Washington statute
RCW 9.40.100 — Tampering with fire alarm or firefighting equipment—False alarm—Penalties
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Chapter 9.40: Fire, Crimes Relating To, Revised Code of Washington.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of RCW 9.40.100
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the official text of the Revised Code of Washington from the Code Reviser's published files; it is not the official statutes of the State of Washington.
Any person who willfully and without cause tampers with, molests, injures or breaks any public or private fire alarm apparatus, emergency phone, radio, or other wire or signal, or any firefighting equipment, or who willfully and without having reasonable grounds for believing a fire exists, sends, gives, transmits, or sounds any false alarm of fire, by shouting in a public place or by means of any public or private fire alarm system or signal, or by telephone, is guilty of a misdemeanor. This provision shall not prohibit the testing of fire alarm systems by persons authorized to do so, by a fire department or the chief of the Washington state patrol, through the director of fire protection.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is tampering with fire alarm or firefighting equipment a felony or a misdemeanor in Washington?
Tampering with fire alarm or firefighting equipment is a Misdemeanor in Washington under RCW 9.40.100.
Which Washington statute covers tampering with fire alarm or firefighting equipment?
Tampering with fire alarm or firefighting equipment is governed by RCW 9.40.100 (Tampering with fire alarm or firefighting equipment—False alarm—Penalties).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.