Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Washington, you have 4 months to contest a will that has already been admitted to probate, running from the will’s admission to (or rejection from) probate.
How long do you have to contest a will in Washington?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 4 months |
| What starts the clock | the will’s admission to (or rejection from) probate |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | Yes |
“If any person interested in any will shall appear within four months immediately following the probate or rejection thereof, and by petition to the court having jurisdiction contest the validity of said will…For the purpose of tolling the four-month limitations period, a contest is deemed commenced when a petition is filed with the court and not when served upon the personal representative. The petitioner shall personally serve the personal representative within ninety days after the date of filing the petition.”
Source: RCW 11.24.010
What makes Washington different
Washington layers a second procedural deadline on top of the headline figure: filing the petition starts the 4-month clock, but the contestant then has a separate 90 days after filing to personally serve the personal representative, and missing either deadline can be fatal. The controlling authority is RCW 11.24.010, and the window runs from the will’s admission to (or rejection from) probate.
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Washington’s probate of the will generally becomes final and binding on everyone who had the chance to object, subject only to the tolling or discovery exceptions described above; a separate objection Washington allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | RCW 11.24.010 |
| Washington courts (general reference) | Washington judicial branch |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Washington page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/court/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; whether a specific contest is still timely can turn on facts (exactly when notice was given, how the will was probated, whether a disability applies) that only your own Washington probate court file can confirm.