US state regulation
Washington
Every state-level regulation PlainRegWatch tracks for Washington - across data privacy, AI, food chemical bans, right to repair and worker protection, with status, effective dates and official sources.
- 62/100
- Strictness score
- 7
- Regulations tracked
- 7
- Enacted into law
- 2/5
- Categories regulated
The verdict
Washington is a moderate regulator - 7 enacted regulations across 2 of 5 tracked policy areas, scoring 62/100 for regulatory strictness, led by Employment & Worker Protection.
- 62/100
- strictness score (vs peers)
- 7
- regulations enacted
- 2/5
- policy areas regulated
- Employment & Worker Protection
- most-active policy area
Strictness is a 0–100 composite of regulatory breadth and the enacted share; see methodology for how it is derived.
Regulatory Snapshot: Washington
Washington currently tracks 7 regulations in the PlainRegWatch database, of which 7 are enacted and 0 remain pending before the state legislature. The state's composite strictness score sits at 62/100, classifying Washington as a moderate regulator compared to its peers. Regulatory activity spans 2 of 5 policy categories covered by PlainRegWatch, with Employment & Worker Protection representing the most active area (5 enacted rules).
The earliest tracked Washington enactment dates to 1985, with the most recent documented enactment in 2025 - a window of 40 years of legislative activity. Across the 50-state fleet, Washington contributes to a national total that PlainRegWatch maintains across categories such as AI Regulation, Data Privacy, Employment & Worker Protection, Food Chemical Bans and more, each with distinct compliance obligations.
Compliance teams monitoring Washington should treat the 7-enacted / 0-pending split as a leading indicator: pending bills in this state often signal the shape of future regulation in neighboring jurisdictions with similar strictness scores. For the authoritative statutory text of any Washington regulation listed below, follow the source link on its detail page, PlainRegWatch links every entry to the official state legislative record.
💼 Employment & Worker Protection
Seattle Secure Scheduling Ordinance
Ordinance 124930 Effective: 2017-07-01Seattle requires 14-day advance schedules for food service and retail. Premium for changes. Extra hours to existing workers first.
Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act
SB 5761 Effective: 2023-01-01Pay ranges + benefits for 15+ employee employers.
Washington Minimum Wage
RCW 49.46.020 Effective: 2025-01-01Washington minimum wage $16.66/hr (2025) — highest statewide rate in US. No tipped credit. Annual CPI indexing.
Washington Non-Compete Act
RCW 49.62 Effective: 2020-01-01Washington non-competes void for employees earning under $120,559/year (2025, indexed) or ICs under $301,395.
Washington PFML + Paid Sick Leave
ESHB 1116 / SB 5975 Effective: 2020-01-01Washington PFML: 12 weeks paid family leave, up to 18 total with medical. Sick: 1 hr per 40 hrs worked, all employers.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Regulations by category in Washington
What this means for Washington
Washington's regulatory activity is concentrated in employment & worker protection - the area to watch for compliance.
- Employment & Worker Protection is Washington's most-regulated area (5 enacted rules). Compare states
- Washington regulates across 2 of 5 tracked policy areas, with 0 bills still pending.
- See how Washington ranks against other states on regulatory strictness and volume. View rankings
Figures reflect regulations currently tracked from official Washington legislative records; coverage expands as new laws are enacted.
Source: State regulatory filings (IAPP / MultiState aggregation) Washington state-rule registry · 2025 State regulatory data aggregated from official state filings; status (enacted/pending/proposed) reflects latest legislative tracker snapshot.
Every figure on PlainRegWatch is rendered directly from state source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal and state source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.