Wash. Rev. Code » Title 46 · Chapter 46.04
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 46.04.270 (2026)

Legal owner

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section WA-LEGapp.leg.wa.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
"Legal owner" means a person having a security interest in a vehicle perfected in accordance with chapter 46.12 RCW or the registered owner of a vehicle unencumbered by a security interest or the lessor of a vehicle unencumbered by a security interest.
[ 1975 c 25 s 1; 1961 c 12 s 46.04.270. Prior: 1959 c 49 s 28; prior: 1943 c 153 s 1, part; 1937 c 188 s 1, part; Rem. Supp. 1943 s 6312-1, part.]
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1956–2025 · leading case: Beatty v. W. Pac. Ins., 445 P.2d 325 (Wash. 1968).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Beatty v. W. Pac. Ins., 445 P.2d 325 (Wash. 1968). · cites it 2× “Because of the lack of compliance with these statutes, respondent asserts Sutliff at all times concerned legally remained the “owner” of the vehicle for all pertinent purposes within the framework of the liability policy as well as within the statutory definitions found in RCW…”
Pub. Employees Mut. Ins. v. Kelly, 805 P.2d 822 (Wash. Ct. App. 1991). · cites it 2× “380 states that: "`Owner' means a person who has a lawful right of possession of a vehicle by reason of obtaining it by purchase, exchange, gift, lease, inheritance or legal action .”
City Loan Co. v. State Credit Ass'n, 490 P.2d 118 (Wash. Ct. App. 1971). “RCW 46.04.270 provides: “ ‘Legal owner’ means a mortgagee or owner of the legal title to a vehicle.”
Smith v. Downs, 292 P.2d 205 (Wash. 1956). “RCW 46.04.270 defines “legal owner” as follows: “ ‘Legal owner’ means a mortgagee or owner of the legal title to a vehicle.”
First Class Cartage, Ltd. v. Fife Serv. & Towing, Inc., 121 Wash. App. 257 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004). “” RCW 46.04.270. “ ‘Abandoned vehicle’ means a vehicle that a registered tow truck operator has impounded and held in the operator’s possession for one hundred twenty consecutive hours.”
Kenneth Wren, et ux. v. Stanford & Sons, LLC (Wash. Ct. App. 2025). “” RCW 46.04.270. Under RCW 46.12.520(2), “[a] security interest in a vehicle held as inventory by a .”
First Class Cartage, Ltd. v. Fife Serv. & Towing, Inc., 89 P.3d 226 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004). “" RCW 46.04.270. [7] "`Abandoned vehicle' means a vehicle that a registered tow truck operator has impounded and held in the operator's possession for one hundred twenty consecutive hours.”
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.