# Washington — Dam safety hazard classification, inspection frequency, and owner obligations by US state

For Washington, hazard classification is Significant; classification criteria is located in areas where dam failure poses a risk for loss of life; inspection frequency is every five years; mandatory is yes; inspector qualification is dam safety engineers, recorded from its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** Washington _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Hazard classification:** Significant _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Classification criteria:** located in areas where dam failure poses a risk for loss of life _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Inspection frequency:** every five years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Mandatory:** yes _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Inspector qualification:** dam safety engineers _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> Note: "significant hazard" dams are inspected every five years based on a proviso in the 2009 budget passed by the Legislature.

## Source

- https://ecology.wa.gov/water-shorelines/water-supply/dams/info-for-dam-owners/inspections

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18.
Part of [Dam safety hazard classification, inspection frequency, and owner obligations by US state](https://referencesource.org/state-dam-safety-classification/).