Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60 § 49.60.224
Real property contract provisions restricting conveyance, encumbrance, occupancy, or use to persons of particular race, disability, etc., void -- Unfair practice.
Operative Text
(1) Every provision in a written instrument relating to real property which purports to forbid or restrict the conveyance, encumbrance, occupancy, or lease thereof to individuals of a specified race, creed, color, sex, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sexual orientation, families with children status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or with any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person who is blind, deaf, or physically disabled, and every condition, restriction, or prohibition, including a right of entry or possibility of reverter, which directly or indirectly limits the use or occupancy of real property on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sexual orientation, families with children status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person who is blind, deaf, or physically disabled is void. (2) It is an unfair practice to insert in a written instrument relating to real property a provision that is void under this section or to honor or attempt to honor such a provision in the chain of title.
Washington law under § 49.60.224 renders unenforceable any clause in a real property document that attempts to restrict who may own, occupy, lease, or use a property based on characteristics such as race, national origin, sex, disability, or several other protected categories. Such clauses are treated as legally void regardless of when they were written or how they appear in a chain of title. The law also designates it an unfair practice to insert such a clause into a new document or to act as though an existing void clause still has legal effect.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 49.60.224, property owners and managers are generally expected to ensure that deeds, leases, and other real property instruments do not contain language that conditions ownership, occupancy, or use on a buyer's or tenant's membership in a protected class. Compliant operators typically review documents for discriminatory restrictions before executing or recording them, and they do not rely on or enforce any such language found in older title documents. Inserting or honoring these provisions constitutes an unfair practice under Washington's Law Against Discrimination.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section § 49.60.224 of Washington's Law Against Discrimination gives tenants and prospective occupants the assurance that any deed or lease clause purporting to exclude them based on race, disability, national origin, or other protected characteristics has no legal force. If a landlord attempts to enforce or rely on such a provision, that conduct itself qualifies as an unfair practice under state law. Tenants who believe this provision has been violated may explore filing a complaint with the Washington State Human Rights Commission or consult a tenant-rights organization for guidance on available remedies.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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