This bill amends RCW 46.61.600. It keeps the general rule that a person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle may not leave it standing unattended without stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key, effectively setting the brake, and, on a perceptible grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway. It creates a new limited exception allowing a person to leave a vehicle unattended with the engine running, doors locked, brake set, and front wheels turned to the curb or side of the highway for no longer than 30 minutes when reasonably necessary to run the vehicle’s air conditioning or heating to limit excessive heat or cold exposure for any pet present in the vehicle. The bill defines "pet" as a dog, cat, or any domesticated animal except livestock. The bill also adds procedural requirements for the most recent driver who left a vehicle unattended and later learns the vehicle became set in motion and struck another vehicle or property or caused injury. That driver must comply with RCW 46.52.010 if the vehicle struck an unattended vehicle or property adjacent to a public highway, or RCW 46.52.020 if the vehicle caused damage to an attended vehicle or other property or injury to any person. Failure to comply with the subsection addressing attended vehicle/property damage or injury is subject to the sanctions set forth in RCW 46.52.020. The text cited does not include the full language of RCW 46.52.010 or RCW 46.52.020, so the specific duties and sanctions required by those sections are not shown here. The amendment does not specify an effective date, does not define terms such as "perceptible grade" or "livestock" within the provided text, and does not include other enforcement mechanisms or additional penalties within RCW 46.61.600. The bill was read for the first time on January 23, 2026.

If enacted, pet owners would be able to leave a vehicle running, with the doors locked, brake set, and front wheels turned, for up to 30 minutes to run air conditioning or heat to protect a dog, cat, or other domestic pet from extreme temperatures. That gives people a short, explicit option to limit a pet’s exposure to heat or cold, but it also creates a new, likely increased risk that unattended running vehicles could be stolen or misused since the engine may remain running; how law enforcement will handle those risks is not specified in the bill text. The last driver who left the vehicle would remain responsible if the vehicle later moves and damages property or injures someone: they must comply with the state’s hit-and-run reporting and sanction rules in RCW 46.52.010 and 46.52.020 and could face the penalties those sections provide. The bill text does not include the full details of those penalties, definitions like “perceptible grade,” or an effective date, so practical enforcement and some legal consequences are uncertain.