CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5840
Chapter 27, Laws of 2024
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF LEASES
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the Senate February 2, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 49 Nays 0
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of
the Senate of the State of
DENNY HECK Washington, do hereby certify that
President of the Senate the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE
BILL 5840 as passed by the Senate
and the House of Representatives on
the dates hereon set forth.
Passed by the House February 27, 2024
Yeas 95 Nays 0
SARAH BANNISTER
LAURIE JINKINS Secretary
Speaker of the House of
Representatives
Approved March 13, 2024 11:14 AM FILED
March 14, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5840
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Padden,
Pedersen, and Kuderer)
READ FIRST TIME 01/19/24.
1 AN ACT Relating to the acknowledgment of leases; and amending RCW
2 59.04.010 and 64.04.010.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 Sec. 1. RCW 59.04.010 and Code 1881 s 2053 are each amended to
5 read as follows:
6 Tenancies from year to year are hereby abolished except when the
7 same are created by express written contract. Leases may be in
8 writing or print, or partly in writing and partly in print((, and
9 shall be legal and valid for any term or period not exceeding one
10 year, without acknowledgment, witnesses or seals)). Nothing in this
11 section shall be construed in any manner to conflict with or
12 supersede RCW 59.18.210.
13 Sec. 2. RCW 64.04.010 and 1929 c 33 s 1 are each amended to read
14 as follows:
15 Every conveyance of real estate, or any interest therein, and
16 every contract creating or evidencing any encumbrance upon real
17 estate, shall be by deed: PROVIDED, ((That)) that (1) Leases do not
18 require acknowledgment, witness, or seals, but to be recorded, a
19 lease and a memorandum of lease must have the lessee's and lessor's
20 signatures acknowledged; and (2) when real estate, or any interest
p. 1 SSB 5840.SL
 1 therein, is held in trust, the terms and conditions of which trust
2 are of record, and the instrument creating such trust authorizes the
3 issuance of certificates or written evidence of any interest in said
4 real estate under said trust, and authorizes the transfer of such
5 certificates or evidence of interest by assignment by the holder
6 thereof by a simple writing or by endorsement on the back of such
7 certificate or evidence of interest or delivery thereof to the
8 vendee, such transfer shall be valid, and all such assignments or
9 transfers hereby authorized and heretofore made in accordance with
10 the provisions of this section are hereby declared to be legal and
11 valid.
Passed by the Senate February 2, 2024.
Passed by the House February 27, 2024.
Approved by the Governor March 13, 2024.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 14, 2024.
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p. 2 SSB 5840.SL


Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 59.04.010, 64.04.010
Substitute Bill: 59.04.010, 64.04.010
Bill as Passed Legislature: 59.04.010, 64.04.010
Session Law: 59.04.010, 64.04.010