Washington body shop laws: what insurers and shops must do

What it means in Washington

No rule in our Washington collection bars requiring or recommending a shop, or requires telling your customer they can choose; the right-to-choose statute covers only glass. The insurer can't make your customer travel unreasonably for an estimate or to a specific shop. If your customer's shop costs more than the insurer's estimate, they must be told they may owe the difference. If the insurer picks the shop, its estimate must restore the car at no extra cost to an insured beyond the policy.

No rule in our Washington collection bars an insurer from recommending a shop or requires telling the customer they may choose one. The right-to-choose statute, RCW 48.30.340, covers auto glass only. Text shown is effective October 18, 2026.

The law's own words

“Requiring the claimant to travel unreasonably to: (a) Obtain a repair estimate; (b) Have the loss vehicle repaired at a specific repair facility”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

“If the claimant chooses to take the loss vehicle to a repair facility where the overall cost to restore the loss vehicle to its condition prior to the loss exceeds the insurer's estimate, the claimant must be advised that he or she may be responsible for any additional amount above the insurer's estimate.”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

“if the insurer elects to exercise its right to repair the loss vehicle at a specific repair facility, failing to prepare or accept an estimate that will restore the loss vehicle to its condition prior to the loss at no additional cost to the first party claimant other than as stated in the applicable policy of insurance.”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

What it means in Washington

Since October 18, 2026, before the insurer stops paying storage it must tell the claimant by phone or in writing, note it in the claim file, and allow reasonable time to move the car: 5 calendar days unless the claimant agrees to less. We found no storage-charge rule for body shops in our Washington collection. The towing fee rules in our collection bind registered tow truck operators, who can charge only fees filed with the state, figured per 24 hours to the nearest half day.

The two shop-side rows bind registered tow truck operators. We found no storage-charge rule for body shops in our Washington collection. The insurer rule shown is effective October 18, 2026.

The law's own words

Insurer

“(1) Advise the claimant by phone or in writing before it stops payment for storage of the loss vehicle. This communication must be documented in the claim file.”

WAC 284-30-394, effective 10/18/2026

Insurer

“(2) Provide reasonable time for the claimant to move the loss vehicle before stopping payment for storage. Five calendar days is considered reasonable time unless the claimant agrees to a shorter time period”

WAC 284-30-394, effective 10/18/2026

Tow and storage lot

“An operator shall file a fee schedule with the department. All filed fees must be adequate to cover the costs of service provided. No fees may exceed those filed with the department.”

RCW 46.55.063

Tow and storage lot

“Fees that are charged for the storage of a vehicle, or for other items of personal property registered or titled with the department, must be calculated on a twenty-four hour basis and must be charged to the nearest half day from the time when the operator has unloaded the vehicle and completed the necessary paperwork at the secure storage area.”

RCW 46.55.063

What it means in Washington

No Washington statute in our collection expressly lets you hold the car until paid; that's a question for a lawyer. Your lien survives releasing the car if you file a lien notice with the county auditor within 90 days after delivery, and it ends unless you enforce it, in court or by notice and sale, within nine months after filing. A lender recorded before your work stays ahead of you, your customer can redeem by paying everything before the sale, and you have no lien for work you didn't get authorized as the estimate law requires.

No Washington statute in our collection expressly lets a repair shop keep the car until paid; whether a common-law possessory lien applies is a question for counsel. A shop that skipped the required estimate and authorization steps has no lien for the unauthorized work (RCW 46.71.041). Title through the lien process needs the county auditor filing and an affidavit of sale (RCW 60.08.085).

The law's own words

Keep the car

“Every person, firm or corporation who shall have performed labor or furnished material in the construction or repair of any chattel at the request of its owner, shall have a lien upon such chattel for such labor performed or material furnished, notwithstanding the fact that such chattel be surrendered to the owner thereof:”

RCW 60.08.010

Limit

“A repair facility that fails to comply with RCW 46.71.021, 46.71.025, or 46.71.031 is barred from asserting a possessory or chattel lien for the amount of the unauthorized parts or labor upon the motor vehicle or component.”

