 8 Oct 2026
How close to the curb must you park?
A parked vehicle must be no more than 12 inches from the curb. Further out and the car sticks into the lane that traffic is using.
More than 12 inches from the curb.
As of 14 Sep 2026
When must you stop for a school bus with flashing red lights?
Every driver traveling in the same direction as a school bus must stop when its red lights flash and the stop sign is extended. The child crossing in front of the bus cannot see you, and cannot be seen by you either.
All drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop when the red lights flash, and the stop sign is extended.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What must you do when passing a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights?
Seeing a roadside response vehicle with flashing lights, a driver must either move into a farther lane, or slow to at least 10 mph below the posted limit. The person beside that vehicle is standing in traffic, and a lane of space is what keeps them out of it.
Slow down to at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How far behind a fire truck answering an alarm may you follow?
The driver of any vehicle other than one on official business shall not follow any fire apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm closer than five hundred feet or stop such vehicle within five hundred feet of any fire apparatus stopped in answer to a fire alarm.
Washington law, RCW 46.61.635
As of 8 Oct 2026
When must you turn on your headlights?
Washington law requires headlights from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise. The half hour either side is the part people misjudge, because the sky still looks light when the road has gone dark.
Washington law says you need to have your headlights on a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How far from an oncoming vehicle must you dim your high beams?
High beams must be switched back to regular headlights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle. High beams reach further than low beams do, which is the same reason they blind the driver coming the other way.
500 feet in front of an oncoming vehicle.
As of 14 Sep 2026
Who must wear a seat belt?
Every person in a moving vehicle must wear a seat belt or be securely fastened into an approved child restraint device. In a crash an unbelted passenger keeps moving at the speed the car was doing, and hits whoever is in front of them.
Every person in a moving vehicle must wear a seat belt or be securely fastened into an approved child restraint device.
As of 14 Sep 2026
When must a child ride in a car seat?
Children up to age 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat. A small child's neck cannot hold their head in a crash, and facing backward is what spreads the force across the whole seat.
Children up to age 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the legal blood alcohol limit for adult drivers?
A driver aged 21 or older is considered under the influence at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. Sleeping it off is the only thing that lowers the number, and coffee is not it.
BAC of 0.08% or more
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the blood alcohol limit for drivers under 21?
A driver under 21 faces the same consequences at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.02 percent. Under 21 you cannot drink legally at all, so the state sets the driving number just above what a test can measure.
BAC of 0.02% or more
As of 14 Sep 2026
What happens if you refuse a breath or blood alcohol test?
(a) If the driver refuses to take the test, the driver's license, permit, or privilege to drive will be revoked or denied for at least one year; and
Washington law, RCW 46.20.308(2)(a)
As of 8 Oct 2026
May you use a handheld phone while driving?
A driver in Washington may not hold any electronic device while driving, whatever their age or experience. The law is about holding it, so a glance at a phone in your hand is the offense whether or not you were reading anything.
You cannot hold any electronic device while driving (like cell phones, tablets, or gaming devices). This applies to all drivers, regardless of age or experience.
As of 14 Sep 2026
May you text while driving?
(ii) Using your hand or finger to compose, send, read, view, access, browse, transmit, save, or retrieve email, text messages, instant messages, photographs, or other electronic data; however, this does not preclude the minimal use of a finger to activate, deactivate, or initiate a function of the device;
Washington law, RCW 46.61.672(6)(c)
As of 8 Oct 2026
How far before a turn must you signal?
A turn signal goes on at least 100 feet before turning left or right across oncoming traffic. A hundred feet is about the gap the driver behind needs to decide what to do about you.
Put on your turn signal at least 100 feet before you turn left or right across oncoming traffic.
As of 14 Sep 2026
May you turn right on a red light?
After a complete stop at a red light, a driver may turn right if there is no sign forbidding it and there is plenty of room to enter traffic. The stop comes first, because a rolling right turn is how a driver misses the person crossing.
After coming to a complete stop at a red light, you can turn right if you don’t see a “no turn on red” sign and you have plenty of room to enter traffic.
As of 14 Sep 2026
May you turn left on a red light onto a one-way street?
After a complete stop at a red light, a driver may turn left onto a one-way street if there is no sign forbidding it and there is room to enter traffic. Onto a one-way street nothing is coming the other way, which is what makes the turn possible at all.
After coming to a complete stop at a red light, you can turn left onto a one-way street if you don’t see a “no turn on red” sign and you have plenty of room to enter traffic.
As of 14 Sep 2026
Where are U-turns not allowed?
A U-turn needs clear visibility in all directions, so it must not be made on a curve or approaching the crest of a hill. You are stopped across both lanes, and anything coming over the crest has no time at all.
You must have clear visibility in all directions before making a U-turn. For that reason, do not make a U-turn on a curve or when approaching the crest of a hill.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the speed limit on a residential street when no sign is posted?
(2) Except when a special hazard exists that requires lower speed for compliance with subsection (1) of this section, the limits specified in this section or established as hereinafter authorized shall be maximum lawful speeds, and no person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed in excess of such maximum limits. (a) Twenty-five miles per hour on city and town streets; (b) Fifty miles per hour on county roads; (c) Sixty miles per hour on state highways. The maximum speed limits set forth in this section may be altered as authorized in RCW 46.61.405, 46.61.410, and 46.61.415.
Washington law, RCW 46.61.400(2)
As of 8 Oct 2026
What is the speed limit on a highway outside town when no sign is posted?
(2) Except when a special hazard exists that requires lower speed for compliance with subsection (1) of this section, the limits specified in this section or established as hereinafter authorized shall be maximum lawful speeds, and no person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed in excess of such maximum limits. (a) Twenty-five miles per hour on city and town streets; (b) Fifty miles per hour on county roads; (c) Sixty miles per hour on state highways. The maximum speed limits set forth in this section may be altered as authorized in RCW 46.61.405, 46.61.410, and 46.61.415.
Washington law, RCW 46.61.400(2)
As of 8 Oct 2026
What is the speed limit in a school zone?
The school zone speed limit is 20 mph, because higher speeds raise the risk of a fatal crash. The difference between twenty and thirty is most of the difference between a child who walks away and one who does not.
The school zone speed limit is 20 mph because higher speeds increase the risk of fatal crashes.
As of 14 Sep 2026
When may you pass another vehicle on the right?
(1) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions: (a) When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn; (b) Upon a roadway with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of vehicles moving lawfully in the direction being traveled by the overtaking vehicle.
Washington law, RCW 46.61.115(1)
As of 8 Oct 2026
May you wear headphones while driving?
It is against the law to drive wearing earbuds, earphones, headphones, or headsets that broadcast sound or cancel noise. Sirens and horns arrive as sound before they arrive as anything you can see.
It is against the law to drive a vehicle while wearing earbuds, earphones, headphones, or headsets that broadcast sound or cancel noise.
As of 14 Sep 2026
May you have an open container of alcohol in the car?
Open alcohol and cannabis products may only be carried in a trunk or truck bed, and not in a storage compartment the driver can reach. The rule is about reach, not about intent, so a glove box counts and a trunk does not.
Open alcohol and cannabis products can only be transported in a trunk or truck bed. Alcohol or cannabis containers cannot be kept in storage compartments accessible to the driver.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How old must you be to get a learner's permit?
A learner enrolled in a driver training course may apply for an instruction permit as early as 15 years old. The course is the reason the age is lower. A student in one is practicing under an instructor, not on their own.
You can apply for your permit as early as 15 years old.
As of 14 Sep 2026
How long must you hold a learner's permit before a license?
A driver aged 16 or 17 must hold their instruction permit for at least 6 months before they can get a first driver license. Six months puts a learner through a change of season, so the first icy morning is not also the first drive alone.
Have your instruction permit for at least 6 months.
As of 14 Sep 2026
When must you install an ignition interlock after a drunk-driving conviction?
(d) Postconviction. After any applicable period of mandatory suspension, revocation, or denial of driving privileges, or upon fulfillment of day-for-day credit under RCW 46.61.5055(9)(b)(ii) for a suspension, revocation, or denial of driving privileges:
Washington law, RCW 46.20.720(1)(d)
As of 8 Oct 2026
For how many years does a prior drunk-driving conviction count against you?
(2) One prior offense in seven years. Except as provided in RCW 46.61.502(6) or 46.61.504(6), a person who is convicted of a violation of RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504 and who has one prior offense within seven years shall be punished as follows:
Washington law, RCW 46.61.5055(2)
As of 8 Oct 2026
Who must wear a protective helmet while operating or riding a motorcycle?
(c) For any person to operate or ride upon a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or moped on a state highway, county road, or city street unless wearing upon his or her head a motorcycle helmet except when the vehicle is an antique motor-driven cycle or when the vehicle is equipped with all of the following:
Washington law, RCW 46.37.530(1)(c)
As of 8 Oct 2026
How much distance must you leave when passing a bicycle?
Sharrow markings show that a vehicle lane is shared with bicycle traffic, and a driver should drive slowly and leave at least 3 feet when passing. A sharrow is painted where there was no room for a bike lane. That is where a rider needs room most.
Sharrows are road markings used to indicate a vehicle lane is shared with bicycle traffic.
As of 14 Sep 2026
Must a vehicle driving slower than other traffic keep to the right lane?
A driver keeps right except to pass: with multiple lanes going the same way, drive in the right lane and use the left to pass slower traffic. A left lane held by somebody cruising is what pushes the traffic behind them into passing on the right.
Keep right except to pass. When there are multiple lanes traveling in the same direction, drive in the right lane. Use the left lane to pass slower traffic.
As of 14 Sep 2026
What is the minimum liability insurance coverage for bodily injury or death of one person and property damage?
(b) Shall insure the person named therein and any other person, as insured, using any such vehicle or vehicles with the express or implied permission of such named insured, against loss from the liability imposed by law for damages arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of such vehicle or vehicles within the United States of America or the Dominion of Canada, subject to limits exclusive of interest and costs, with respect to each such vehicle as follows: Twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and ten thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.
Washington law, RCW 46.29.490(2)(b)
As of 8 Oct 2026
Ask a question about Washington road law
Easier than searching the manual: ask in your own words — how far from a fire hydrant you may park, when you must stop for a school bus — and the answer comes from Washington State Driver Guide or Washington’s code, with the page or the section it is in. When neither says, the answer says so rather than guess. Or tick Nationwide and compare every state on one question.