How to Complete the Washington FL All Family 181 Motion for Order

The Washington FL All Family 181 Motion for Order is the general-purpose form you file in Superior Court to ask a judge or court commissioner for a specific order in a family law case when no specialized form fits. You fill in the relief you want, the facts and legal authority supporting it, attach a proposed order, then schedule a hearing and serve the other party before filing. The form is used across divorce, parentage, child support, protection order, and other family law matters, which makes it one of the most-used documents in Washington family court.

Where to Get the Form and What Comes With It

Download FL All Family 181 as a fillable PDF from the Washington Courts website at courts.wa.gov, or pick up a printed copy at any Superior Court clerk’s office.¹ The form itself points readers to the same site for court rules and forms.²

You will need companion forms alongside 181:

FL All Family 182 (Order): the proposed order the judge signs if the motion is granted.¹
FL All Family 185 (Notice of Hearing): tells the other party when and where the hearing will be held. Use this unless your county’s local rules require a different scheduling document.³
FL All Family 135 (Declaration): a sworn statement laying out the facts from your own personal knowledge.⁴

What to Gather Before You Start

Have this information in front of you before you open the PDF. Missing pieces are the most common reason motions get rejected at the counter or delayed at the hearing.

Case number, as it appears on documents already filed.
The Washington county where the case is pending.
The petitioner’s and respondent’s full legal names, spelled exactly as in the original filing.
The specific relief you want. Know exactly what you are asking the judge to order: a temporary parenting plan, a discovery deadline, a restraining order, a change to child support. Vague requests get denied.
A clear, chronological list of the events or circumstances that justify the request.
The statute, court rule, or case law that gives the court power to grant it. The form has a dedicated section for this.
Evidence you plan to attach: declarations, financial records, text messages, photos, school or medical records. Each piece should connect to a fact in the motion.

Filling Out the Form Section by Section

The form is short. It walks you through six numbered sections plus a caption and signature block.

Caption and Case Information

At the top, fill in “Superior Court of Washington, County of ___” with the county where the case is filed. Enter the petitioner’s and respondent’s names and the case number. On the line after “Motion for Order for:” write a short label describing the subject, such as “Temporary Parenting Plan” or “Continuance of Trial Date.”³

Section 1 — Relief Requested

Write your name, then state exactly what you want the court to order. Be specific. If you want a temporary restraining order preventing the other parent from removing the children from the state, say that. Do not lead with background. Washington’s Civil Rule 7 requires every motion to “state with particularity the grounds therefor, and shall set forth the relief or order sought.”⁵

Section 2 — Statement of Issues

List the legal questions you need the court to decide. If the motion involves more than one issue, such as a parenting-plan modification and a request for attorney fees, identify each one separately so the court can rule on them individually.

Section 3 — Statement of Facts and Grounds

Describe the facts supporting your request. Stick to what you have personally observed or can prove with attached evidence. Plain, factual sentences work best. “On March 4, 2026, the respondent did not return the children at the agreed time” is far more useful than emotional characterizations.

Section 4 — Evidence Relied Upon

List every document you are submitting: declarations (your own and any from witnesses), financial records, medical records, photos, school records, or other exhibits. Number them so you can reference them from Section 3. If financial, medical, or other confidential documents are involved, the form warns they must be filed separately under a sealed cover sheet using Form FL All Family 011, 012, or 013.³

Section 5 — Legal Authority

Cite the statute, court rule, or published case that gives the court authority to grant your requested relief. For a child support modification, that might be RCW 26.09.170. For a temporary restraining order, it could be RCW 26.09.060. If you are not sure what law applies, a family law attorney or your county’s law library can point you in the right direction.

Section 6 — Proposed Order

Check whether you are attaching a proposed order (FL All Family 182) with the motion or will bring it to the hearing. Attaching it up front is the better practice: the judge sees exactly what you want signed, and it saves time at the hearing.³

Signature and Declaration

The bottom of the form contains a declaration under penalty of perjury under Washington law. Sign and date, print your name, and note how many additional pages you are attaching. You also provide a service address, which can be your attorney’s address or another address where you agree to receive legal papers. It does not have to be your home address.³

Scheduling the Hearing

Before you file, get a hearing date. The form is direct: “You must schedule a hearing on this motion.”³ How you do that varies by county. Some use an online reservation system; King County, for example, requires you to reserve a date online and then file your motion and all supporting documents within three court days of making the reservation. Other counties let you pick a date off a motion calendar through the clerk. Call or visit your Superior Court clerk to learn the local procedure.

Once you have a date, complete the Notice of Hearing (FL All Family 185) with the date, time, and courtroom. That notice gets served on the other party along with the motion.

Filing the Motion

File the completed motion, declaration, proposed order, notice of hearing, and all supporting evidence with the Superior Court Clerk. You can file at the clerk’s window. Some counties also accept electronic filing through Odyssey eFileWA, though availability varies.

