Do I Need to Register My Firearm in Washington State?

No, you do not need to register your firearm in Washington state. Washington has no gun registry, no form for cataloging guns you already own, and no agency that keeps a master list tying serial numbers to owners. The “no registration” headline comes with one important caveat: buying or transferring certain firearms creates transaction records that end up with state and local law enforcement, and those records function as a partial paper trail even though they are not a registry in the formal sense.

What Washington Law Actually Requires

There is no statewide database listing firearms and their owners in Washington. You will never be asked to fill out a form listing the guns in your safe, and no agency maintains a running inventory of what you possess. Ownership itself triggers no reporting duty.

Where the state does collect information is at the point of transfer. You have no duty to register anything you already own, but moving a firearm from one person to another is a different matter, and that is where most of the confusion about “registration” comes from.

How Buying or Transferring a Gun Creates a Record

Nearly every firearm sale or transfer in Washington, including private sales between two individuals, has to go through a federally licensed firearms dealer.¹ The dealer runs a background check and both parties fill out federal paperwork on ATF Form 4473.

For pistols and firearms classified under state law as “semiautomatic assault rifles,” the paperwork expands. The dealer completes a state transfer application capturing the buyer’s name, address, date of birth, driver’s license number, and the firearm’s make, model, caliber, and serial number. Copies go to the local police chief or county sheriff where the buyer lives and to the Washington Department of Licensing. The Department of Licensing then runs annual eligibility checks on these owners to confirm they are still legally allowed to possess firearms.¹

This is the closest Washington comes to firearm registration. You do not sign up for anything, but every pistol and semiautomatic assault rifle transfer leaves a record with multiple government agencies.

What Counts as a “Semiautomatic Assault Rifle”

The term is much broader than most buyers expect. Washington defines a semiautomatic assault rifle as any rifle that fires one round per trigger pull and uses energy from the fired cartridge to chamber the next round. That sweeps in common sporting and hunting rifles like the Ruger 10/22, not just military-style platforms. The only carve-outs are antique firearms, permanently inoperable firearms, and rifles operated manually by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action.² If you buy any semi-automatic rifle in Washington, including a .22, the enhanced record-keeping applies.

Waiting Period

Washington imposes a mandatory waiting period on firearm purchases. Recent legislation expanded it to cover all firearm types rather than just pistols and semiautomatic assault rifles. Plan on waiting at least 10 days before taking possession of a new purchase.

Transfers That Skip the Dealer

Some transfers do not require a trip to an FFL, which also means they do not generate the state transfer application for pistols and semiautomatic assault rifles. Washington recognizes these exceptions:³

Genuine gifts and loans between immediate family. Spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles can give or lend firearms to one another without going through a dealer.
Antique firearms that qualify as antiques under state law.
Inheritance. If you inherit a firearm other than a pistol when the previous owner dies, no dealer involvement is required. Inherited pistols come with a tighter rule: within 60 days, you must either transfer the pistol through a dealer or contact the Department of Licensing to report that you intend to keep it.

Even when an exemption applies, the recipient still has to be legally eligible to possess a firearm. Handing a gun to a prohibited person is a federal crime regardless of any state-level exemption.

Moving to Washington With Guns You Already Own

If you relocate to Washington with firearms you already legally own, you do not need to register them. There is no form to file, no agency to notify, and no deadline tied to becoming a resident.⁴ A few restrictions can still trip up newcomers.

Magazines and Assault Weapons You Cannot Bring

Washington bans importing large-capacity magazines (those accepting more than 10 rounds) and firearms classified as assault weapons. Under state law, “importing” means moving an item from outside Washington to inside Washington, and that includes bringing your belongings when you move. The only exception covers someone who leaves Washington temporarily and returns with the same items they took out, which does not help a first-time resident.⁴

Residents who already lived in Washington when these bans took effect and owned the restricted items beforehand may continue possessing them. New arrivals cannot bring prohibited magazines or assault weapons across the state line. Violating the assault weapons ban is a gross misdemeanor.⁵

Concealed Carry

If you carry concealed, you need a Washington Concealed Pistol License once you become a resident. An out-of-state permit will not substitute. Apply in person at any police department or sheriff’s office. The original five-year license costs $36 plus FBI fingerprint processing fees, and a full set of fingerprints is required.⁶

Because new residents have not lived in the state for 90 consecutive days yet, the issuing authority has up to 60 days to process the application rather than the usual 30.⁶ Carrying concealed without a license during that gap is illegal.

Non-Citizens

Non-citizens who are not lawful permanent residents must obtain an alien firearm license from the Department of Licensing before possessing any firearm in Washington. Possessing a firearm without that license is a Class C felony.⁷

One Thing That Does Require Action: Serial Numbers

Washington bans the possession, manufacture, and sale of “untraceable firearms,” meaning guns made after July 1, 2019 that lack a serial number applied by a licensed manufacturer or importer.⁸ These are the guns commonly called ghost guns. If you have one, you need to have a serial number applied by a licensed dealer or manufacturer to bring it into compliance. This is not registration, but it is a step some owners mistakenly assume Washington’s “no registry” rule exempts them from.

Penalties escalate with repeat violations:⁸

First violation: civil infraction with a $500 fine.
Second violation: misdemeanor.
Third or subsequent violation: gross misdemeanor.

Manufacturing an untraceable firearm with intent to sell is a Class C felony.⁸

Cities and Counties Cannot Add a Registry

Washington fully preempts local firearm regulation. State law occupies the entire field, including registration, licensing, possession, purchase, sale, transfer, transportation, and ammunition.⁹ A city or county cannot create its own registration requirement or add transfer rules that exceed state law. Any local ordinance that tries to do so is invalid. If you comply with the state rules, no municipality in Washington can require you to register the guns you own.

1
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Transfer, Sale, or Delivery of Pistols
2
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.010 – Definitions
3
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers – Background Checks
4
Office of the Attorney General. Firearms FAQ
5
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.390 – Assault Weapons – Manufacturing, Importing
6
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.070 – Concealed Pistol License – Application – Fee
7
Justia. Washington Revised Code RCW 9.41.170 – Aliens License to Carry Firearms – Exception
8
Washington State Legislature. Revised Code of Washington Title 9, Chapter 9.41 – Firearms and Dangerous Weapons
9
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.290 – State Preemption