Home › Jurisdictions › Washington
AI Laws in Washington
As of 2026-08-12, AI Laws USA tracks 48 AI rules in Washington: 19 state-level rules and 29 county or city rules. Federal AI protections apply statewide on top of these — see the federal page. Each entry links to its official source.
Washington state-level AI rules (19)
-
In effect
Washington SHB 1672 (employee monitoring notice, ADS restrictions, emotion AI ban)
Washington · Effective 2026-07-01 · Wash. SHB 1672 (2025 Session), effective July 1, 2026
Washington SHB 1672, effective July 1, 2026, is one of the most comprehensive U.S. employer monitoring laws. Employers must give employees 15 calendar days' written notice before any monitoring begins or before any change to monitoring. Notice must specify what is monitored, the method used, the purpose, who can access the data, and how long it is retained. The law prohibits off-duty monitoring, monitoring in private spaces (bathrooms, locker rooms), and monitoring personal vehicles. It restricts AI-based emotion recognition, gait recognition, and facial recognition in employment-related decisions. Employers must conduct impact assessments before deploying automated decision systems and must provide human oversight of ADS-driven performance evaluations. Employees have a private right of action with damages of at least $500 per violation plus attorney fees. Civil penalties may reach $10,000 per violation. The law applies to any employer with one or more Washington employees, including remote employees of out-of-state companies.
-
Enacted (not yet in effect)
Washington HB 2225 (AI chatbot disclosure, minor protections, crisis protocols)
Washington · Effective 2027-01-01 · Washington HB 2225 (2026), effective January 1, 2027
Washington's AI Companion Chatbot Safety Act (HB 2225), signed March 24, 2026, requires operators of AI companion chatbots to clearly disclose to all users that they are interacting with AI, not a human. The disclosure must be repeated every three hours for adult users and every one hour for minor users. Operators must implement suicide and self-harm crisis protocols for all users, protect minors from manipulative engagement mechanics, and restrict access to adult content. The law includes a private right of action, allowing affected individuals to sue operators. It takes effect January 1, 2027.
-
In effect
WA SB 6280 (2020, first-in-nation state FR-government law)
WA · Effective 2021-07-01 · RCW Ch. 43.386 (SB 6280, 2020)
Washington SB 6280 (signed March 31, 2020) was the first U.S. state law expressly regulating state and local government use of facial recognition. It requires accountability reports, public notice, warrant requirements for ongoing surveillance, and independent testing for accuracy and bias. Codified at RCW Ch. 43.386. Still in effect 2026.
-
In effect
Plateau Peoples TK/BC Labels
Plateau Peoples' Web Portal (Multi-Tribal) · Effective 2015-01-01 · Plateau Peoples' Web Portal — multi-tribal TK/BC Labels initiative
Six Plateau tribes — Colville, Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama, Spokane, and Coeur d'Alene — jointly implement Local Contexts Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Labels on digital cultural-heritage collections. A working Indigenous data sovereignty mechanism applicable to AI training data: labels travel with the data and assert community-defined access and use rules.
-
Enacted (not yet in effect)
Washington HB 1170 (AI content watermarking & provenance metadata)
Washington · Effective 2027-02-01 · Washington HB 1170 (2026), effective February 1, 2027
Washington's HB 1170, signed March 24, 2026, requires covered AI providers — those with more than one million monthly active users — to embed metadata or watermarks (provenance data) in AI-generated or materially altered images, video, and audio content. The law is enforced by the Washington Attorney General under the state's Consumer Protection Act. It takes effect February 1, 2027. Strength is rated 'limited' because the one-million-user threshold exempts many smaller AI providers, and enforcement relies on the AG rather than providing a direct private right of action.
-
Enacted (not yet in effect)
HB 1170 (WA AI Content Disclosure)
Washington · Effective 2027-02-01 · Wash. E2SHB 1170 (2026); Ch. 167, 2026 Laws
Large AI image, video, and audio generators must embed hard-to-remove provenance data — watermarks or tamper-resistant metadata — in every piece of synthetic content they create. This lets journalists, courts, and the public identify AI-generated media. Applies to services with over 1 million monthly users. Enforced by the Washington Attorney General under the Consumer Protection Act. Effective February 1, 2027.
-
Enacted (not yet in effect)
HB 2225 (WA Chatbot Safety)
Washington · Effective 2027-01-01 · Wash. HB 2225, Ch. 168, 2026 Laws; RCW 19.86.093
Washington requires AI companion chatbots to clearly tell users they are talking to an AI, not a person. Operators must have crisis protocols — connecting distressed users to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — and additional safeguards for minors. If a company violates the law, consumers can sue under Washington's Consumer Protection Act and recover actual damages, an injunction, and attorney's fees. Effective January 1, 2027.
