Title 26, DOMESTIC RELATIONS

(1) A motion for judicial relief under this chapter must be made to the court in which a proceeding is pending involving a family law dispute subject to arbitration. (2) On motion of a party, the court may compel arbitration if the parties have entered into an arbitration agreeme…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section, unless waived in a record by the parties, an arbitrator must be: (a) An attorney in good standing admitted to practice in this state, with a minimum of five years of experience practicing family law, which must m…

(1) Before agreeing to serve as an arbitrator, an individual, after making reasonable inquiry, shall disclose to all parties any known fact a reasonable person would believe is likely to affect: (a) The impartiality of the arbitrator in the arbitration, including bias, a financia…

(1) A party may: (a) Be represented in an arbitration by an attorney; (b) Be accompanied by an individual who will not be called as a witness or act as an advocate; and (c) Participate in the arbitration to the full extent permitted under the law and procedural rules of this stat…

(1) Before an arbitrator is selected and able to act, on motion of a party, the court may enter a temporary order granting any of the relief provided in RCW 26.09.060 and 26.09.197. (2) After an arbitrator is selected: (a) The arbitrator may make a temporary award granting any of…

(1) For the purposes of this section, "protection order" means an injunction or other order, issued under the domestic violence, family violence, or stalking laws of the issuing jurisdiction, to prevent an individual from engaging in a violent or threatening act against, harassme…

(1) An arbitrator shall conduct an arbitration in a manner the arbitrator considers appropriate for a fair and expeditious disposition of the dispute. (2) An arbitrator shall provide each party a right to be heard and to present evidence material to the family law dispute. (3) Un…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section or required by law of this state other than this chapter, an arbitration hearing need not be recorded unless required by the arbitrator, provided by the arbitration agreement, or requested by a party. (2) An arbit…

(1) An arbitrator shall make an award in a record, dated and signed by the arbitrator. The arbitrator shall give notice of the award to each party by a method agreed on by the parties or, if the parties have not agreed on a method, under the law and procedural rules of this state…

(1) After an arbitrator gives notice under RCW 26.14.140(1) of an award, including an award corrected under RCW 26.14.160, a party may move the court for an order confirming the award. (2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3) of this section, the court shall confirm an …

On motion of a party made not later than thirty days after an arbitrator gives notice under RCW 26.14.140(1) of an award, the arbitrator may correct the award: (1) If the award has an evident mathematical miscalculation or an evident mistake in the description of a person, thing,…

(1) On motion of a party made not later than ninety days after an arbitrator gives notice under RCW 26.14.140(1) of an award, including an award corrected under RCW 26.14.160, the court shall correct the award if: (a) The award has an evident mathematical miscalculation or an evi…

(1) On motion of a party, the court shall vacate an unconfirmed award if the moving party establishes that: (a) The award was procured by corruption, fraud, or other undue means; (b) There was: (i) Evident partiality by the arbitrator; (ii) Corruption by the arbitrator; or (iii) …

If the meaning or effect of an award confirmed under RCW 26.14.150 is in dispute, the parties may: (1) Agree to arbitrate the dispute before the original arbitrator or another arbitrator; or (2) Proceed in court under law of this state other than this chapter governing clarificat…

(1) On granting an order confirming, vacating without directing a rehearing, or amending an award under this chapter, the court shall enter judgment in conformity with the order. (2) On motion of a party, the court may order that a document or part of the arbitration record be se…

If a party requests under law of this state other than this chapter a modification of an award confirmed under RCW 26.14.150 or judgment on the award based on a fact occurring after confirmation: (1) The parties shall proceed under the dispute resolution method specified in the a…

(1) The court shall enforce an award confirmed under RCW 26.14.150, including a temporary award, in the manner and to the same extent as any other order or judgment of a court. (2) The court shall enforce an arbitration award in a family law dispute confirmed by a court in anothe…

(1) An appeal may be taken under this chapter from: (a) An order denying a motion to compel arbitration; (b) An order granting a motion to stay arbitration; (c) An order confirming or denying confirmation of an award; (d) An order correcting an award; (e) An order vacating an awa…

(1) An arbitrator or arbitration organization acting in that capacity in a family law dispute is immune from civil liability to the same extent as a judge of a court of this state acting in a judicial capacity. (2) The immunity provided by this section supplements any immunity un…

In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it. [ 2023 c 61 s 26.]

This chapter modifies, limits, or supersedes the electronic signatures in global and national commerce act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7001 et seq., but does not modify, limit, or supersede section 101(c) of that act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7001(c), or authorize electronic delivery of any of the not…

This chapter applies to arbitration of a family law dispute under an arbitration agreement made on or after January 1, 2024. If an arbitration agreement was made before January 1, 2024, the parties may agree in a record that this chapter applies to the arbitration. [ 2023 c 61 s …

This act takes effect January 1, 2024. [ 2023 c 61 s 29.]

