Wildfire Eviction Protection in Spokane: What Landlords Need to Know

Updated August 15, 2026

The Spokane wildfires have hit us hard, affecting suburban neighborhoods most of us would have thought were safe from wildfires.  As of this writing, 650+ homes have been lost. The response from local Spokane residents has been nothing short of heartwarming and the state government has taken action in hopes to alleviate some of the stress that comes with losing your home.

Governor Bob Ferguson signed an emergency proclamation on August 10 that temporarily limits evictions across the counties affected by this month's wildfires. If you own rental property, manage it, or rent a home in the Spokane region, some of this applies to you. 

Restrictions on carrying out eviction orders run through Monday, August 24, 2026.

Protections against treating wildfire absence as abandonment, and against evicting tenants who take in displaced people, run through Monday, August 31, 2026.

What the Governor signed

Ferguson signed Emergency Proclamation 26-03.1, Wildfires: Immediate Relief and Response, in Spokane on August 10. It amends Proclamation 26-03, the statewide wildfire and burn ban emergency he declared on August 1. He acted under the emergency powers in Chapters 38.52 and 43.06 RCW, and specifically under RCW 43.06.220, which lets a governor prohibit certain activities during a declared emergency and suspend statutory requirements that would otherwise get in the way of the response.

The Proclamation is in effect in seven counties: Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens, and Yakima.

Eviction orders and writs of restitution cease through Aug 24, 2026

The proclamation prohibits local law enforcement from serving, threatening to serve, or otherwise acting on eviction orders, including writs of restitution, that were issued by a Washington court and affect a dwelling in the designated counties or Tribal lands.

Two exceptions apply. Law enforcement may still act if the eviction order states on its face that the court found either of the following:

That the person named in the order is creating a significant and immediate risk to the health, safety, or property of others.

Or that the tenant received at least 90 days of written notice covering either the owner's or an immediate family member's intent to occupy the home as a principal residence under RCW 59.18.650(2)(d), or the owner's intent to sell under RCW 59.18.650(2)(e).

If the order lacks those findings, law enforcement cannot act on it during the restricted period.

What the provision does not do matters just as much. Courts remain open. Unlawful detainer actions can still be filed. Judges can still issue judgments and writs. No tenant's obligation to pay rent has been suspended. What has stopped, temporarily, is the final physical step of the process. Owners with matters already moving through the system should plan for delay, not dismissal.

Wildfire absence is not abandonment, through August 31

Under RCW 59.18.310, a landlord can take possession of an abandoned unit without going through eviction. The proclamation closes that route where the tenant's absence is wildfire related.

Landlords, property owners, and property managers may not treat a tenant's absence from a home in the designated counties or Tribal lands as abandonment when that absence results from the wildfire emergency, including absence caused by an evacuation order or by fire damage to the property.

There is one exception. The protection does not apply if the tenant has communicated that they do not intend to resume the tenancy.

For property managers, this is probably the quietest source of risk in the whole document. An evacuated tenant who cannot be reached, whose rent has stopped, and whose unit looks empty presents exactly like a routine abandonment file. 

No evictions for taking in displaced neighbors, through August 31

Thousands of Washingtonians have opened their homes to relatives, friends, and strangers displaced by the fires. Landlords, property owners, and property managers may not serve or enforce, or threaten to serve or enforce, any notice requiring a resident to vacate based on the presence of one or more people, including their pets, who were displaced from their primary residence in the designated counties or Tribal lands. The prohibition covers eviction notices, notices of unlawful detainer, notices of termination of tenancy, and comply or vacate notices.

The host's rental unit can be anywhere in Washington. What triggers the protection is that the additional occupants were displaced from the designated wildfire areas. For example, a landlord in Seattle or Vancouver is bound by this rule just as much as one in Spokane Valley.

A housing provider may serve such a notice only by attaching an affidavit, stating that they verified the additional occupants were not displaced by the wildfire emergency, and setting out the basis for that verification.  

The proclamation directs that terms in the housing section be read by reference to Washington law including RCW 49.60, 59.12, 59.18, and 59.20. Because RCW 59.20 is included, these protections extend to manufactured and mobile home communities as well as conventional rentals.

What landlords and property managers should do now

Pull your active eviction files and identify anything in the designated counties with a writ issued or pending. Check whether the order itself contains one of the two qualifying findings. If it does not, execution is on hold through August 24.

Stop abandonment processing on units in the designated areas where the tenant's absence could plausibly be wildfire related. Document your outreach attempts instead of acting on the unit.

Hold off on occupancy-based notices tied to guests until you have confirmed the occupants were not displaced by the fires. Proceeding requires a sworn affidavit with a stated basis for verification.

Brief your leasing and site staff. Most compliance problems here will come out of routine workflow rather than deliberate decisions. Anyone who can post a notice or start an abandonment needs to know these dates.

Calendar the expirations, but verify before you rely on them. August 24 and August 31 are firm in the current document, and the Governor retains authority to extend or amend them while the emergency continues. Check the Governor's proclamations page before assuming a restriction has lapsed.

Keep contemporaneous records of evacuation zones, tenant communications, and the factual basis for any decision you make during this period.

What tenants affected by the fires should know

Rent has not been forgiven or paused. These provisions delay certain enforcement actions, nothing more. Talking to your housing provider early is in your interest.

If you evacuated or your unit was damaged, your absence cannot be treated as abandonment through August 31 unless you tell your landlord you do not intend to return.

If you are hosting people displaced by the fires, you cannot be served or evicted on that basis through August 31, anywhere in Washington, unless your landlord attaches a sworn affidavit.

The restriction on carrying out writs runs through August 24. It does not apply where a court found an immediate health or safety risk, or where you received a full 90 days of written notice of an owner move-in or an intent to sell.

A note on this article

This is general information, not legal advice, and it reflects Emergency Proclamation 26-03.1 as of August 15, 2026. Emergency proclamations can be amended, extended, or allowed to expire on short notice. Confirm the current status on the Governor's proclamations page before relying on anything described here, and consult a Washington attorney about any specific eviction, tenancy, or property matter.

Sources: Emergency Proclamation 26-03.1, Wildfires: Immediate Relief and Response, signed August 10, 2026; the Governor's news release of the same date; and the Washington Governor's Office proclamations index, which lists 26-03.1 as active and 26-03 as amended.