-
In effect
WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy)
Washington · Effective 2026-06-11 · WA SB 5982, Chapter 181, Laws of 2026 (2025-26 Leg. Sess.)
Washington bill that closes a loophole in the state's 100% clean energy law (Clean Energy Transformation Act) so that large customers — especially data centers — must meet the same carbon-neutrality and renewable-energy deadlines as electric utilities. Signed by Governor Ferguson on 2026-03-24 as Chapter 181, Laws of 2026; in effect since 2026-06-11.
-
In effect
Washington SB 5395 (limits AI in health-insurance prior-auth denials)
Washington · Effective 2026-06-11 · Engrossed Second Substitute S.B. 5395, 2025-26 Reg. Sess. (Wash.)
Washington bars health carriers from using AI to deny, delay, or modify health care services on its own; a denial based on medical necessity must be made by a licensed health professional. Where AI is used in prior authorization, it must be applied fairly, comply with anti-discrimination law, and base determinations on the individual enrollee's medical history, clinical circumstances, and relevant demographic data rather than broad group data. AI tools must be reviewed for accuracy, AI policies are subject to audit by the Insurance Commissioner, and carriers must report the share of denials aided by AI.
-
In effect
SSB 5886 (WA Digital Likeness Rights)
Washington · Effective 2026-06-11 · Wash. SSB 5886, Ch. 69, 2026 Laws; RCW ch. 63.60 (amending personality rights statute)
Washington updated its personality-rights law so that AI-generated audio or video that realistically mimics someone's face or voice without consent — called a 'forged digital likeness' — is now a civil violation. Victims can seek court injunctions to stop the misuse, and the civil penalty for each infringement is $3,000 plus any actual damages they can prove. The law became effective June 11, 2026.
-
In effect
Human-Centered AI Guidance for K-12 Public Schools
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) · Effective 2024-07-01 · Human-Centered AI Guidance for K-12 Public Schools
Washington's state superintendent issued 'Human-AI-Human' guidance for K-12 schools covering AI foundations, classroom implementation, ethical considerations, policy suggestions, and privacy compliance.
-
In effect
Washington HB 1999 (criminalizes AI/fabricated CSAM and nonconsensual fake intimate images)
Washington · Effective 2024-06-06 · Substitute H.B. 1999, Ch. 88, Laws of 2024 (Wash.)
Washington expanded its child sexual abuse material laws to cover fabricated depictions of an identifiable minor, including AI-created images, and created a separate crime for knowingly disclosing a fabricated intimate image of another person when the discloser knows or should know the person did not consent and that disclosure would cause harm. A first disclosure offense is a gross misdemeanor and repeats are a class C felony. Victims may also sue for damages.
-
In effect
WA DOI AI Bulletin
WA · Effective 2024-04-22 · Washington OIC Technical Assistance Advisory 2024-02 (2024-04-22)
The WA Department of Insurance adopted the NAIC Model Bulletin on Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers. Insurers licensed in WA must maintain a written AI program with governance, risk-management, testing, third-party-AI oversight, and documentation controls. The bulletin operationalizes existing unfair-trade-practice and unfair-discrimination law as applied to insurers' AI use cases — underwriting, pricing, claims, fraud detection, and marketing.
-
In effect
My Health My Data Act
Washington · Effective 2024-03-31 · RCW ch. 19.373
A sweeping health-data privacy law covering 'consumer health data' far beyond HIPAA — including biometric data, health inferences drawn by algorithms, and reproductive health information. Companies need consent to collect or share such data, must honor deletion requests, and cannot geofence health facilities. Consumers can sue under Washington's Consumer Protection Act.
-
In effect
WA EO 24-01
WA · Effective 2024-01-30 · Wash. Exec. Order No. 24-01 (Jan. 19, 2024)
Governor Inslee's EO 24-01 directs WaTech to develop generative AI guidelines for Washington state government, identify high-value GenAI initiatives, and catalog high-risk uses across agencies.
-
In effect
Interim Guidelines for Purposeful and Responsible Use of Gen
Washington · Effective 2023-08-08 · Interim Guidelines for Purposeful and Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Washington State Government
WaTech's interim guidelines establish principles and dos-and-don'ts for state employees using generative AI, covering fact-checking, bias reduction, attribution, and protection of sensitive or confidential data.
