Bad Check Laws In Washington

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Below are the civil and criminal penalties for writing a bad check in Washington as covered under Revised Code Title 62A.3-501 to 62A.3-525. These penalties only apply to checks returned by the bank that are marked as "Non-Sufficient Funds" or Account Closed".


If served with a Notice of Dishonor letter, the person who issued the dishonored check has 15 days to make good on the check or the following civil and criminal actions may apply:

Civil Penalties: Costs of collecting the amount of the check, including an attorney's fee which will be set by the court; Interest on the amount of the check which shall accrue at the rate of twelve percent per annum from the date of dishonor; and Three hundred dollars or three times the face amount of the check, whichever is less, by award of the court.

Criminal Penalties Under (RCW 9A.56.060): Unlawful issuance of a bank check in an amount greater than $750 is a class C felony which is punishable by a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Dishonored check amounts of $750 or less is a gross misdemeanor and shall be punished as follows: The court shall order the defendant to make full restitution; The defendant need not be imprisoned, but the court shall impose a fine of up to $1,125. Of the fine imposed, at least $375 or an amount equal to 150 percent of the amount of the bank check, whichever is greater, shall not be suspended or deferred. Upon conviction for a second offense within any twelve-month period, the court may not suspend or defer any portion of the fine. Please note that when any series of transactions which constitute unlawful issuance of a bank check in an amount of $750 or less because of value, and the series of transactions are a part of a common scheme or plan, the transactions may be aggregated in one count and can be prosecuted as a class C felony or a gross misdemeanor.



For more information on bad check laws and for criminal and civil penalties in other states for writing bad checks, please read Bad Check Laws

Check with your state statutes for the most current information on Washington bad check laws at ( http://apps.leg.wa.gov ).

You may want to also read Getting A Checking Account While On The Chex System

Learn how to Prevent Overdraft And Bounced Check Fees

Although all information has been written in good faith and has been reviewed, please email us at [email protected] to report any inaccuracies.