Statute of Limitations for Class B / 2nd Degree Felony in Washington

Overview

In Washington, the statute of limitations (SOL) sets a deadline for the State to file a criminal charge. For a Class B / 2nd Degree felony—often referred to as “second degree” felony punishment ranges in Washington practice—the baseline SOL is typically 5 years under RCW 9A.04.080.

If the case is not charged within that time window, the prosecution may be time-barred. How the deadline runs—and how it can be shortened for certain circumstances—is the real driver of outcomes in SOL disputes. DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator is designed to help you model those timelines consistently using the rules in RCW 9A.04.080.

Before using any calculator, gather these basic facts:

• Offense date (the date the conduct occurred, not the arrest date)
• Whether the case fits an exception that changes the limitations period
• Whether you’re analyzing charge filing (general SOL purpose) rather than sentencing or other deadlines

Limitation period

Baseline: 5 years for Class B / 2nd Degree felony (general rule)

Washington’s general felony SOL is governed by RCW 9A.04.080. For the category relevant to Class B / 2nd Degree felony, the SOL period is 5 years.

That baseline is what most people mean when they ask, “How long does Washington have to prosecute?” In the calculator, this corresponds to the main bucket of rules:

• SOL period: 5 years

How the deadline changes with exceptions (shorter SOL buckets)

RCW 9A.04.080 includes sub-rules that can shorten the SOL period. For your inputs, the key question is whether the alleged offense falls inside one of those enumerated exceptions.

From the Washington jurisdiction data you’re using for this calculator page:

• RCW 9A.04.080 — 5 years — exception P1
• RCW 9A.04.080(1)(j) — 3 years — exception V1
• null — 3 years — exception V2

Practically, that means your output timeline will typically do one of two things:

1. Show a 5-year expiration date (baseline rule)
2. Show a 3-year expiration date if the charge matches an enumerated exception bucket (V1 or V2 in your calculator mapping)

Output you should expect (conceptually)

When you run a calculation in DocketMath, the calculator will generally produce:

• A limitations expiration date based on the offense date and the selected rule bucket
• A time window description (e.g., “within 5 years” vs. “within 3 years”)

To validate your understanding before you rely on a result, compare these two timelines:

• If SOL is 5 years, the State must file within 5 years from the offense date.
• If SOL is 3 years, the deadline is 3 years from the offense date—which is often the difference between a viable vs. time-barred prosecution.

Key exceptions

RCW 9A.04.080 contains enumerated exceptions that reduce the limitations period for certain offenses. Based on the jurisdiction data for this page, the notable shortened buckets are:

1) 3-year exception tied to RCW 9A.04.080(1)(j)

• RCW 9A.04.080(1)(j) — 3 years — exception V1

If the charged conduct falls under the subsection labeled (1)(j) in RCW 9A.04.080, your SOL period should switch from 5 years to 3 years. That’s the single biggest “change lever” you’ll see when moving between baseline and exception models.

2) Additional 3-year bucket mapped as “V2”

• null — 3 years — exception V2

The calculator’s jurisdiction mapping indicates an additional 3-year bucket. In practice, this reflects that some charge types or fact patterns are classified into a shortened limitations category rather than the general rule.

Because the label here is “null” in the provided mapping, the safest workflow is:

• Use the DocketMath calculator rule selector (or its mapped exception prompts) to align the case with the intended bucket
• Cross-check the selected rule against the charge’s statutory fit

Quick decision checklist (for calculator inputs)

Use this checklist to decide which time window your DocketMath run should apply:

Statute citation

Washington’s statute of limitations for many criminal offenses is codified at:

• **RCW 9A.04.080 — statute of limitations (general rule and exceptions)

For the periods relevant to this page’s mapping:

• RCW 9A.04.080 — 5 years (baseline)
• RCW 9A.04.080(1)(j) — 3 years (exception)
• Additional mapped 3-year bucket shown as V2 in the calculator’s jurisdiction data

Use the calculator

Run your timeline with DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator:

• Start here: **/tools/statute-of-limitations

Then choose the rule that matches your situation (the calculator will mirror the jurisdiction mapping for this page):

1. Select the offense category

   • Choose the Class B / 2nd Degree felony grouping used by DocketMath for Washington
2. Enter the offense date

   • This is the anchor for the limitations period
3. Apply the right SOL period

   • If using baseline: 5 years
   • If your charge matches the exception: 3 years

     • RCW 9A.04.080(1)(j) → 3 years
     • Mapped V2 bucket → 3 years
4. Review the result

   • Look for the limitations expiration date
   • If you also entered a “filing date” (if the calculator supports it), compare it to the expiration date:

     • Filing on/before expiration → within SOL window (in the model)
     • Filing after expiration → outside SOL window (in the model)

If you’re comparing multiple scenarios (baseline vs. exception), run the calculator twice:

• Run A: 5-year rule
• Run B: 3-year exception bucket (V1 or V2)

That side-by-side approach usually makes the impact immediately visible.

For related workflow support across DocketMath tools, you can also see:

• /tools/criminal-timeline (useful if you’re organizing dates for a broader case timeline)

Sources and references

Start with the primary authority for Washington and confirm the effective date before relying on any output. If the rule has been amended, update the inputs and rerun the calculation.

• RCW 4.16.080

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — How to choose the right calculator
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — How to choose the right calculator