§15.2 - Washington Real Estate Appraiser Law

• Jurisdiction: Washington

§15.2 WASHINGTON REAL ESTATE APPRAISER LAW

This section discusses the statutory and regulatory schemes under which Washington appraisers operate.

(1) Legislation

The Certified Real Estate Appraiser Act (Ch. 18.140 RCW) and Chapter 308-125 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) compose the codified law relating to real estate appraisals in Washington. WAC 308-125-200 specifies that the standard practice governing real estate appraisal activities in Washington is the USPAP.

(2) Appraisers subject to regulation

Since 1996, Washington state has effectively had mandatory licensing, meaning that any appraiser preparing reports on property in Washington must be licensed or certified by the state. RCW 18.140.005, .220. All licensed and certified appraisers have to comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAPsee §15.3 below). Washington licenses four categories of appraiser:

The state-licensed residential real estate appraiser is authorized to appraise residential real property consisting of noncomplex one to four residential...