The offering of franchises in Washington is governed by RCW 19.100."Franchise" is defined in RCW 19.100.010(6) as:

(a) An agreement, expressed or implied, oral or written, by which:
 

(i) A person is granted the right to engage in the business of offering, selling, or distributing goods or services under a marketing plan prescribed or suggested in substantial part by the grantor or its affiliate;
(ii) The operation of the business is substantially associated with a trademark, service mark, trade name, advertising, or other commercial symbol designating, owned by, or licensed by the grantor or its affiliate; and
(iii) The person pays, agrees to pay, or is required to pay, directly or indirectly, a franchise fee.

Franchisors must register their franchise offerings prior to offering in Washington, unless the offering qualifies for one of the exemptions contained in RCW 19.100.030. Filing requirements are summarized in the Frequently Asked Questions Section.

If you have questions about the requirements for franchising in Washington, or to check to see whether a particular franchise has filed with the Division of Securities, please contact Trang Pham at Trang.Pham@dfi.wa.gov or call 360-902-8738.

If you would like to request copies of franchise documents, please fill out a public records request form. If you have any questions about filing a public records request you may send an email to dfipublicrecords@dfi.wa.gov.

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