Civil Arbitration

Cases Subject to Civil Arbitration

Cases meeting the statutory requirements as defined by RCW 7.06, are subject to and must proceed in arbitration. Any civil, non-domestic action, other than an appeal from a court of limited jurisdiction, is subject to arbitration under this statute if:

the action is at issue in Superior court;
the relief requested is for money damages only; and
no claim exceeds the jurisdictional limit of $100,000, exclusive of attorney's fees, interest, or costs.

A filing fee of $250 is required before the case will be transferred to Arbitration. A party should file and serve a Notice of Arbitration Setting and Statement of Arbitrability after all parties have been joined, all claims, counterclaims and cross-claims answered and at least ten days before the trial scheduling date. No one needs to show up to the hearing date set by the Notice Of Arbitration Setting as this is an administrative setting date only.

If you do not agree to arbitration, you must file and serve an objection before the date listed above. You must also schedule a hearing for your objection on the assigned judge’s civil motion calendar within 14 days of objecting. Review LCAR 2.1 for more information.

To view the current panel of arbitrators with brief biographies, click here.

In accordance with Washington State statute, attorneys who have practiced in Washington for five years or more are qualified to serve on the panel of arbitrators. To become an Arbitrator, please complete and return an Arbitrator Profile and Oath to the address listed below.