Wash. Rev. Code » Title 41 · Chapter 41.08
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 41.08.080 (2026)

Tenure of employment—Grounds for discharge, reduction, or deprivation of privileges

✓ current as of May 2026
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The tenure of every one holding an office, place, position or employment under the provisions of this chapter shall be only during good behavior, and any such person may be removed or discharged, suspended without pay, demoted, or reduced in rank, or deprived of vacation privileges or other special privileges for any of the following reasons:
(1) Incompetency, inefficiency or inattention to or dereliction of duty;
(2) Dishonesty, intemperance, immoral conduct, insubordination, discourteous treatment of the public, or a fellow employee, or any other act of omission or commission tending to injure the public service; or any other willful failure on the part of the employee to properly conduct himself or herself; or any willful violation of the provisions of this chapter or the rules and regulations to be adopted hereunder;
(3) Mental or physical unfitness for the position which the employee holds;
(4) Dishonest, disgraceful, immoral or prejudicial conduct;
(5) Drunkenness or use of intoxicating liquors, narcotics, or any other habit forming drug, liquid or preparation to such extent that the use thereof interferes with the efficiency or mental or physical fitness of the employee, or which precludes the employee from properly performing the functions and duties of any position under civil service;
(6) Conviction of a felony, or a misdemeanor, involving moral turpitude;
(7) Any other act or failure to act which in the judgment of the civil service commissioners is sufficient to show the offender to be an unsuitable and unfit person to be employed in the public service.
[ 2007 c 218 s 5; 1935 c 31 s 8; RRS s 9558-8.]

Notes:

Intent—Finding—2007 c 218: See note following RCW 41.08.020.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases, 1969–1982 · leading case: In Re Smith, 639 P.2d 779 (Wash. Ct. App. 1982).
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In Re Smith, 639 P.2d 779 (Wash. Ct. App. 1982). · cites it 2× “RCW 41.08.080 is the identical counterpart to RCW 41.”
City of Wenatchee v. Berg, 461 P.2d 563 (Wash. Ct. App. 1969). “(7) Any other act or failure to act which in the judgment of the civil service commissioners is sufficient to show the offender to be an unsuitable and unfit person to be employed in the public service.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 41.08.080(7) — 2 cases
In Re Smith, 639 P.2d 779 (Wash. Ct. App. 1982). “RCW 41.08.080 is the identical counterpart to RCW 41.”
City of Wenatchee v. Berg, 461 P.2d 563 (Wash. Ct. App. 1969). “(7) Any other act or failure to act which in the judgment of the civil service commissioners is sufficient to show the offender to be an unsuitable and unfit person to be employed in the public service.”
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.