HB 2477 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning actions arising out of real estate appraisal activity.

HB 2477 limits liability for real estate appraisers and appraisal companies by restricting lawsuits to specific parties: the client, intended users named in the report, and financial institutions' immediate successors when transferring the report. It also sets a 2-year or 5-year time limit for filing claims (based on discovery or report signing) for actions arising from appraisal reports, with exceptions for fraud claims. The bill redefines key terms like "appraisal report" and "client" to clarify who qualifies for liability protection. These changes apply to state-certified, licensed, and registered appraisers, appraisal management companies, and real estate appraisal businesses in Washington State.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Feb 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from H-2732.1 to H-3440.1 and reclassified as a 'Substitute Bill' after committee review. The text was reorganized to consolidate the statute of limitations and liability rules into a single new section (Sec. 1), while adding specific definitions and clarifying that these rules do not limit the Department of Licensing's authority to investigate or discipline appraisers. The effective date for the statute of limitations was also updated to February 4, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on real estate appraisal liability, but the applicability of the statute of limitations was clarified to apply specifically to claims arising from reports prepared for clients or intended users, rather than all third parties. Additionally, the bill explicitly confirms that the new statute of limitations does not restrict the state's ability to investigate or take disciplinary action against appraisers.

TECHNICAL

Bill number changed from H-2732.1 to H-3440.1 and status updated to 'Substitute Bill'.

TIMELINE

The reading date was updated from January 14, 2026, to February 4, 2026.

REQUIREMENT

The statute of limitations and liability rules were restructured into a single section (Sec. 1) to clarify that liability is limited to the client and intended users of the appraisal report.

Section numbers were renumbered (e.g., former Sec. 2 and 3 are now Sec. 2 and 3 respectively) to reflect the reorganization of the text.

ENFORCEMENT

New subsections explicitly state that the statute of limitations does not limit the Department of Licensing's authority to conduct investigations or take disciplinary action.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added to clarify terms such as 'appraisal management company' and 'real estate appraisal company or business'.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Feb 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Business at 1:30 PM.

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Business at 1:30 PM.

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Business at 1:30 PM.

lower

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors