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Washington statute

RCW 9A.56.096 — Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property

Current through 2026 Regular Session

Part of Chapter 9A.56: Theft And Robbery, Revised Code of Washington.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of RCW 9A.56.096

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.56.096Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
(1) A person who, with intent to deprive the owner or owner's agent, wrongfully obtains, or exerts unauthorized control over, or by color or aid of deception gains control of personal property that is rented, leased, or loaned by written agreement to the person, is guilty of theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property. (2) The finder of fact may presume intent to deprive if the finder of fact finds either of the following: (a) That the person who rented or leased the property failed to return or make arrangements acceptable to the owner of the property or the owner's agent to return the property to the owner or the owner's agent within seventy-two hours after receipt of proper notice following the due date of the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan agreement; or (b) That the renter, lessee, or borrower presented identification to the owner or the owner's agent that was materially false, fictitious, or not current with respect to name, address, place of employment, or other appropriate items. (3) As used in subsection (2) of this section, "proper notice" consists of a written demand by the owner or the owner's agent made after the due date of the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan period, mailed by certified or registered mail to the renter, lessee, or borrower at: (a) The address the renter, lessee, or borrower gave when the contract was made; or (b) the renter, lessee, or borrower's last known address if later furnished in writing by the renter, lessee, borrower, or the agent of the renter, lessee, or borrower. (4) The replacement value of the property obtained must be utilized in determining the amount involved in the theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property. (5)(a) Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is a class B felony if the rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is valued at five thousand dollars or more. (b) Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is a class C felony if the rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is valued at seven hundred fifty dollars or more but less than five thousand dollars. (c) Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is a gross misdemeanor if the rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is valued at less than seven hundred fifty dollars. (6) The crime of theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property may be deemed to have been committed either at the physical location where the written agreement for the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan of the property was executed under subsection (1) of this section, or at the address where proper notice may be mailed to the renter, lessee, or borrower under subsection (3) of this section. (7) This section applies to rental agreements that provide that the renter may return the property any time within the rental period and pay only for the time the renter actually retained the property, in addition to any minimum rental fee, to lease agreements, to lease-purchase agreements as defined under RCW 63.19.010, and to vehicles loaned to prospective purchasers borrowing a vehicle by written agreement from a motor vehicle dealer licensed under chapter 46.70 RCW. This section does not apply to rental or leasing of real property under the residential landlord-tenant act, chapter 59.18 RCW.

Official sources

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property a felony or a misdemeanor in Washington?

It depends on the circumstances: theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property ranges from a Gross Misdemeanor to a Class B Felony in Washington under RCW 9A.56.096.

Theft of rental/leased/lease-purchased/loaned property ($5,000 or more): Class B Felony (RCW 9A.56.096(5)(a)) · Theft of rental/leased/lease-purchased/loaned property ($750 to $5,000): Class C Felony (RCW 9A.56.096(5)(b)) · Theft of rental/leased/lease-purchased/loaned property (under $750): Gross Misdemeanor (RCW 9A.56.096(5)(c))

Which Washington statute covers theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property?

Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is governed by RCW 9A.56.096 (Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.