For nonpayment of rent, a Washington landlord must serve a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice in the form set by RCW 59.18.057 before filing an unlawful detainer under RCW 59.12.030. Lease-violation terminations require a 10-day cure notice, and waste, nuisance, or unlawful activity requires only 3 days. Most evictions also require just cause under RCW 59.18.650.
RCW 59.18.057 requires that a nonpayment notice tell the tenant: 'You must pay the total amount due to your landlord within fourteen (14) days after service of this notice or you must vacate the premises,' using the statute's mandated form, which lists rental-assistance and legal-aid resources. RCW 59.12.030 then supplies the unlawful-detainer grounds: 14 days for nonpayment in RLTA tenancies, '10 days' to cure a breach of a lease condition or covenant, and 'three days' notice to quit' for waste, nuisance, or unlawful business. A landlord must still have just cause under RCW 59.18.650 to end most tenancies, and a defective notice is grounds to dismiss the eviction.
No specific statutory penalty for serving notice, but a notice that omits the RCW 59.18.057 form language or states the wrong period is defective and the unlawful detainer can be dismissed. A wrongful or retaliatory eviction can expose the landlord to damages, costs, and attorney fees.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver prohibits leaving any vehicle parked on a public street for more than 24 consecutive hours. Officers attach a notification sticker; if the vehicle ...
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver's Municipal Code Chapter 20.912 governs all fences, walls, and retaining walls citywide. Residential fences have tiered height limits by yard locat...
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver has no dedicated local ordinance banning wildlife feeding. Washington state law prohibits feeding large wild carnivores and, since May 2025, feedin...
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver allows hens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and similar domestic animals in all zoning districts for hobby use with no minimum lot size. Roosters, turkeys,...
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver's Land Use and Development Code (VMC Chapter 20.925) encourages but does not universally mandate native plants. For development projects, native an...
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver allows residential lawn ornaments and yard art without permits provided they do not exceed the 8-foot residential accessory-structure height standa...
See how Vancouver's eviction notice & process rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.