RCW 9A.48.020

Arson in the first degree.

Known as the Washington Criminal Code

The act spans §§ 9A.04.010 to 9A.98.020 (401 sections).

Applied in 37 court decisions — leading case 94 Wash. 2d 387 - State v. Fain (1980)

Most recently applied in State v. Arndt (December 2019)

2007 c 218 s 63; 1981 c 203 s 2; 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 s 9A.48.020.

How often courts cite this section

citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(1) A person is guilty of arson in the first degree if he or she knowingly and maliciously:

(a) Causes a fire or explosion which is manifestly dangerous to any human life, including firefighters; or

(b) Causes a fire or explosion which damages a dwelling; or

(c) Causes a fire or explosion in any building in which there shall be at the time a human being who is not a participant in the crime; or

(d) Causes a fire or explosion on property valued at ten thousand dollars or more with intent to collect insurance proceeds.

(2) Arson in the first degree is a class A felony.

Official source: Washington State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Washington statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.