Vehicle transfers to insurer

AN ACT Relating to transferring ownership of a vehicle to an 1
insurer under certain circumstances; and amending RCW 46.12.600 and 2
11.125.050. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 46.12.600 and 2011 c 171 s 36 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(1)(a) The registered owner or legal owner shall:7
(i) Report the destruction of the vehicle issued a certificate of 8
title or registration certificate to the department within 9
((fifteen)) 15 days of its destruction; and 10
(ii) Submit the certificate of title or affidavit in lieu of 11
title marked "DESTROYED." The registered owner's name, address, and 12
the date of destruction must be clearly shown on the certificate of 13
title or affidavit in lieu of title. 14
(b) It is a gross misdemeanor to fail to notify the department 15
and be in possession of a certificate of title of a destroyed vehicle 16
on the ((sixteenth)) 16th day after the vehicle is destroyed and each 17
day thereafter. 18
(2) The insurance company or self-insurer shall report the 19
destruction or total loss of vehicles issued a certificate of title 20
or registration certificate to the department within ((fifteen)) 15 21
H-3001.1
HOUSE BILL 2604
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Richards and Barkis
Read first time 01/21/26. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
p. 1 HB 2604
days after the settlement claim. The report must be submitted 1
regardless of where or in what jurisdiction the total loss occurred. 2
An insurer shall report total loss vehicles to the department in any 3
of the following manners: 4
(a) Electronically through the department's online reporting 5
system. An insurer choosing this option must immediately destroy 6
ownership documents after filing the electronic report;7
(b) Submitting the certificate of title or affidavit in lieu of 8
title marked "DESTROYED." The insurer's name, address, and the date 9
of loss must be clearly shown on the certificate of title or 10
affidavit in lieu of title; or 11
(c) Submitting a properly completed total loss claim settlement 12
form provided by the department. 13
(3) Supporting documents used to transfer ownership of a vehicle 14
to an insurer after payment of damages does not require a notarized 15
signature, may be signed electronically, and may be printed on hard 16
copy. This includes, but is not limited to, a limited power of 17
attorney executed in accordance with RCW 11.125.050(4), which the 18
department shall accept for purposes of transferring vehicle 19
ownership.20
(4) The registered owner, legal owner, or insurer reporting the 21
destruction or total loss of a motor vehicle six years old or older 22
must include a statement on whether the fair market value of the 23
motor vehicle immediately before its destruction was at least equal 24
to the market value threshold. The age of the motor vehicle is 25
determined by subtracting the model year from the current calendar 26
year. 27
(((4))) (5) The market value threshold is ((six thousand seven 28
hundred ninety dollars)) $6,790 or a greater amount as set by rule of 29
the department. The department shall: 30
(a) Increase the market value threshold amount:31
(i) When the consumer price index for all urban consumers, 32
compiled by the bureau of labor statistics, United States department 33
of labor, or its successor, for the west region, in the expenditure 34
category "used cars and trucks," shows an annual average increase 35
over the previous year; 36
(ii) By the same percentage increase of the annual average shown 37
in the consumer price index; and 38
(iii) On July 1st of the year immediately following the year with 39
the increase of the annual average; 40
p. 2 HB 2604
(b) Round each increase of the market value threshold to the 1
nearest ((ten dollars)) $10; 2
(c) Not increase the market value threshold amount if the amount 3
of the increase would be less than ((fifty dollars)) $50; and4
(d) Carry forward any unmade increases to succeeding years until 5
the cumulative increase is at least ((fifty dollars)) $50.6
Sec. 2. RCW 11.125.050 and 2016 c 209 s 105 are each amended to 7
read as follows: 8
(1) A power of attorney must be signed and dated by the 9
principal, and the signature must be either acknowledged before a 10
notary public or other individual authorized by law to take 11
acknowledgments, or attested by two or more competent witnesses who 12
are neither home care providers for the principal nor care providers 13
at an adult family home or long-term care facility in which the 14
principal resides, and who are unrelated to the principal or agent by 15
blood, marriage, or state registered domestic partnership, by 16
subscribing their names to the power of attorney, while in the 17
presence of the principal and at the principal's direction or 18
request. 19
(2) A power of attorney shall be considered signed in accordance 20
with this section if, in the case of a principal who is physically 21
unable to sign his or her name, the principal makes a mark in 22
accordance with RCW 11.12.030, or in the case of a principal who is 23
physically unable to make a mark, the power of attorney is executed 24
in accordance with RCW 64.08.100. 25
(3) A signature on a power of attorney is presumed to be genuine 26
if the principal acknowledges the signature before a notary public or 27
other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments.28
(4) A limited power of attorney signed and dated for the sole 29
purpose of transferring ownership of a vehicle to an insurer after 30
payment of damages does not require a notarized signature, may be 31
signed electronically, and may be printed on hard copy.32
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p. 3 HB 2604