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Living in your vehicle: what City of Seattle v. Long changed
In 2021 the Washington Supreme Court decided a case about a man whose truck, which he lived in, was impounded in Seattle. The ruling applies across the state.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow company, the storage lot or a state agency control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
What the court decided
The court held that the impound and the roughly $547 the man was required to repay were an excessive fine under the state and federal constitutions, and that a person's ability to pay is part of that test. It also held that a vehicle used as a home can be protected by the Homestead Act from being sold to pay a debt.
Sources: City of Seattle v. Long (CourtListener); MRSC summary
What has changed since
The Legislature funded a WSU study, finished in December 2022, that proposed ways to treat vehicle homes differently. A 2023-24 bill based on it did not pass. A separate law starting July 1, 2027 will let tow companies be repaid from unclaimed auction money when they release a car to an indigent owner (not after an arrest).
Sources: WSU report (Dec. 2022); SB 5730 bill summary; Chapter 46.55 RCW (RCW 46.55.700)
Start with what happened to your car
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