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city guide · Washington · United States

How to report sexual assault in Seattle

This is what we have read and stored about reporting in Seattle. Read only the part you need. You do not have to decide anything today.

Checked against official sources on 31 August 2026.

the emergency number

911

If you are in danger right now, call this number. Escrow is not an emergency service and cannot send anyone to you.

where to report

Call 911 if you are in danger, or go to any Seattle Police Department precinct to file a report. You do not have to report to the police first to get care: you can go straight to a hospital with trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners for a free forensic exam, and staff can help you think about reporting. The Seattle Police Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit is on 206-684-5575.

what to bring

No documents or ID are required to get a SANE exam. The exam and the medical care that goes with it are free, whether or not you choose to report to police.

the exam window

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner exams are available at Seattle-area hospitals including Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center. Evidence is best collected within 120 hours, which is 5 days, of the assault, and you can still be seen after that for medical care.

the deadline

Under Washington law, RCW 9A.04.080, rape in the first or second degree of an adult has to be prosecuted within 20 years, and rape in the third degree within 10 years. The clock can instead run from 4 years after DNA or photographic evidence conclusively identifies the suspect, whichever is later. If you were under 16 at the time, there is no time limit at all.

Is it too late to report? The deadline in every place we cover

support organisations

People near you who do this every day.

These are independent of Escrow. They can sit with you through a report, and they can also just talk.

sources

Every fact above came from one of these.

the honest note

This is information, not legal advice.

Requirements change, deadlines are read differently by different offices, and a station can move. Nobody here is your lawyer. For advice about your own case, ask a lawyer or a support organisation in Seattle.

Write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app if something on this page is out of date.

when you are ready

A report is yours. You can seal it, publish it as a pin, or leave it where it is. Nothing happens until you say so.

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