-
In effect
SB 5152 (Election Synthetic Media)
Washington · Effective 2023-07-23 · RCW ch. 42.62 (SB 5152, 2023)
Election ads in Washington that use AI-manipulated or synthetic depictions of candidates must disclose it. Candidates harmed by undisclosed synthetic media can sue for damages and injunctive relief.
-
In effect
WA Biometric Identifiers Act (2017)
WA · Effective 2017-07-23 · RCW Ch. 19.375 (HB 1493, 2017)
Washington's 2017 HB 1493 was the third state biometric privacy law (after IL BIPA and TX CUBI). It requires notice and consent before 'enrolling' a biometric identifier in a database for a commercial purpose, but excludes photographs and audio recordings — a significant carve-out that distinguishes it from BIPA. Enforced by the Washington AG; no private right of action.
-
Proposed / pending
HB2655
WA · WA HB2655 (2025-2026 Regular Session)
Providing a retail sales and use tax exemption for the construction and equipping of new data centers located in a county east of the Cascades that borders another state and has a population of at least 500,000.
County and city AI rules in Washington (29)
-
In effect
One-year citywide data-center moratorium (Spokane)
Spokane · Effective 2026-06-22 · Spokane one-year citywide data center moratorium ordinance (adopted June 22, 2026)
Spokane City Council voted 6-1 on June 22, 2026 to impose an immediate one-year citywide moratorium on building permit applications for new computer data centers. The ordinance was amended before passage to focus on data-center activity rather than building type. Gives the city one year to develop a permanent regulatory framework.
-
In effect
Spokane Data Center Moratorium (1 year)
Spokane, WA · Effective 2026-06-22 · City of Spokane, one-year citywide data center moratorium ordinance (adopted June 22, 2026)
Spokane City Council voted 6-1 on June 22, 2026 to impose an immediate one-year citywide moratorium on building permit applications for new computer data centers. The ordinance was amended before passage to focus on data-center activity rather than building type, closing a loophole that might have allowed data centers in mixed-use facilities. The moratorium gives the city one year to develop a permanent regulatory framework for energy, water, and noise impacts. Sole dissent: Council Member Michael Cathcart, who argued the ban could inadvertently block a planned aerospace research center.
-
In effect
Seattle Data Center Moratorium
Seattle, WA · Effective 2026-06-09 · Seattle Council Bill 121214 (adopted June 9, 2026)
On June 9, 2026 the Seattle City Council unanimously passed an emergency one-year moratorium on siting new large data centers (power capacity over 20 megavolt-amperes) while the city studies impacts on the electric grid, water, utility rates, land use, jobs, and public health. It is a temporary pause on large facilities, not a permanent citywide ban: existing data centers may continue operating and expand up to the 20 MVA cap, and the moratorium can be extended once for six months. Mayor Katie Wilson signed the ordinance; it took effect immediately upon signature.
-
In effect
Grant County PUD WA Unbundled Rate Restructure + Data Center Load Caps
Grant County, WA · Effective 2026-04-01 · PUD Commission approval 2026-01-27 (2026-04-01)
Commission approved unbundled rate structure stripping data centers of cheap Priest Rapids hydro access. Industrial rates rise 8-11% April 2026, 9.5%/yr through 2036. Separate load-growth caps on DC customers.
-
In effect
Seattle algorithmic rent-fixing ban (Ord. 127241 / SMC 7.34, July 2025)
Seattle, WA · Effective 2025-07-31 · Seattle Ord. 127241 / CB 121000, signed July 1, 2025, eff. July 31, 2025; codified SMC Chapter 7.34
Seattle City Council passed CB 121000 on June 24, 2025 (Mayor signed July 1, 2025; effective July 31, 2025), creating SMC Chapter 7.34 to prohibit algorithmic rent-fixing. The ordinance bans landlords from using software or data services that pool pricing recommendations based on nonpublic competitor data — targeting RealPage-style pricing coordination. Publicly available rent estimates and listings remain permitted. Penalties reach $7,500 per violation, and each affected rental unit counts separately. Tenants can also sue for actual damages plus attorneys' fees.
-
In effect
Vancouver WA Data Center Zoning
Vancouver, WA · Effective 2024-10-01 · Vancouver WA Mun. Code title 20, Data Center Standards (2024)
City of Vancouver WA zoning amendments adding development standards for data centers including setbacks, noise limits, and water/energy disclosure.
