Washington motorcycle laws, in plain English

If you read nothing else, these are the rules that get riders ticketed in Washington.

• Endorsement required. A driver license alone does not let you ride. RCW 46.20.500.
• Helmet required, for the operator and the passenger, meeting the federal standard. RCW 46.37.530.
• Lane splitting is illegal. No riding between lanes or between rows of vehicles. RCW 46.61.608.
• Liability insurance is mandatory for motorcycles, at 25/50/10 minimums. RCW 46.30.020.
• Permit riders carry no passengers and do not ride after dark. RCW 46.20.510.
• A passenger needs a real seat and footrests. RCW 46.61.610.

Each page quotes the operative statute, links to it on the Legislature site, and then explains what it means in practice.

Licensing and endorsements

• Do you need an endorsement? RCW 46.20.500
• Permit rules and restrictions RCW 46.20.510
• Can a course replace the DOL test? RCW 46.20.515
• Every fee, explained
• Age rules and under-18 requirements
• Expired or lapsed endorsement
• Moving to Washington with an endorsement

What counts as a motorcycle

• Scooters and mopeds: the 50cc line RCW 46.04.304
• Trikes, Slingshots and conversion kits RCW 46.04.330
• Making a dirt bike street legal RCW 46.61.705
• Off-road and ORV rules RCW 46.09.470
• Registration, plates and tabs

Equipment

• Helmet law RCW 46.37.530
• Eye protection and face shields WAC 204-10-026
• Loud pipes and exhaust RCW 46.37.537
• Handlebar height RCW 46.61.611
• Lighting and plate lights RCW 46.37.522
• Full equipment checklist RCW 46.37.539

On the road

• Lane splitting and filtering RCW 46.61.608
• Will filtering be legalized?
• HOV lane access RCW 46.61.165
• Parking rules RCW 46.61.575
• Carrying a passenger RCW 46.61.610
• Group riding RCW 46.61.608
• The obscure rules RCW 46.61.612 to .614

Consequences and risk

• Insurance requirements RCW 46.30.020
• DUI and the interlock trap RCW 46.61.502
• Wheelies and stunting RCW 46.61.500
• When a driver hits a rider RCW 46.61.5259
• How dangerous is riding here?

Most of what riders find online about Washington law is either a law firm advertisement or a forum argument. Both tend to be confidently wrong, and the wrong ones get repeated. The insurance question is the clearest example: plenty of pages still say motorcycles are exempt in Washington, because they once effectively were. They are not now.

WMST trains riders and administers the official DOL tests, so we read these statutes for a living. Each page in this section quotes the actual text, links to it on the legislature site, and then explains what it means when you are the one at the intersection.

Washington separates the permit from the endorsement. The permit lets you practice under restrictions. The endorsement is what actually goes on your license and lets you ride freely.

The DOL charges $35 for your first 180-day permit and $15 to renew it, and you may hold at most two of them in any five-year period. While you hold one you may not carry a passenger and may not ride during the hours of darkness.

The endorsement comes after you pass a knowledge test and a skills test. Completing an approved training course can waive that DOL testing, which is the route most riders take. Our testing guide explains how the waiver works, and the permit guide covers whether you need one first.

Three rules govern how you use the lane. You are entitled to the full lane, and other drivers may not crowd you out of it. You may ride two abreast in a single lane but no more. You may not split or filter between lanes, even in stopped traffic.

There is one narrow exception to the red light rule: if a signal will not detect your bike, RCW 46.61.184 lets you proceed after a complete stop and one full signal cycle.

Your motorcycle needs mirrors on the left and right giving a view at least 200 feet to the rear. You need eye protection, glasses, goggles, or a face shield, unless the bike has a windshield. And you need a helmet that carries the manufacturer certification under 49 C.F.R. 571.218, which is what a DOT sticker signifies.

What to actually buy, and what the range requires you to show up in, is covered in what to wear to a motorcycle class.

We quote the statute and link to it so you can read the primary source. Statutes get amended, and how a rule applies to a specific stop is a question for a lawyer, not a training school. If something here matters to your situation, read the RCW directly and get advice from someone qualified to give it.