RCW 46.71.041

Sell or title it

“Unless collateral is perishable or threatens to decline speedily in value or is of a type customarily sold on a recognized market, reasonable notification of the time and place of any public sale or reasonable notification of the time after which any private sale or other intended disposition is to be made shall be sent by the lienholder to the lien debtor, by first-class mail, and registered or certified mail,”

RCW 60.10.030

Sell or title it

“The department of licensing, and the department's agents and subagents, shall not transfer title of a vehicle through the chattel lien process under this chapter and chapter 60.10 RCW unless an affidavit of sale and the following documentation is submitted: (1) A certified copy of the lien filing that is filed with the county auditor;”

RCW 60.08.085

Get it back

“At any time before the lienholder has disposed of collateral or entered into a contract for its disposition under this chapter, the lien debtor or any other secured party may redeem the collateral by tendering fulfillment of all obligations to the holder that are secured by the collateral”

RCW 60.10.050

What it means in Washington

Washington has no rule on whether the insurer can require aftermarket parts or what it must disclose. The duty is yours: your estimate and invoice must show any aftermarket or non-OEM body parts, and your invoice any rebuilt or used parts; breaking that rule is an unfair act under the Consumer Protection Act. The insurer must write or accept an estimate that restores pre-loss condition; whether that limits aftermarket parts is a question for the Department of Insurance or a lawyer.

The estimate and invoice rules cover repair facilities; a written estimate is required on jobs over $100 unless the customer waives it, and only material omissions on an estimate or invoice can be taken to court. The WAC 284-30-390 rule quoted reads the same before and after the October 18, 2026 amendment.

The law's own words

Shop

From a list that begins: “parts and labor provided by an automotive repair facility shall be clearly and accurately recorded in writing on an invoice and shall include”

“a list of all parts supplied, identified by name and part number, if available, part kit description or recognized package or shop supplies, if any, and an indication whether the parts supplied are rebuilt, or used, if applicable or where collision repair is involved, aftermarket body parts or nonoriginal equipment manufacturer body parts, if applicable;”

RCW 46.71.015

Shop

“a repair facility prior to providing parts or labor shall provide the customer or the customer's designee with a written price estimate of the total cost of the repair, including parts and labor, or where collision repair is involved, aftermarket body parts or nonoriginal equipment manufacturer body parts, if applicable, or offer the following alternatives:”

RCW 46.71.025

Parts standard

“An "aftermarket body part" or "nonoriginal equipment manufacturer body part" is an exterior body panel or nonstructural body component manufactured by someone other than the original equipment manufacturer and supplied through suppliers other than those in the manufacturer's normal distribution channels.”

RCW 46.71.011

Shop

“A violation of this chapter is an unfair or deceptive act in trade or commerce and an unfair method of competition for the purpose of applying the Consumer Protection Act, chapter 19.86 RCW.”

RCW 46.71.070

Insurer

From a list that begins: “the following acts or practices of the insurer are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of motor vehicle claims:”

“(4) Failing to prepare or accept an estimate provided by the claimant that will restore the loss vehicle to its condition prior to the loss.”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

What it means in Washington

If your customer's own policy has an appraisal clause and they can't agree with the insurer on a total loss's actual cash value, either your customer or the insurer can invoke it. The insurer must try in good faith to settle before using its own appraisal right, can't delay appraisal or add cost with out-of-area appraisers, and can't make an appraiser change a valuation mid-process. This rule doesn't reach repair-cost or third-party claims.

WAC 284-30-391 and 284-30-330 are shown as effective October 18, 2026. The appraisal right in 284-30-391(3) covers first party total loss disputes over actual cash value, and only when the policy has an appraisal provision; the insurer must tell its appraiser the rule's total loss calculations and, when applying an award, can't consider a valuation that doesn't comply with the rule. The appraiser and umpire definitions come from the adjuster licensing chapter.