-
In effect
Bellingham Initiative 2
Bellingham, WA · Effective 2021-11-02 · Bellingham Initiative 2 (2021) (2021-11-02)
Voter-approved (57%) ban on city acquisition or use of face-recognition and predictive-policing technologies.
-
In effect
Tacoma Surveillance Ordinance
Tacoma, WA · Effective 2017-09-12 · Tacoma Mun. Code ch. 1.42 (Ord. 28427) (2017)
Tacoma ordinance requiring City Council approval and a public use policy before any city department acquires or uses surveillance equipment.
-
In effect
Seattle Surveillance Ordinance
Seattle, WA · Effective 2017-09-01 · Seattle Ordinance 125376 (2017), SMC ch. 14.18, as amended 2018
Seattle requires city departments to get City Council approval before acquiring or using surveillance technologies, supported by public Surveillance Impact Reports and review by a community working group. One of the earliest and most comprehensive municipal surveillance-oversight laws in the country.
-
In effect
Seattle Surveillance Ordinance (SMC 14.18)
Seattle, WA · Effective 2017-08-02 · Ord. 125376 (2017-08-02)
Requires council review and approval of all city surveillance technologies, with public process and use policies.
-
In effect
King County FR Ban
King County, WA · King County, Wash., Ordinance 19296 (June 1, 2021)
King County (the Seattle area) was the first US county to ban its government, including the Sheriff's Office, from using facial recognition technology. The unanimous 2021 ordinance also bars county agencies from getting facial recognition information through third parties. Remains in effect as of June 2026.
-
In effect
Emergency 365-day moratorium on new data centers (>20 MVA)
Seattle · Effective 2026-06-09 · Seattle CB 121214 (2026)
Emergency 365-day temporary freeze on new data center siting in Seattle. Defines data centers as facilities with power capacity over 20 megavolt-amperes (MVA) used primarily to store and process digital data. May be extended for an additional six months. A public hearing is required within 60 days of adoption.
-
In effect
Resolution setting Seattle data-center impact-study framework
Seattle · Effective 2026-06-09 · Seattle Res 32204 (2026)
Companion resolution to CB 121214. Calls for impact studies on data centers' effects on electrical grid reliability, water consumption, environmental sustainability, utility rates, land use, employment, public health, and community welfare. Requests coordinated cross-departmental action to develop future policies.
-
In effect
Ordinance outlawing algorithmic rent price fixing in unincor
King County, WA · Effective 2025-09-23 · Ordinance outlawing algorithmic rent price fixing in unincorporated King County
King County (sponsored by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, passed Sept 23, 2025 as the 11th US jurisdiction) prohibits landlords in unincorporated King County from contracting with algorithmic rent-setting services like RealPage, letting harmed renters sue for up to $7,500 per violation plus damages and attorneys' fees.
-
In effect
Council Bill 121000 - Ban on algorithmic rent fixing (SMC 7.
Seattle, WA · Effective 2025-06-24 · Council Bill 121000 - Ban on algorithmic rent fixing (SMC 7.34)
Seattle's CB 121000 (sponsored by Councilmember Cathy Moore, passed 7-0 on June 24, 2025, signed July 1, 2025) prohibits landlords from using software that runs automated analysis of housing-market data to generate inflated rent recommendations, with penalties up to $7,500 per violation and a tenant private right of action.
-
In effect
Seattle Public Schools AI Handbook + Superintendent Procedure 2022SP
Seattle, WA · Effective 2025-02-01 · Seattle Public Schools AI Handbook + Superintendent Procedure 2022SP (2025-02-01)
Handbook operates alongside SP 2022SP (Electronic Resources). Requires approved tools to comply with privacy law, treats unauthorized AI use or uncited use as a disciplinary policy breach, and directs schools to teach AI citation.
-
In effect
Real-Time Crime Center Surveillance Impact Report and Crime
Seattle, WA · Effective 2024-10-01 · Real-Time Crime Center Surveillance Impact Report and Crime Prevention Technology Pilot legislation
Seattle's Real-Time Crime Center was authorized under the city's surveillance ordinance through a Council-approved Surveillance Impact Report, requiring Council sign-off for material changes and an independent Office of Inspector General evaluation of its analytics.
-
In effect
King County GenAI Guidelines
King County, WA · Effective 2024-09-27 · King County, GenAI Guidelines for Employees (Sept. 2024)
King County issued guidelines for employee use of generative AI, developed jointly by King County IT and the Office of Equity, Racial and Social Justice. The guidelines aim to reduce bias and protect sensitive personal data entrusted to the county, with a software review process for GenAI tools.
