Washington legal term
Signature in Washington Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Washington legislative session
In Washington criminal law, “Signature” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Washington criminal code.
What does “Signature” mean in Washington criminal law?
"Signature" includes any memorandum, mark, or sign made with intent to authenticate any instrument or writing, or the subscription of any person thereto; (25) "Statute" means the Constitution or an act of the legislature or initiative or referendum of this state; (26) "Strangulation" means to compress a person's neck, thereby obstructing the person's blood flow or ability to breathe, or doing so with the intent to obstruct the person's blood flow or ability to breathe; (27) "Suffocation" means to block or impair a person's intake of air at the nose and mouth, whether by smothering or other mea (RCW 9A.04.110)
Statutes defining or using this term
Charges using this term
- Digital signature violations
- Fraudulent creation or revocation of a mental health advance directive
- Individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States possession of firearms
- Intercepting, transmitting, or recording conversations concerning controlled substances or commercial sexual abuse of a minor
- Metal property deception
- Obtaining a signature by deception or duress
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.