WA · rules
Wash. Infraction R. Cts. Ltd. Juris. 3.3
Procedure at Contested Hearing
(a) Generally. The court shall conduct the hearing for contesting the notice of infraction
on the record in accordance with applicable law.
(b) Representation by Lawyer. At a contested hearing, the plaintiff shall be represented
by a lawyer representative of the prosecuting authority when prescribed by local court rule. The
defendant may be represented by a lawyer. If the defendant is represented by a lawyer and the
lawyer has filed a notice of appearance, including a waiver of the defendant’s presence, the
defendant may appear through counsel at the contested hearing unless the defendant’s presence
is otherwise required by statute or the court rules.
(c) Rules of Evidence. The Rules of Evidence and statutes that relate to evidence in
infraction cases shall apply to contested hearings. The court may consider the notice of infraction
and any other written report made under oath submitted by the officer who issued the notice or
whose written statement was the basis for the issuance of the notice in lieu of the officer's
personal appearance at the hearing, unless the defendant has caused the officer to be served with
a subpoena to appear in accordance with instructions from the court issued pursuant to
rule 2.6(a)(2).
(d) Factual Determination. The court shall determine whether the plaintiff has proved by
a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant committed the infraction. If the court finds
the infraction was committed, it shall enter an appropriate order on its records. If the court finds
the infraction was not committed, it shall enter an order dismissing the case.
(e) Disposition. If the court determines that the infraction has been committed, it may
assess a monetary penalty against the defendant. The monetary penalty assessed may not exceed
the monetary penalty provided for the infraction by law. The court may waive or suspend a
portion of the monetary penalty, or provide for time payments, or in lieu of monetary payment
provide for the performance of community restitution as provided by law. The court has
continuing jurisdiction and authority to supervise disposition for not more than one (1) year.
History
[Adopted as JTIR effective January 1, 1981; Amended effective March 20, 1981. Changed from JTIR to IRLJ effective September 1, 1992; Amended effective September 1, 1997; January 3, 2006; September 1, 2018; July 9, 2024.]
Provenance
- Source
- www.courts.wa.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-16
- Edition
- 2026-09-16
- Content hash
9cebfa2781cd9d1dd3dde8db3472152c861a1e605e3a071ea670badbd21b41ed
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