Wash. Rev. Code » Title 19 · Chapter 19.80
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 19.80.005 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section WA-LEGapp.leg.wa.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Business" means an occupation, profession, or employment engaged in for the purpose of seeking a profit.
(2) "Department" means the department of revenue.
(3) "Person" means any individual, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation conducting or having an interest in a business in the state.
(4) "Trade name" means a word or name, or any combination of a word or name, used by a person to identify the person's business which:
(a) Is not, or does not include, the true and real name of all persons conducting the business; or
(b) Includes words which suggest additional parties of interest such as "company," "and sons," or "and associates."
(5) "True and real name" means:
(a) The surname of an individual coupled with one or more of the individual's other names, one or more of the individual's initials, or any combination;
(b) The designation or appellation by which an individual is best known and called in the business community where that individual transacts business, if this is used as that individual's legal signature;
(c) The registered corporate name of a domestic corporation as filed with the secretary of state;
(d) The registered corporate name of a foreign corporation authorized to do business within the state of Washington as filed with the secretary of state;
(e) The registered partnership name of a domestic limited partnership as filed with the secretary of state;
(f) The registered partnership name of a foreign limited partnership as filed with the secretary of state; or
(g) The name of a general partnership which includes in its name the true and real names, as defined in (a) through (f) of this subsection, of each general partner as required in RCW 19.80.010.
[ 2011 c 298 s 13; 2000 c 174 s 1; 1996 c 231 s 2; 1984 c 130 s 2.]

Notes:

Reviser's note: The definitions in this section have been alphabetized pursuant to RCW 1.08.015(2)(k).
Purpose—Intent—Agency transfer—Contracting—Effective date—2011 c 298: See notes following RCW 19.02.020.
Effective date—1984 c 130: See note following RCW 19.80.001.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2015–2021 · leading case: Robin Hood Vill. MHC, LLC, V. Austin Jansen (Wash. Ct. App. 2021).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Robin Hood Vill. MHC, LLC, V. Austin Jansen (Wash. Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 3× “Jansen does not assign error to these findings and 3 RCW 19.80.005 defines the terms “‘trade name’” and “‘true and real name.”
Annette Holding, LLC v. Nw. Clean Air Agency (Wash. Ct. App. 2020). · cites it 2× “” In Washington, a limited liability company, such as Annette Holding, must register its trade name and include the true name of the company as filed with the secretary of state before the “person . . . carries on, conducts, or transacts business in this state under any trade…”
Tbf Fin., Llc, Resp v. Stay In Home Mortg., Inc., Defs (Wash. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 2× “RCW 19.80.005(3) defines "person" as "any individual, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation conducting or having an interest in a business in the state.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 19.80.005(3) — 2 cases
Annette Holding, LLC v. Nw. Clean Air Agency (Wash. Ct. App. 2020). “” In Washington, a limited liability company, such as Annette Holding, must register its trade name and include the true name of the company as filed with the secretary of state before the “person . . . carries on, conducts, or transacts business in this state under any trade…”
Tbf Fin., Llc, Resp v. Stay In Home Mortg., Inc., Defs (Wash. Ct. App. 2015). “RCW 19.80.005(3) defines "person" as "any individual, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation conducting or having an interest in a business in the state.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 19.80.005(4) — 1 case
Tbf Fin., Llc, Resp v. Stay In Home Mortg., Inc., Defs (Wash. Ct. App. 2015). “RCW 19.80.005(3) defines "person" as "any individual, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation conducting or having an interest in a business in the state.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 19.80.005(5)(c) — 1 case
Robin Hood Vill. MHC, LLC, V. Austin Jansen (Wash. Ct. App. 2021). “Jansen does not assign error to these findings and 3 RCW 19.80.005 defines the terms “‘trade name’” and “‘true and real name.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 19.80.005(c) — 1 case
Robin Hood Vill. MHC, LLC, V. Austin Jansen (Wash. Ct. App. 2021). “Jansen does not assign error to these findings and 3 RCW 19.80.005 defines the terms “‘trade name’” and “‘true and real name.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.