Property and pecuniary rights owned by a spouse before marriage and that acquired by him or her afterwards by gift, bequest, devise, descent, or inheritance, with the rents, issues and profits thereof, shall not be subject to the debts or contracts of his or her spouse, and he or…

Property and pecuniary rights owned by a person in a state registered domestic partnership before registration of the domestic partnership or afterwards acquired by gift, bequest, devise, descent, or inheritance, with the rents, issues and profits thereof, shall not be subject to…

Property not acquired or owned, as prescribed in RCW 26.16.010 and 26.16.020, acquired after marriage or after registration of a state registered domestic partnership by either domestic partner or either husband or wife or both, is community property. Either spouse or either dome…

Community real estate shall be subject to the liens of mechanics and others for labor and materials furnished in erecting structures and improvements thereon as provided by law in other cases, to liens of judgments recovered for community debts, and to sale on execution issued th…

A spouse or domestic partner may give, grant, sell or convey directly to the other spouse or other domestic partner his or her community right, title, interest or estate in all or any portion of their community real property: And every deed made from one spouse to the other or on…

A spouse or domestic partner may constitute the other his or her attorney-in-fact to manage, control or dispose of his or her property with the same power of revocation or substitution as could be exercised were they unmarried persons or were they not in a state registered domest…

A spouse or domestic partner may make and execute powers of attorney for the sale, conveyance, transfer or encumbrance of his or her separate estate both real and personal, without the other spouse or other domestic partner joining in the execution thereof. Such power of attorney…

Any conveyance, transfer, deed, lease or other encumbrances executed under and by virtue of such power of attorney shall be executed, acknowledged and certified in the same manner as if the person making such power of attorney had been unmarried or not in a state registered domes…

A spouse or domestic partner may make and execute a letter of attorney to his or her spouse or domestic partner authorizing the sale or other disposition of his or her community interest or estate in the community property and as such attorney-in-fact to sign the name of such spo…

Whenever any person, married, in a state registered domestic partnership, or single, having in his or her name the legal title of record to any real estate, shall sell or dispose of the same to an actual bona fide purchaser, a deed of such real estate from the person holding such…

A spouse or domestic partner having an interest in real estate, by virtue of the marriage relation or state registered domestic partnership, the legal title of record to which real estate is or shall be held by the other, may protect such interest from sale or disposition by the …

The instrument in writing provided for in RCW 26.16.100 shall be deemed to be a cloud upon the title of said real estate, and may be removed by the release of the party filing the same, or by any court having jurisdiction in the county where said real estate is situated, whenever…

Nothing contained in any of the provisions of *this chapter or in any law of this state, shall prevent both spouses or both domestic partners from jointly entering into any agreement concerning the status or disposition of the whole or any portion of the community property, then …

Henceforth the rights and responsibilities of the parents in the absence of misconduct shall be equal, and one parent shall be as fully entitled to the custody, control and earnings of the children as the other parent, and in case of one parent's death, the other parent shall com…

When spouses or domestic partners are living separate and apart, their respective earnings and accumulations shall be the separate property of each. The earnings and accumulations of minor children shall be the separate property of the spouse or domestic partner who has their cus…

Every married person or domestic partner shall hereafter have the same right and liberty to acquire, hold, enjoy and dispose of every species of property, and to sue and be sued, as if he or she were unmarried or were not in a state registered domestic partnership. [ 2008 c 6 s 6…

All laws which impose or recognize civil disabilities upon a wife, which are not imposed or recognized as existing as to the husband, are hereby abolished, and for any unjust usurpation of her natural or property rights, she shall have the same right to appeal in her own individu…

Should either spouse or either domestic partner obtain possession or control of property belonging to the other, either before or after marriage or before or after entering into a state registered domestic partnership, the owner of the property may maintain an action therefor, or…

For all injuries committed by a married person or domestic partner, there shall be no recovery against the separate property of the other spouse or other domestic partner except in cases where there would be joint responsibility if the marriage or the state registered domestic pa…

Neither person in a marriage or state registered domestic partnership is liable for the debts or liabilities of the other incurred before marriage or state registered domestic partnership, nor for the separate debts of each other, nor is the rent or income of the separate propert…

The expenses of the family and the education of the children, including stepchildren, are chargeable upon the property of both spouses or both domestic partners, or either of them, and they may be sued jointly or separately. When a petition for dissolution of marriage or state re…

In every case, where any question arises as to the good faith of any transaction between spouses or between domestic partners, whether a transaction between them directly or by intervention of third person or persons, the burden of proof shall be upon the party asserting the good…

(1) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, as used in RCW 26.16.220 through 26.16.250 "quasi-community property" means all personal property wherever situated and all real property described in subsection (2) of this section that is not community property and that was her…