LOCAL RULES: RCW 18.280

Washington home inspection report requirements

Your Washington home inspection report has 6 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • The alternate method, if the roof was not walked
  • Wood destroying insects in general terms only (unless you hold a WA-SPI license)
  • Hot water temperatures (°F, with locations) and the shutoff valve locations
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Washington's home inspection Standards of Practice, chapter 308-408C WAC, were rewritten in a rule filed in July 2026 and say system by system what a report must describe and report. Some are unusual: hot water temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit with their locations, the location of the shutoff valves, and a ban on naming specific wood destroying insects unless you hold a structural pest license. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and how field notes become a Washington report.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Home inspectionWASHINGTON / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 149 words

Client: Dana Whitfield
Inspector: Sam Ortega
Date: October 3, 2026
1408 Larkspur Lane, Olympia, WA
Weather: clear, 74F. Occupied. Built 1987.
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
75%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 14 items into 8 sections and flagged 4 to fix first.

  • Fix firstElectrical

    Main panel has a double tapped breaker and an open splice in the attic junction box.

  • Fix firstElectrical

    No GFCI protection at the kitchen counter outlets.

  • Fix firstGarage

    Garage door opener did not reverse when it hit the test board.

6 Washington rules on your checklist, including the descriptions the standards call for (structure, roof, electrical service, plumbing, heating, insulation).

Still to add

  • RecommendedNotes for cooling
  • RecommendedNotes for fireplaces and chimneys

Filled in for you

Client nameDana Whitfield
Property address1408 Larkspur Lane, Olympia, WA
Inspection dateOct 3, 2026
Inspector nameSam Ortega
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What Washington requires

  • A licensed home inspector gives a written report of the home inspection to each person for whom the inspection is performed; the issues it addresses are set by the Department of Licensing's standards of practiceRCW 18.280.120 (1), Written reports
  • When a system or component the standards require is excluded, at the client's request or because it is inaccessible or dangerous, the report states the reason it was excludedWAC 308-408C-030, Exclusions and limitations
  • The report describes the structural building materials, the roof covering type and general condition and how the roof is ventilated, the electrical service type and rating (overhead or underground, voltage, amperage, fuses or breakers, branch wiring), plumbing piping materials and water heating equipment, heating fuel, equipment and distribution, and insulation typeWAC 308-408C-110 (1) (a), Electrical system · WAC 308-408C-070 (1), Structure
  • The inspector traverses the roof or, at their discretion, uses an alternate method; if the roof is not traversed, the alternate method used is reported, along with how the roof is ventilated and any multiple layers of roofingWAC 308-408C-090, Roofs
  • All wood rot and pest-conducive conditions found are reported; an inspector who is not a currently licensed structural pest inspector (WA-SPI) may not identify specific wood destroying insects and describes them in general terms, and suspected insect issues are referred to a licensed structural pest inspector or pest control operatorWAC 308-408C-070 (1), Structure · RCW 18.280.010 (8), Definitions (wood destroying organism)
  • The report gives the presence and location of the main water and fuel shutoff valves or that they were not found, the absence of a temperature and pressure relief valve and its piping, the absence of water heater seismic restraints, and the hot water temperature in degrees Fahrenheit measured at a representative number of locations, with each locationWAC 308-408C-100 (1) (b), (f), Plumbing system
  • The report gives the location of any inoperative, absent or missing GFCI or AFCI device where current industry standards recommend or require one, and the client is advised that homes without that protection should have the devices installedWAC 308-408C-110 (1) (f), (g)
  • The report notes any evidence of an underground storage tank, any open flame combustion appliance in a sleeping room, the absence of a bollard or other appliance protection in the garage, and, as a fire hazard, any ignition source within 18 inches of the garage floorWAC 308-408C-120 (1) (e), (f), Heating system · WAC 308-408C-180, Attached garages or carports
  • The inspector verifies steps, handrails, guardrails, stairways and landings are installed wherever necessary, and reports when they are missing or need repair and when guard spacing exceeds four inches, or 4-3/8 inches on stairsWAC 308-408C-080 (1), Exterior
  • For each system, the report describes and identifies any condition that may need to be referred to a specialistWAC 308-408C-070 to -180 (each system)
  • From the inspection until one year from the report date, the inspector, their company and affiliated firms may not perform any work on the home other than inspection-related consultationRCW 18.280.120 (2) · WAC 308-408C-020 (8), Ethics
  • Before the client signs the preinspection agreement, the inspector discloses in writing any business, family or financial relationship with another party to the transaction; the report may not minimize, maximize or balance information about defects to win referrals, and its contents stay confidential without the client's approvalWAC 308-408C-020 (2), (5), (10), Ethics
  • A preinspection agreement is mandatory and states the property address, the fee, the inspector's contact information and license number, what will and will not be inspected, and that mold, asbestos, lead paint, water, soil, air quality and other environmental issues are not included unless agreed in writingWAC 308-408C-050, Contracts
  • The inspector keeps preinspection agreements, home inspection reports and their multimedia or drawings for three yearsWAC 308-408C-040, Recordkeeping
  • A Washington home inspection assesses the home's condition at the time of inspection by visual observation, simple tools and normal homeowner controls, is not technically exhaustive, and applies to buildings with four or fewer dwelling units and their attached garages or carportsWAC 308-408C-010, Purpose and scope

What a Washington inspection covers

A home inspection assesses the home's condition at the time of the inspection using visual observation, simple tools and normal homeowner controls. It is not technically exhaustive, and the standards apply to buildings with four or fewer dwelling units and their attached garages or carports.

Every client gets a written report, and the issues it addresses are set by the standards. When a system the standards require is excluded, at the client's request or because it is inaccessible or dangerous, the report states why.

What the report must describe

The standards ask for descriptions as well as defects: the structural building materials, the roof covering type and general condition and how the roof is ventilated, the electrical service (overhead or underground, voltage, amperage, fuses or breakers, branch wiring), plumbing piping materials and the water heating equipment, the heating fuel, equipment and distribution, and the insulation type.

Walk the roof or use another method at your discretion. If you did not walk it, report the method you used. For each system, identify any condition that may need a specialist.

Plumbing, heating, garage and guards

Record the hot water temperature in degrees Fahrenheit at a representative number of locations, with each location. Report where the main water and fuel shutoff valves are, or that they were not found, and report a missing temperature and pressure relief valve or water heater seismic restraints.

Report any evidence of an underground storage tank, open flame combustion appliances in sleeping rooms, a garage without a bollard or other appliance protection, and, as a fire hazard, any ignition source within 18 inches of the garage floor. Report missing or damaged steps, handrails and guardrails, and guard spacing over four inches, or 4-3/8 inches on stairs.

GFCI and AFCI

Report the location of any inoperative, absent or missing GFCI or AFCI device where current industry standards recommend or require one, and advise the client that homes without that protection should have the devices installed. ReportDraft prints that advice at the end of every Washington report.

Wood rot and insects

Report all wood rot and pest-conducive conditions. Unless you hold a current Washington structural pest inspector license, do not name the insect: describe it in general terms such as "wood destroying insects" or "pest-conducive conditions", and refer suspected insect issues to a licensed structural pest inspector or pest control operator. Washington's law counts carpenter ants, moisture ants, subterranean and dampwood termites, Anobiid beetles and wood rot as wood destroying organisms.

Agreements, ethics and records

A preinspection agreement is mandatory and states the address, the fee, your contact information and license number, what you will and will not inspect, and that environmental issues such as mold, asbestos and lead paint are not included unless agreed in writing. Disclose any business, family or financial relationship with another party in writing before the client signs.

Do not slant a report to win referrals, keep its contents confidential without the client's approval, and do no work on the home other than inspection-related consultation for a year after the report. Keep agreements and reports, with their photos or drawings, for three years.

From field notes to a finished Washington report

Note the hot water readings with where you took them, where the shutoffs are, how you inspected the roof, and the electrical service details. ReportDraft puts the readings and shutoff locations in their own items, describes each system's materials, keeps insect findings in general terms with a referral, and prints the GFCI and AFCI advice at the end.

Common mistakes

  • Naming termites or carpenter ants without a structural pest inspector license.
  • Leaving out the hot water temperature readings or where they were taken.
  • Not saying where the main water and fuel shutoffs are, or that they were not found.
  • Not reporting the alternate method when the roof was not walked.
  • Missing an ignition source within 18 inches of the garage floor.

Sources

Last reviewed October 10, 2026. Next review due January 10, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.