Washington

For Washington, who may buy a detached converter is It is a gross misdemeanor for any person who is not a scrap processor licensed under chapter 46.79 RCW or vehicle wrecker licensed under chapter 46.80 RCW to knowingly possess, sell, or offer for sale six or fewer detached catalytic converters that do not comply with the marking requirements under subsection (1) of this section, and a class C felony to possess, sell, or offer for sale seven or more. It is an affirmative defense that the possessor removed the detached catalytic converter with the permission of the registered owner of the vehicle or vehicles; marking or buyer recordkeeping requirement is Any person who removes a catalytic converter from a vehicle for a purpose other than maintenance, repair, or demolition, or who knowingly possesses an unmarked detached catalytic converter, must permanently mark the detached catalytic converter with the last eight digits of the originating vehicle's vehicle identification number such that at least a portion of the marking is visible from any side. The marking must be completed in a reasonable time after removal, but no later than 24 hours after removal, and before off-site transport of the detached catalytic converter; criminal penalty is Gross misdemeanor for a person who is not a licensed scrap processor or vehicle wrecker to knowingly possess, sell, or offer for sale six or fewer detached catalytic converters that do not comply with the marking requirements; class C felony for seven or more. Intentionally removing, altering or obliterating the last eight digits of the originating vehicle identification number is a gross misdemeanor, and a class C felony on a previous conviction. Detached catalytic converters that are not marked as required by this section are subject to immediate seizure and forfeiture by law enforcement; statutory citation is 9A.82.180, verified against its source on 2026-08-19.

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What the source says

Catalytic converters — Marking requirements — Defense. (1) Any person who removes a catalytic converter from a vehicle for a purpose other than maintenance, repair, or demolition, or who knowingly possesses an unmarked detached catalytic converter, must permanently mark the detached catalytic converter with the last eight digits of the originating vehicle's vehicle identification number such that at least a portion of the marking is visible from any side. The marking must be completed in a reasonable time after removal, but no later than 24 hours after removal, and before off-site transport of the detached catalytic converter. (2) Detached catalytic converters that are not marked as required by this section are subject to immediate seizure and forfeiture by law enforcement. (3)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, it is a gross misdemeanor for any person to intentionally remove, alter[,] or obliterate from a detached catalytic converter the last eight digits of the originating vehicle identification number, as required by subsection (1) of this section. (b) A person who intentionally removes, alters, or obliterates from a detached catalytic converter the last eight digits of the original vehicle identification number is guilty of a class C felony punishable according to chapter <http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9A.20> 9A.20 RCW if the person has previously been convicted under this subsection. (4) It is a gross misdemeanor for any person who is not a scrap processor licensed under chapter <http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.79> 46.79 RCW or vehicle wrecker licensed under chapter <http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.80> 46.80 RCW to knowingly possess, sell, or offer for sale six or fewer detached catalytic converters that do not comply with the marking requirements under subsection (1) of this section. (5) It is a class C felony for any person who is not a scrap processor licensed under chapter <http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.79> 46.79 RCW or vehicle wrecker licensed under chapter <http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.80> 46.80 RCW to knowingly possess, sell, or offer for sale seven or more detached catalytic converters that do not comply with the marking requirements under subsection (1) of this section. (6) Where a case is legally sufficient to charge an alleged juvenile offender with a violation under this section, and that violation would be the alleged offender's first violation involving detached catalytic converters, the prosecutor is encouraged to divert the case pursuant to RCW <http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=13.40.070> 13.40.070 . (7) It is an affirmative defense to this section that the possessor removed the detached catalytic converter with the permission of the registered owner of the vehicle or vehicles.

— app.leg.wa.gov, retrieved 2026-08-19

Source

• app.leg.wa.govhttps://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9A.82.180

Last verified against source: 2026-08-19. Due for re-check by 2027-08-19. This page as Markdown · OKF bundle · full dataset as JSON.