The law's own words

How appraisal works

“(i) "Appraiser" means a person selected by the insurer or the insured to place a value on or estimate the amount of loss under an appraisal clause in an insurance contract. (ii) "Umpire" means a person selected by the appraisers representing the insurer and the insured, or, if the appraisers cannot agree, by the court, who is charged with resolving issues that the appraisers are unable to agree upon during the course of an appraisal.”

RCW 48.17.010

Appraisal right

“(3) Appraisal: If the first party claimant and the insurer fail to agree on the actual cash value of the loss vehicle and the insurance policy has an appraisal provision, either the insurer or the first party claimant may invoke the appraisal provision of the policy to resolve disputes concerning the actual cash value.”

WAC 284-30-391, effective 10/18/2026

How appraisal works

From a list that begins: “The following are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices of the insurer in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of claims:”

“(17) Delaying appraisals or adding to their cost under insurance policy appraisal provisions through the use of appraisers from outside of the loss area.”

WAC 284-30-330, effective 10/18/2026

How appraisal works

From a list that begins: “The following are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices of the insurer in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of claims:”

“(18) Failing to make a good faith effort to settle a claim before exercising a contract right to an appraisal.”

WAC 284-30-330, effective 10/18/2026

How appraisal works

From a list that begins: “The following are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices of the insurer in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of claims:”

“(22) Requiring an appraiser functioning under the appraisal clause in the policy to adjust either their actual cash value, their valuation of loss, or both, at any time during the appraisal process. This does not prohibit the insurer from applying the policy conditions to a completed appraisal award.”

WAC 284-30-330, effective 10/18/2026

What it means in Washington

Washington doesn't set a labor rate, but since October 18, 2026 the insurer must show its math. If it uses a database, survey, estimating software or benchmarks for labor rates, it must tell your customer on request when and where the data was collected and which businesses supplied it. If it pays less than your estimate, it must disclose all the reasons, and on request explain in writing how it set labor and material costs. Breaking these rules is an unfair practice.

These rules took effect October 18, 2026, and the survey-data and labor-cost explanations are owed on the claimant's request. If the claimant picks a shop whose cost exceeds the insurer's estimate, the insurer must tell the claimant he or she may be responsible for the difference (WAC 284-30-390(4)(c)).

The law's own words

Survey or rate standard

From a list that begins: “A violation of any of the following is hereby defined as an unfair method of competition and an unfair or deceptive act or practice of the insurer in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of claims:”

“If an insurer uses a database, survey, estimating software, or benchmarks to account for either material pricing, labor rate, or both, and upon request of the claimant, the insurer must provide the claimant with the date the data was collected, where the data was collected from, and which businesses provided the cost data to the database, survey, estimating software, or benchmarks.”

WAC 284-30-380, effective 10/18/2026

Survey or rate standard

“If requested by the claimant, the insurer must provide in writing how the labor and material costs and repair processes were determined and cite relevant policy language.”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

What the insurer pays

From a list that begins: “the following acts or practices of the insurer are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of motor vehicle claims:”

“Unreasonably denying a claimant's estimate for repairs. If the insurer pays less than the amount of the estimate from the claimant's chosen repair facility, the insurer must promptly and fully disclose all of the reasons it paid less than the claimant's estimate”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

Related claim rule

From a list that begins: “the following acts or practices of the insurer are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of motor vehicle claims:”

“Failing to prepare or accept an estimate provided by the claimant that will restore the loss vehicle to its condition prior to the loss.”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

Related claim rule

“Insurers are responsible for the accuracy of their evaluations including, but not limited to, evaluations made on their behalf, to determine the amounts owed under the applicable insurance policy.”

WAC 284-30-380, effective 10/18/2026

What it means in Washington

Washington has no rule that bars capping paint and materials outright. If the insurer prices materials from a database, survey, estimating software or benchmarks, it must tell your customer on request when and where the data was collected and which businesses supplied it, and explain in writing how material costs were figured. It can't cut a claim without a reasonable investigation, which can't rely only on a database, and if it pays less than your estimate it must give every reason.