-
In effect
Olympia WA
Olympia, WA · Effective 2024-09-24 · Olympia WA — Artificial Intelligence Use Policy (2024-09-24)
Council-approved AI use policy: enterprise Microsoft Copilot for staff; bar on consumer AI with city data; disclosure on public-facing AI-assisted materials; IT vetting for new AI tools.
-
In effect
Vancouver Public Schools Gaggle Safety Management Student Mo
Vancouver Public Schools, WA · Effective 2024-08-01 · Vancouver Public Schools Gaggle Safety Management Student Monitoring Contract
Vancouver Public Schools (WA) signed a $328,036 three-year Gaggle Safety Management contract to run AI monitoring of 24,000+ students' typing on district devices at school and at home to flag violence, self-harm, and safety concerns.
-
In effect
Seattle Generative AI Policy
Seattle, WA · Effective 2023-11-01 · City of Seattle, GenAI Policy POL-209 (eff. Nov. 1, 2023)
Seattle's generative AI policy governs how city employees use tools like ChatGPT. It requires attribution of AI-generated work, human review of all AI output before release, and limits on feeding personal information into AI systems, built around seven principles including bias reduction, transparency, and explainability.
-
In effect
Peninsula School District AI Guidance (Principles and Belief
Peninsula School District, WA · Effective 2023-07-15 · Peninsula School District AI Guidance (Principles and Beliefs for AI Use)
One of the first US districts to publish AI guidance, Peninsula SD (WA) sets principles requiring staff to be diligent custodians of student data, cautions against unreliable AI detection tools, and mandates transparency and human oversight in all AI use.
-
In effect
SPD FR Policy
Seattle, WA · Effective 2023-07-01 · Seattle Police Manual §12.045 (2023)
Seattle Police Department Manual policy generally prohibiting SPD officers from using facial recognition technology, with no department-issued FR tools and a ban on requesting third-party FR queries.
-
In effect
Spokane County Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) surveillance us
Spokane County, WA (Spokane County Sheriff's Office) · Effective 2023-04-01 · Spokane County Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) surveillance use policy
The Spokane County Sheriff's RTCC fuses surveillance cameras, license plate readers, BriefCam video analytics, 911 and social media data for real-time intelligence while stating it does not use facial recognition biometric software and applies access controls and audits.
-
In effect
Ordinance prohibiting King County government and Sheriff use
King County, WA · Effective 2021-06-01 · Ordinance prohibiting King County government and Sheriff use of facial recognition technology
King County became the first U.S. county to ban its administrative agencies and the Sheriff's Office from using facial recognition technology, with a narrow exception for the National Child Search Assistance Act.
-
In effect
King County Facial Recognition Technology Ban (Ordinance 202
King County, WA (home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) · Effective 2021-06-01 · King County Facial Recognition Technology Ban (Ordinance 2021)
King County (which operates Sea-Tac's environs and the Sheriff's Office) became the first U.S. county to ban all county-agency use of facial recognition, though federal CBP use at Sea-Tac is unaffected.
-
Enacted (not yet in effect)
One-year moratorium on new data centers
Burien · One-year moratorium on new data centers
The Burien, WA City Council unanimously enacted an immediate one-year moratorium on new data centers to give staff time to study impacts and draft regulations.
-
Proposed / pending
Bellingham Initiative 26-01 to Ban Algorithmic Rental Price-
Bellingham · Bellingham Initiative 26-01 to Ban Algorithmic Rental Price-Fixing
A certified citizen initiative would prohibit landlords from using algorithmic coordinating services to set rental prices, heading toward Bellingham's November 2026 ballot.
-
Proposed / pending
Spokane County WA proposed 9-month data center moratorium
Spokane County, WA · Spokane County, WA, proposed county-commission moratorium on large-load data centers (announced July 20, 2026; formal vote pending)
Democratic Spokane County Commissioners Chris Jordan and Amber Waldref announced in July 2026 that they plan to propose a 9-month moratorium on new data centers with electricity demands of 1 megawatt or more in unincorporated Spokane County, Washington. The pause would give the county time to develop permanent zoning and land-use regulations for data centers. Republican Commissioner Josh Kerns opposed the measure. The county is in the greater Spokane metro area in eastern Washington State. Note: This is a county-level proposal separate from the City of Spokane's Ordinance C36887, which established data center regulations within city limits.
Washington city guides
Browse the full directory · Browse by topic · Submit a correction