Many counties do not charge a separate fee for a routine motion filed inside an existing family law case. Certain motions, particularly motions to modify a decree, carry their own statutory fee. Check with your clerk for the amount before filing.

If a fee would be a hardship, you can ask the court to waive it under General Rule 34. You qualify automatically if you receive public benefits such as TANF, SSI, or food stamps, or if your household income is at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Even if you do not meet those thresholds, you can still request a waiver by showing the fee would prevent you from accessing the court. Courts cannot charge a fee just to file the waiver request.⁶

Working Copies

Many counties require a separate set of “working copies” delivered directly to the judge or commissioner who will hear the motion. Working copies are the judge’s reading set, distinct from what goes to the clerk. Check the local rules for the deadline and delivery method. Some counties accept electronic working copies through the e-filing system; others require paper sets delivered to the judicial mailroom with the hearing date and judge’s name marked on the upper right corner.

Serving the Other Party

The court does not serve the other side for you. Under Civil Rule 5, every written motion must be served on each party or their attorney of record.⁷ You have two main options:

Hand delivery. Give the papers to the other party or their lawyer, or leave them with a responsible adult at the office or home.
Mail. Regular first-class mail is sufficient under CR 5; certified mail is allowed but not required. Service by mail is complete on the third day after mailing.⁷

Under the statewide default, motions must be served at least five days before the hearing.⁸ Many county local rules require longer notice; 14 calendar days is common for family law motions. Always check your county’s rules. Serving too late can get your hearing stricken from the calendar.

After service, complete a Proof of Mailing or Hand Delivery form documenting when, where, and how you delivered the papers, and file that proof with the court.

At the Hearing

Go to the hearing. If you filed the motion and do not appear, the court will likely strike it. Bring your own copy of every document filed, plus the proposed order (FL All Family 182) for the judge to sign if the motion is granted.³

Family law motion hearings are usually short, often 15 to 30 minutes. The judge or commissioner will have already read the motion, declarations, and response. You get a few minutes to summarize your position and answer questions. Focus on the key facts and address anything the other party raised rather than repeating everything in your written papers. Courts sometimes allow these hearings by video or telephone, depending on the county and type of motion. Contact the clerk’s office ahead of time to find out whether remote appearance is available.

If the judge grants the motion, they sign the proposed order on the spot or ask you to revise it based on the ruling. If the motion is denied, ask whether the denial is without prejudice, meaning you could refile with stronger evidence or changed circumstances.

After the Order Is Signed

Once the judge signs FL All Family 182, file the signed order with the clerk so it becomes part of the official record. The order is enforceable immediately unless the judge says otherwise. Serve a copy on the other party or their attorney so everyone has the final signed version.

Emergency and Ex Parte Motions

Standard 181 motions require notice to the other party and a scheduled hearing. If a child’s health or safety is in immediate danger and waiting for a regular hearing would cause irreparable harm, you may ask for an emergency order without advance notice to the other side. Washington courts require you to show the situation is urgent enough that normal scheduling would leave someone at serious risk before the hearing date.⁹

Ex parte orders are temporary by design. Once entered, a full hearing with both parties present must be scheduled quickly, often within five court days. Some counties have dedicated ex parte calendars and forms beyond FL All Family 181, so contact the clerk or family law facilitator to find out which forms and procedures your court requires.

Common Mistakes That Sink a Motion

Leaving Section 5 blank. The judge needs to know which law supports your request. “Because it’s fair” is not legal authority. Cite the statute.
Filing without scheduling a hearing. Filing alone does not put the motion in front of a judge. You must separately reserve a date and file the notice.
Serving too late. If your county requires 14 days’ notice and you serve 10 days out, the other side can move to strike your motion and win.
Forgetting the proposed order. The judge will not draft your order for you. Showing up without FL All Family 182 can leave you with a verbal ruling but no enforceable written order.
Filing confidential documents unsealed. Financial records and medical reports must be filed under a sealed cover sheet, or they can be struck from the record.
Emotional declarations instead of factual ones. Declarations heavy on opinions about the other party’s character and light on dates, events, and evidence do not help. Judges are looking for facts they can act on.

1
Washington State Courts. Court Forms – List of All Forms
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Washington State Courts. FL All Family 181 Motion for Order
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Washington State Courts. FL All Family 181 Motion for Order
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Washington State Courts. FL All Family 135 Declaration
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Washington State Courts. Superior Court Civil Rule 7 – Pleadings Allowed; Form of Motions
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Washington Law Help. Ask the Court for a Fee Waiver
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Washington State Courts. Washington Superior Court Civil Rule 5 – Service and Filing of Pleadings and Other Papers
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Washington State Courts. Superior Court Civil Rule 6
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Washington State Courts. Motion for Immediate Order (Ex Parte)