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RCW 9A.56.070

Taking motor vehicle without permission in the first degree.

Known as the Washington Criminal Code

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

Applied in 85 court decisions — leading case State v. Watson (2002)

Most recently applied in 195 Wash. 2d 597 - State v. Van Wolvelaere (April 2020)

2007 c 199 s 16; 2003 c 53 s 72; 2002 c 324 s 1; 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 s 9A.56.070.

How often courts cite this section

19781980199020002010202070
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 taking a motor vehicle without permission in the first degree if he or she, without the permission of the owner or person entitled to possession, intentionally takes or drives away an automobile or motor vehicle, whether propelled by steam, electricity, or internal combustion engine, that is the property of another, and he or she:

(a) Alters the motor vehicle for the purpose of changing its appearance or primary identification, including obscuring, removing, or changing the manufacturer's serial number or the vehicle identification number plates;

(b) Removes, or participates in the removal of, parts from the motor vehicle with the intent to sell the parts;

(c) Exports, or attempts to export, the motor vehicle across state lines or out of the United States for profit;

(d) Intends to sell the motor vehicle; or

(e) Is engaged in a conspiracy and the central object of the conspiratorial agreement is the theft of motor vehicles for sale to others for profit or is engaged in a conspiracy and has solicited a juvenile to participate in the theft of a motor vehicle.

(2) Taking a motor vehicle without permission in the first degree is a class B felony.

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