Washington Legal Aid (CLEAR / Northwest Justice Project)
Last updated August 2026
Washington is one of the few states where a tenant facing eviction has a legal right to a free lawyer. Under state law, courts must appoint counsel for indigent tenants before an eviction can proceed. Indigent reaches further than people assume: income under 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or receiving any public assistance, TANF, ABD, Basic Food, SSI, Apple Health, and more, qualifies automatically.
The right has a catch that loses cases: the court will not call you. The appointment right attaches once the landlord serves the eviction Summons and Complaint, and you must call the Eviction Defense Screening line at 1-855-657-8387, or apply online, to get your lawyer. Make that call the day the papers arrive.
Deadlines decide these cases. You must file a written response, a Notice of Appearance, by the deadline in the Summons; that one-page filing is what stops a default judgment. A full written Answer is optional, and you can argue your defenses verbally at the Show Cause Hearing. WashingtonLawHelp offers a fill-out-online Notice of Appearance in English, Spanish, and Russian. Missed the deadline? File anyway; a default may not have been entered yet.
Know the notices. Unpaid rent gets a 14 Day Notice to Pay or Vacate; a lease violation gets a 10 Day Notice to Comply or Vacate. Free legal help is available even at the notice stage, before any lawsuit. And if your hearing arrives before a lawyer is appointed, go anyway and ask the judge for time to call the screening line.
Beyond evictions, washingtonlawhelp.org covers benefits appeals, SSI and SSDI, Medicaid, and immigrant benefit rules, free for everyone with no income screen, in Spanish and other languages. The Get Legal Help directory lists 40 organizations across all 39 counties, including Northwest Justice Project, Columbia Legal Services, Disability Rights Washington, and the Unemployment Law Project. Statewide intake also runs through the Northwest Justice Project's CLEAR line; current numbers and hours are listed at nwjustice.org.
Work the money side in parallel: 2-1-1 finds local rent funds that sometimes end a nonpayment case faster than any defense, and washingtonconnection.org checks food, cash, and health coverage in one application.
Phone 1-888-201-1014
Help available in English and Spanish.
Updated August 2026 Program details can change — confirm with the program directly.
Who qualifies
- Low-income Washington residents with a civil, noncriminal legal problem; CLEAR screens your income and situation and refers you to the right legal aid provider
- The self-help legal information at washingtonlawhelp.org is free for everyone, with no income screen
You may qualify. The program makes the final decision.
How to apply
- 1
Got a Summons and Complaint? Call the Eviction Defense Screening line at 1-855-657-8387 immediately; the court will not contact you.
- 2
File a Notice of Appearance by the Summons deadline; free fill-out-online forms are at washingtonlawhelp.org.
- 3
Go to the Show Cause Hearing even without a lawyer yet, and ask the judge for time if needed.
- 4
For non-eviction problems, use the Get Legal Help directory at washingtonlawhelp.org or the CLEAR intake line listed at nwjustice.org.
What the application looks like
Common questions
Do I really get a free lawyer for an eviction in Washington?
Yes, if you are indigent: income under 200 percent of poverty or receiving public assistance like TANF, ABD, Basic Food, SSI, or Apple Health. But you must call the screening line at 1-855-657-8387; the court will not reach out.
What is a Notice of Appearance?
The short written response that stops a default judgment. File it by the deadline in the Summons; a full written Answer is optional and defenses can be argued verbally at the hearing.
How much notice must a landlord give for unpaid rent?
A 14 Day Notice to Pay or Vacate. Lease violations get a 10 Day Notice to Comply or Vacate. Free legal help is available from the notice stage onward.
What if my hearing comes before I have a lawyer?
Go anyway and tell the judge you are waiting on the screening line; the judge may postpone so counsel can be appointed.
Does legal aid handle benefits problems too?
Yes. washingtonlawhelp.org covers benefit denials and appeals, SSI, SSDI, and Medicaid, and the directory lists specialized statewide providers.
Not sure this is the right program for your situation?
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