How many hours' notice must a landlord give before entering in Washington?

2 days. Except in an emergency or where the premises appear abandoned, the landlord must give the tenant written notice of intent to enter at reasonable times — at least two days' notice, reduced to one day for entry to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers or tenants.

What reasons allow a landlord to enter a rental in Washington?

A landlord may enter to inspect the unit, to make necessary or agreed repairs, alterations, or improvements, to supply necessary or agreed services, or to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, tenants, workers, or contractors.

Can a landlord enter without notice in an emergency in Washington?

Yes — Washington recognizes an emergency exception to the entry-notice requirement.

Are there time-of-day limits on when a landlord can enter in Washington?

Entry must be at reasonable times. The statute specifies no fixed clock hours.

How much notice must a landlord give before entering in Washington?

Verified July 8, 2026 All Washington topics →

Washington requires at least two days' written notice before a landlord enters an occupied rental for inspections, repairs, or services — dropped to one day's written notice when the entry is to show the unit to a prospective tenant or buyer — and entry must occur at reasonable times.

Cited to RCW 59.18.150 (6) · Verified July 8, 2026

No notice is required in a genuine emergency or where the premises appear abandoned, tenants may not unreasonably refuse lawful entry, and landlords may not use access rights to harass; statutory penalties run in both directions for violations after written warning.

Washington entry notice at a glance

Advance notice required	2 days
Notice standard	Except in an emergency or where the premises appear abandoned, the landlord must give the tenant written notice of intent to enter at reasonable times — at least two days' notice, reduced to one day for entry to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers or tenants. RCW 59.18.150(6) sets those periods, and subsection (5) supplies the emergency and abandonment exceptions. The notice must specify the exact time and date or dates of entry, or a period of time during that date or dates. The tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent at reasonable times, and the landlord may not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant.
Permitted reasons	A landlord may enter to inspect the unit, to make necessary or agreed repairs, alterations, or improvements, to supply necessary or agreed services, or to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, tenants, workers, or contractors. Entry is with consent, which the tenant may not unreasonably withhold (RCW 59.18.150).
Emergency exception	Yes
Time-of-day restrictions	Entry must be at reasonable times. The statute specifies no fixed clock hours.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Washington Landlord Entry Notice Laws (verified July 8, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/entry-notice/washington/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Washington statute in the citations section below.

Notes and caveats

The statute counts days, not hours — the law says two days' written notice, and one day for showings; the 48-hour figure is only that rule expressed in hours. Read it as 2 days (1 day for showings).
When no notice is required — subsection (5) covers emergency and abandonment — entry there is permitted without consent.
The notice must be specific about timing — a written entry notice must specify the exact time and date, or dates, of entry, or a period of time within those dates.
The $100 penalty runs both ways — subsection (8) allows up to $100 per violation, plus costs and fees, against a party who continues violating the access duties after written notice — that reaches a landlord abusing access and a tenant unreasonably refusing it alike.
Legislative history — the section's legislative history is current through 2011 c 132.
Source: the official statute text — the entry rules stated here come from the text of RCW 59.18.150 as published by the Washington Legislature at app.leg.wa.gov.

Common questions: Washington entry notice

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How many hours' notice must a landlord give before entering in Washington?: 2 days. Except in an emergency or where the premises appear abandoned, the landlord must give the tenant written notice of intent to enter at reasonable times — at least two days' notice, reduced to one day for entry to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers or tenants.
What reasons allow a landlord to enter a rental in Washington?: A landlord may enter to inspect the unit, to make necessary or agreed repairs, alterations, or improvements, to supply necessary or agreed services, or to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, tenants, workers, or contractors.
Can a landlord enter without notice in an emergency in Washington?: Yes — Washington recognizes an emergency exception to the entry-notice requirement.
Are there time-of-day limits on when a landlord can enter in Washington?: Entry must be at reasonable times. The statute specifies no fixed clock hours.

Statute citations

RCW 59.18.150 (6) (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Washington Legislature site (app.leg.wa.gov): RCW 59.18.280 (full text, current through the 2023 c 331 amendments), RCW 59.18.610 and 59.18.253 (full text); RCW 59.18.170 and RCW 59.18.150 full texts read 2026-07-09 (upgrading them from the 2026-07-08 multi-source corroboration). HB 1217 (2025) rent stabilization provisions (RCW 59.18.700-.730, amended 59.18.140) verified against the Washington Attorney General's official landlord-tenant page and Know Your Responsibilities flyer and the Department of Commerce's official HB 1217 Landlord Resource Center (which publishes the annual cap; re-read directly 2026-07-16 — 9.683% for calendar 2026, and the 2027 figure is now published: 10%, because 7% + June 2026 Seattle CPI = 11.53% exceeds the 10% statutory ceiling, so the ceiling controls). RCW 59.18.260, .270, and .285 initially corroborated across the official AG page, Seattle SDCI, and consistent legal-aid sources, then read directly and in full on the official app.leg.wa.gov pages 2026-08-05 (each read twice, all dependent claims confirmed verbatim, and the three sections added to the deposit topic's citations); the rent-stabilization sunset was pinned the same day from the statute text itself (RCW 59.18.700(8), 59.18.710(3), 59.18.720(4) each expire July 1, 2040; session law 2025 c 209). IMPORTANT verification note: committee-stage bill reports of HB 1217 describe a one-month residential deposit cap and a 1.5% late-fee cap that are NOT in the enacted law for standard residential tenancies — those limits apply to manufactured/mobile-home tenancies (ch. 59.20 RCW) per the AG's post-enactment flyer; current legal-aid guidance confirms no statewide residential deposit or late-fee amount cap.