Title 19 — Title 19 BUSINESS REGULATIONS—MISCELLANEOUS

Unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context, the following words and phrases as hereinafter used in this chapter shall have the following meanings:(1) "Board" means the Washington state collection agency board.(2) "Claim" means any obligation for the payment of …

No person shall act, assume to act, or advertise as a collection agency or out-of-state collection agency as defined in this chapter, except as authorized by this chapter, without first having applied for and obtained a license from the director.Nothing contained in this section …

In addition to other provisions of this chapter, and the unprofessional conduct described in RCW 18.235.130, the following conduct, acts, or conditions constitute unprofessional conduct:(1) If an individual applicant or licensee is less than eighteen years of age or is not a resi…

Every application for a license shall be in writing, under oath, and in the form prescribed by the director.Every application shall contain such relevant information as the director may require.The applicant shall furnish the director with such evidence as the director may reason…

Each applicant when submitting his or her application shall pay a licensing fee and an investigation fee determined by the director as provided in RCW 43.24.086. The licensing fee for an out-of-state collection agency shall not exceed fifty percent of the licensing fee for a coll…

If a licensee maintains a branch office, he, she, or it shall not operate a collection agency business in such branch office until he, she, or it has secured a branch office certificate therefor from the director. A licensee, so long as his, her, or its license is in full force a…

Each license and branch office certificate, when issued, shall be in the form and size prescribed by the director and shall state in addition to any other matter required by the director:(1) The name of the licensee;(2) The name under which the licensee will do business;(3) The a…

Whenever a licensee shall contemplate a change of his, her, or its trade name or a change in the location of his, her, or its principal place of business or branch office, he, she, or it shall give written notice of such proposed change to the director. The director shall approve…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a license or branch office certificate granted under this chapter is not assignable or transferable.(2) Upon the death of an individual licensee, the director shall have the right to transfer the license and any branch off…

(1) Except as limited by subsection (7) of this section, each applicant shall, at the time of applying for a license, file with the director a surety bond in the sum of five thousand dollars. The bond shall be annually renewable on January first of each year, shall be approved by…

In addition to all other legal remedies, an action may be brought in any court of competent jurisdiction upon the bond or cash deposit or security in lieu thereof, required by RCW 19.16.190, by any person to whom the licensee fails to account and pay as set forth in such bond or …

A licensee shall within thirty days after the close of each calendar month account in writing to his, her, or its customers for all collections made during that calendar month and pay to his, her, or its customers the net proceeds due and payable of all collections made during th…

Every customer of a licensee shall, within thirty days after the close of each calendar month, account and pay to his, her, or its collection agency all sums owing to the collection agency for payments received by the customer during that calendar month on claims in the hands of …

(1) Every licensee required to keep and maintain records pursuant to this section, other than an out-of-state collection agency, shall establish and maintain a regular active business office in the state of Washington for the purpose of conducting his, her, or its collection agen…

Each licensee, other than an out-of-state collection agency, shall at all times maintain a separate bank account in this state in which all moneys collected by the licensee shall be deposited except that negotiable instruments received may be forwarded directly to a customer. Mon…

No licensee shall receive any money from any debtor as a result of the collection of any claim until he, she, or it shall have submitted a financial statement showing the assets and liabilities of the licensee truly reflecting that the licensee's net worth is not less than the su…

No licensee or employee of a licensee shall:(1) Directly or indirectly aid or abet any unlicensed person to engage in business as a collection agency in this state or receive compensation from such unlicensed person: PROVIDED, That nothing in this chapter shall prevent a licensee…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5720-S.SL) ***(1)(a) No collection agency or out-of-state collection agency may bring or maintain an action in any court of this state involving the collection of its own claim or a claim of any third party without alleging and proving that he, she, or…

In any action brought by licensee to collect the claim of his, her, or its customer, the assignment of the claim to licensee by his, her, or its customer shall be conclusively presumed valid, if the assignment is filed in court with the complaint, unless objection is made thereto…

There is hereby created a board to be known and designated as the "Washington state collection agency board." The board shall consist of five members, one of whom shall be the director and the other four shall be appointed by the governor. The director may delegate his or her dut…

The initial members of the board shall be named by the governor within thirty days after January 1, 1972. At the first meeting of the board, the members appointed by the governor shall determine by lot the period of time from January 1, 1972, that each of them shall serve, one fo…

The board shall meet as soon as practicable after the governor has appointed the initial members of the board. The board shall meet at least once a year and at such other times as may be necessary for the transaction of its business.The time and place of the initial meeting of th…

Each member of the board appointed by the governor shall be compensated in accordance with RCW 43.03.240 and in addition thereto shall be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred while on official business of the board and in attending meetings thereof, in accordance with the prov…

The board may meet, function and exercise its powers and perform its duties at any place within the state.[ 1971 ex.s. c 253 s 23.]

