RCW 46.55.090
Storage, return requirements—Vehicles, personal belongings—Combination endorsement for tow truck drivers—Viewing impounded vehicle.
(1) All vehicles impounded shall be taken to the nearest storage location that has been inspected and is listed on the application filed with the department.
(2) All vehicles and stored personal belongings shall be handled and returned in substantially the same condition as they existed before being towed.
(3) For purposes of this subsection [section], "personal belongings" means personal property and contents in a vehicle, with the exception of those items of personal property that are registered or titled with the department. For a period of twenty days from impound, personal belongings shall be kept intact, and shall be returned to the vehicle's owner or agent during normal business hours upon request and presentation of a driver's license or other sufficient identification. A vehicle's owner or agent may retrieve personal belongings from the vehicle and request that the registered tow truck operator store the personal belongings for a period of thirty days from the date of signing a personal belongings storage request form. If a personal belongings storage request form is not submitted, personal belongings not claimed within twenty days from the date of the impound are considered abandoned and may be disposed of at the registered tow truck operator's discretion. If a personal belongings storage request form is submitted to the registered tow truck operator, personal belongings not claimed within thirty days of the date the personal belongings storage request form is submitted are considered abandoned and may be disposed of at the registered tow truck operator's discretion. Abandoned personal belongings may be sold at auction with the vehicle to fulfill a lien against the vehicle. The department shall adopt rules prescribing the content and format of the personal belongings storage request form.
(4) Tow truck drivers shall have a Washington state driver's license endorsed for the appropriate classification under chapter 46.25 RCW or the equivalent issued by another state.
(5) Any person who shows proof of ownership or written authorization from the impounded vehicle's registered or legal owner or the vehicle's insurer may view the vehicle without charge during normal business hours.
[ 2019 c 401 § 1; 1995 c 360 § 4; 1989 c 178 § 25; 1987 c 311 § 7; 1985 c 377 § 9.]
NOTES:
Effective dates—1989 c 178: See RCW 46.25.901.
Structure Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 46.55 - Towing and Impoundment.
46.55.020 - Registration required—Penalty.
46.55.025 - Registration or insurance required—Penalty.
46.55.030 - Application—Contents, bond, insurance, fee, certificate.
46.55.035 - Prohibited acts—Penalty.
46.55.037 - Compensation for private impounds.
46.55.040 - Permit required—Inspections of equipment and facilities.
46.55.050 - Classification of trucks—Marking requirements—Time and place of inspection—Penalty.
46.55.060 - Business location—Requirements.
46.55.063 - Fees, schedules, contracts, invoices.
46.55.070 - Posting requirements—Exception.
46.55.075 - Law enforcement impound—Required form, procedures.
46.55.085 - Law enforcement impound—Unauthorized vehicle in right-of-way.
46.55.100 - Impound notice—Abandoned vehicle report—Owner information, liability—Disposition report.
46.55.105 - Responsibility of registered owner—Buyer and seller remedies.
46.55.110 - Notice to legal and registered owners.
46.55.113 - Removal by police officer—Definition.
46.55.115 - State patrol—Appointment of towing operators—Lien for costs—Appeal.
46.55.117 - Impounds under RCW 64.44.050.
46.55.118 - Rate, fee limitations for certain private impounds.
46.55.120 - Redemption of vehicles—Sale of unredeemed property—Improper impoundment.
46.55.130 - Notice requirements—Public auction—Accumulation of storage charges.
46.55.140 - Operator's lien, deficiency claim, liability.
46.55.150 - Vehicle transaction file.
46.55.160 - Availability of records, equipment, and facilities for audit and inspection.
46.55.170 - Complaints, where forwarded.
46.55.180 - Presiding officer at licensing hearing.
46.55.200 - Penalties for certain acts or omissions.
46.55.210 - Cease and desist order.
46.55.220 - Refusal to issue license, grounds for.
46.55.230 - Junk vehicles—Removal, disposal, sale—Penalties—Cleanup restitution payment.
46.55.240 - Local ordinances—Requirements.
46.55.300 - Vehicle immobilization.
46.55.370 - Law enforcement liability immunity—Reasonable suspicion.
46.55.400 - Transporting abandoned recreational vehicles—Record of delivery—Report—Liability.
46.55.901 - Headings not part of law—1985 c 377.
46.55.902 - Effective date—1985 c 377.
46.55.910 - Chapter not applicable to certain activities of department of transportation.