Washington procedural guides

Plain-English guides to the Washington Superior Court Civil Rules, each one tied to the rules it relies on. Every rule named in a guide has its own page with the official text.

• Served in Washington before anything was filed? That's allowed — and you still have 20 daysWashington lets a civil action be commenced by service alone, with no court file and no clerk-issued summons. CR 12(a) gives 20 days — or 60 in four specific situations.
• Washington summary judgment: 28 / 11 / 5 days, all counted backward from the hearingWashington CR 56(c) is one of the few state rules that fixes the whole briefing schedule — 28 days to move, 11 to oppose, 5 to reply — and the hearing must be more than 14 days before trial.
• Setting aside a Washington judgment: eleven grounds, and only three carry the one-year limitWashington CR 60(b) lists eleven grounds for relief from a judgment — nearly twice the federal six — and the one-year cap applies to only the first three.
• Washington discovery deadlines: 30 days, 40 for a defendant, and admissions must stand aloneWashington gives 30 days to respond to written discovery and 40 to a defendant served at the outset — and CR 36 forbids combining requests for admission with any other discovery.
• Amending a Washington pleading: attach a copy marked "proposed," and leave it unsignedWashington CR 15(a) gives one amendment as of course, then requires a proposed, unsigned copy attached to any motion to amend — and forbids amending by writing on the original.
• Washington TROs and preliminary injunctions: 14 days, a bond, and two days to move to dissolveWashington CR 65 lets a TRO issue without notice for up to 14 days, requires security in almost every case, and gives the restrained party a two-day route to move for dissolution.
• A Washington CR 12 motion to dismiss: seven defenses, 20 days or 60, and the nonparty-at-fault trapWashington CR 12 lists seven defenses that may be raised by motion, sets four different answer deadlines depending on how you were served, and turns nonparty fault into an affirmative defense that must be pleaded.
• Washington CR 59: 10 days to move, 30 days to be heard, and nine grounds ending in "substantial justice"Washington CR 59 covers new trial, reconsideration and amendment of judgments in one rule. The motion is due 10 days after entry and must be noted when filed, to be heard within 30 days.
• Washington depositions: 5 days' notice, 20 for video, 120 days before any camera — and a conduct code for remote testimonyWashington CR 30, amended effective October 1, 2024, sets a 5-day notice floor, bars video depositions in the first 120 days, gives three days to object to a remote notice, and writes rules for what may be on screen.
• How a Washington lawsuit starts: service or filing, a 14-day demand, and service that can go voidWashington CR 3(a) lets a civil action be commenced by service alone, with nothing filed — but a defendant can demand filing within 14 days, and if the plaintiff misses it the service is void.
• Washington default judgments: five days' notice, a venue statement, and what happens after a yearWashington CR 55 requires a venue statement in every default motion, bars default judgment without proof of service on file, and demands 10 days' notice once a year has passed since service.
• Washington sanctions: no safe harbour under CR 11, and no discovery motion without a conferenceWashington CR 11 has no 21-day safe harbour, CR 26(g) bans general objections, and CR 26(i) bars the court from entertaining any discovery motion until counsel have conferred and certified it.

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