Members of the board shall be immune from suit in any civil action based upon an official act performed in good faith as members of such board.[ 1971 ex.s. c 253 s 24.]

All records of the board shall be kept in the office of the director. Copies of all records and papers of the board, certified to be true copies by the director, shall be received in evidence in all cases with like effect as the originals. All actions by the board which require p…

The board, in addition to any other powers and duties granted under this chapter and RCW 18.235.030:(1) May adopt, amend, and rescind rules for its own organization and procedure and other rules as it may deem necessary in order to perform its duties under this chapter.(2) May in…

Personal service of any process in an action under this chapter may be made upon any person outside the state if such person has engaged in conduct in violation of this chapter which has had the impact in this state which this chapter reprehends. Such persons shall be deemed to h…

The board may adopt rules, make specific decisions, orders, and rulings, including therein demands and findings, and take other necessary action for the implementation and enforcement of the board's duties under this chapter.[ 2007 c 256 s 4; 1971 ex.s. c 253 s 32.]

On or about the first day of February in each year, the director shall cause to be made available at reasonable expense to a licensee a copy of this chapter, a copy of the current rules and regulations of the director, and board, and such other materials as the director or board …

(1) Any person who knowingly operates as a collection agency or out-of-state collection agency without a license or knowingly aids and abets such violation is punishable by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or by imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.(2) Any person …

The operation of a collection agency or out-of-state collection agency without a license as prohibited by RCW 19.16.110 and the commission by a licensee or an employee of a licensee of an act or practice prohibited by RCW 19.16.250 or 19.16.260 are declared to be unfair acts or p…

If an act or practice in violation of RCW 19.16.250 or 19.16.260 is committed by a licensee or an employee of a licensee in the collection of a claim, neither the licensee, the customer of the licensee, nor any other person who may thereafter legally seek to collect on such claim…

Notwithstanding any other actions which may be brought under the laws of this state, the attorney general or the prosecuting attorney of any county within the state may bring an action in the name of the state against any person to restrain and prevent any violation of this chapt…

The attorney general may accept an assurance of discontinuance of any act or practice deemed in violation of this chapter from any person engaging in or who has engaged in such act or practice. Any such assurance shall be in writing and be filed with and subject to the approval o…

Any person who violates any injunction issued pursuant to this chapter shall forfeit and pay a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars. For the purpose of this section the superior court issuing any injunction shall retain jurisdiction, and the cause shall be …

(1)(a) Agencies, departments, taxing districts, political subdivisions of the state, counties, and cities may retain, by written contract, collection agencies licensed under this chapter for the purpose of collecting public debts owed by any person, including any restitution that…

The uniform regulation of business and professions act, chapter 18.235 RCW, governs unlicensed practice, the issuance and denial of licenses, and the discipline of licensees under this chapter.[ 2002 c 86 s 268.]Notes:Effective dates—2002 c 86: See note following RCW 18.08.340.Pa…

The provisions of this chapter shall be cumulative and nonexclusive and shall not affect any other remedy available at law: PROVIDED, That the violation of RCW 19.16.250 shall be construed as exclusively civil and not penal in nature.[ 1971 ex.s. c 253 s 40.]

(1) The provisions of this chapter relating to the licensing and regulation of collection agencies and out-of-state collection agencies shall be exclusive and no county, city, or other political subdivision of this state shall enact any laws or rules and regulations licensing or …

This act shall become effective January 1, 1972.[ 1971 ex.s. c 253 s 44.]

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Collection Agency Act".[ 1971 ex.s. c 253 s 45.]

Section headings used in this chapter shall not constitute any part of the law.[ 1971 ex.s. c 253 s 46.]

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …