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Washington statute

RCW 9A.28.020 — Criminal attempt

Current through 2026 Regular Session

Part of Chapter 9A.28: Anticipatory Offenses, Revised Code of Washington.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of RCW 9A.28.020

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.

RCW 9A.28.020Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
(1) A person is guilty of an attempt to commit a crime if, with intent to commit a specific crime, he or she does any act which is a substantial step toward the commission of that crime. (2) If the conduct in which a person engages otherwise constitutes an attempt to commit a crime, it is no defense to a prosecution of such attempt that the crime charged to have been attempted was, under the attendant circumstances, factually or legally impossible of commission. (3) An attempt to commit a crime is a: (a) Class A felony when the crime attempted is murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, arson in the first degree, child molestation in the first degree, indecent liberties by forcible compulsion, rape in the first degree, rape in the second degree, rape of a child in the first degree, or rape of a child in the second degree; (b) Class B felony when the crime attempted is a class A felony other than an offense listed in (a) of this subsection; (c) Class C felony when the crime attempted is a class B felony; (d) Gross misdemeanor when the crime attempted is a class C felony; (e) Misdemeanor when the crime attempted is a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor.

Official sources

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is criminal attempt a felony or a misdemeanor in Washington?

It depends on the circumstances: criminal attempt ranges from a Misdemeanor to a Class A Felony in Washington under RCW 9A.28.020.

Attempt to commit specified serious offenses: Class A Felony (RCW 9A.28.020(3)(a)) · Attempt to commit other class A felony: Class B Felony (RCW 9A.28.020(3)(b)) · Attempt to commit class B felony: Class C Felony (RCW 9A.28.020(3)(c)) · Attempt to commit class C felony: Gross Misdemeanor (RCW 9A.28.020(3)(d)) · Attempt to commit gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor: Misdemeanor (RCW 9A.28.020(3)(e))

Which Washington statute covers criminal attempt?

Criminal attempt is governed by RCW 9A.28.020 (Criminal attempt).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.