These versions of WAC 284-30-330, -380 and -390 took effect October 18, 2026; breaking them is an unfair practice. The data and cost explanations are owed when the claimant asks. Whether a particular materials cut breaks these rules is a question for the Department of Insurance or a lawyer.

The law's own words

What the insurer pays

“(8) If an insurer uses a database, survey, estimating software, or benchmarks to account for either material pricing, labor rate, or both, and upon request of the claimant, the insurer must provide the claimant with the date the data was collected, where the data was collected from, and which businesses provided the cost data to the database, survey, estimating software, or benchmarks.”

WAC 284-30-380, effective 10/18/2026

What the insurer pays

“If requested by the claimant, the insurer must provide in writing how the labor and material costs and repair processes were determined and cite relevant policy language.”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

Related claim rule

From a list that begins: “the following acts or practices of the insurer are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of motor vehicle claims:”

“(2) Unreasonably denying a claimant's estimate for repairs. If the insurer pays less than the amount of the estimate from the claimant's chosen repair facility, the insurer must promptly and fully disclose all of the reasons it paid less than the claimant's estimate”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

Related claim rule

From a list that begins: “The following are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices of the insurer in the business of insurance, specifically applicable to the settlement of claims:”

“(4) Denying or refusing to pay claims in part or in full without conducting a reasonable investigation. A reasonable investigation may not rely solely on the use of a database, which includes, but is not limited to, estimating software and benchmarks gathered from one or multiple databases.”

WAC 284-30-330, effective 10/18/2026

What the insurer pays

“(b) If a claimant provides the repair estimate and the insurer, after evaluation of the claimant's estimate, determines it owes an amount that differs from the estimate the claimant provided, the insurer must fully disclose all of the reasons for the difference to the claimant.”

WAC 284-30-390, effective 10/18/2026

What it means in Washington

Washington's rules bind the insurer: acknowledge a claim within 10 business days, finish investigating within 30 calendar days, and tell its own insured within 30 days whether the claim is accepted or denied, with written reasons every 30 days if it needs longer. Payment on a settled claim should go out within 15 business days of signed releases. If the insured sues over an unreasonable denial, a court finding that or a broken rule can raise damages up to triple and must award attorney fees.

The lawsuit right in RCW 48.30.015 belongs to the insurer's own insured, who must give the insurer and the Insurance Commissioner 20 days' written notice before suing. The 30-day accept-or-deny rule is written for first party claimants; WAC 284-30-330(6) separately requires prompt payment of property damage claims to innocent third parties when liability is reasonably clear. The WAC text quoted is the version effective October 18, 2026.

The law's own words

If late

“The superior court may, after finding that an insurer has acted unreasonably in denying a claim for coverage or payment of benefits or has violated a rule in subsection (5) of this section, increase the total award of damages to an amount not to exceed three times the actual damages.”

RCW 48.30.015

Respond

“Within 10 business days after receiving a notification of claim under an individual insurance policy, or within 15 business days with respect to claims arising under group insurance contracts, the insurer must acknowledge its receipt of the notice of claim.”

WAC 284-30-360, effective 10/18/2026

Accept or deny

“Every insurer must complete its investigation of a claim within 30 calendar days after a notification of claim, unless the investigation cannot reasonably be completed within that time.”

WAC 284-30-370, effective 10/18/2026

Accept or deny

“Within 30 calendar days after receipt by the insurer of a notification of claim, the insurer must notify the first party claimant whether the claim has been accepted or denied.”

WAC 284-30-380, effective 10/18/2026

Pay

“procedures which are not designed to deliver payment, whether by check, draft, electronic funds transfer, prepaid card, or other method of electronic payment to the payee in payment of a settled claim within 15 business days after receipt by the insurer or its attorney of properly executed releases or other settlement documents are not acceptable.”

WAC 284-30-330, effective 10/18/2026