Class A Felony in Washington State: What It Means, How Sentencing Works, and How a Defense Is Built

A Class A felony in Washington State is the most serious class of felony. You don’t have to guess whether a charge is one. For crimes in the main criminal code, the statute that defines each offense names its class, and unless another statute sets a different maximum, a Class A felony carries up to life in prison and a $50,000 fine. That’s set by RCW 9A.20.021, and RCW 9A.20.010 says each Title 9A felony’s class is written into its own section.

The maximum is the ceiling, not where a sentence starts. Washington sentences felonies on a grid, and the standard range comes from where the offense’s seriousness level meets the person’s offender score. That range can sit far below life.

Below: which charges are Class A, how the grid works on a Class A charge and what the label adds, how a case moves through Pierce County Superior Court, and how a defense is built.

Torrone’s Takeaways

The statute defining the offense names its class, and an attempt to commit most Class A felonies is a Class B felony.
Life and $50,000 is the usual ceiling. The standard range comes from the sentencing grid.
Robbery in the first degree is a Class A felony, and the grid’s standard range for it at an offender score of 0 is 31 to 41 months.
An adult Class A prior conviction always counts in a later offender score.
RCW 9.94A.540 sets mandatory minimums for a short list of offenses, and second degree murder isn’t on it.
In Pierce County, arraignments, omnibus hearings, pleas and sentencings are heard in the criminal division courts, and jury trials go to a judge the Presiding Judge assigns.

Torrone’s Takeaways
What Makes a Felony Class A in Washington
Common Class A Felonies in Washington, With Seriousness Levels
How Sentencing Works on a Class A Charge
From Arrest to Trial in Pierce County Superior Court
How a Defense Is Built on a Class A Charge
FAQ

What Makes a Felony Class A in Washington

No judge or prosecutor decides the class. Under RCW 9A.20.010(1)(a), “The particular classification of each felony defined in Title 9A RCW is expressly designated in the section defining it.” Many felonies outside Title 9A also name their class in their own sections, and one that doesn’t is classed for sentencing by its maximum under RCW 9.94A.035: a maximum of 20 years or more makes it Class A. So the RCW section printed on the charging paperwork usually answers the question in its own text. RCW 9A.56.200(2), for example, says it in one line: “Robbery in the first degree is a class A felony.”

The default maximum is set by RCW 9A.20.021(1)(a): life imprisonment, a $50,000 fine, or both. That section opens with “Unless a different maximum sentence for a classified felony is specifically established by a statute of this state,” and a few Class A offenses do have a different one:

Aggravated first degree murder carries life without possibility of release or parole under RCW 10.95.030(1), with separate rules for people who were under 18 at the time.
The explosive-device offense in RCW 70.74.180 is called Class A but is capped at 20 years.
An adult who distributes a narcotic or methamphetamine to someone under 18 commits a Class A felony punishable by up to twice the ordinary term, under RCW 69.50.406(1).

For how Washington’s five levels of crime compare, from misdemeanors up, see felony vs. misdemeanor in Washington.

Attempts and conspiracies have their own class rules. Under RCW 9A.28.020(3), an attempt stays Class A only for murder 1 and 2, arson 1, child molestation 1, indecent liberties by forcible compulsion, rape 1 and 2, and rape of a child 1 and 2. An attempt at any other Class A felony is Class B, so attempted robbery 1, assault 1, kidnapping 1 and burglary 1 are all Class B. A conspiracy is Class A only when one of its objects is murder 1.

Two definitions in RCW 9.94A.030 follow every Class A felony into sentencing: “violent offense” and “most serious offense.” The sentencing section below explains what each one does. If the charging paperwork says “attempted,” the class is set by the attempt statute, not by the completed offense.

Common Class A Felonies in Washington, With Seriousness Levels

The charging paperwork names an offense and an RCW section. Find that row below to see the seriousness level the sentencing grid uses. These are Class A felony examples, not a complete list of every Class A offense in Washington law. Levels come from RCW 9.94A.515, Table 2, as amended in 2025.

Offense	RCW section	Seriousness level
Aggravated murder in the first degree	10.95.020	XVI
Murder in the first degree	9A.32.030	XV
Homicide by abuse	9A.32.055	XV
Murder in the second degree	9A.32.050	XIV
Trafficking in the first degree	9A.40.100	XIV
Assault in the first degree	9A.36.011	XII
Assault of a child in the first degree	9A.36.120	XII
Rape in the first degree	9A.44.040	XII
Rape of a child in the first degree	9A.44.073	XII
Manslaughter in the first degree	9A.32.060	XI
Rape in the second degree	9A.44.050	XI
Rape of a child in the second degree	9A.44.076	XI
Vehicular homicide	46.61.520	XI (under the influence or reckless), VII (disregard for safety)
Kidnapping in the first degree	9A.40.020	X
Child molestation in the first degree	9A.44.083	X
Indecent liberties by forcible compulsion	9A.44.100	X
Robbery in the first degree	9A.56.200	IX
Arson in the first degree	9A.48.020	VIII
Burglary in the first degree	9A.52.020	VII

Other Class A offenses include trafficking in the second degree, promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor, leading organized crime under RCW 9A.82.060(1)(a), sexually violent predator escape, malicious explosion in the first and second degree, malicious placement of an explosive in the first degree, using a machine gun or bump-fire stock in a felony, and assault 2 or kidnapping 2 with a finding of sexual motivation.

The degree on the charge is often what separates Class A from Class B. Robbery 2, assault 2 without sexual motivation, residential burglary, burglary 2, manslaughter 2, kidnapping 2 without sexual motivation, arson 2, theft 1, drive-by shooting and child molestation 2 are all Class B. Assault 3, rape 3 and rape of a child 3 are Class C. For what the next class down carries, see what a Class B felony carries in Washington.

Assault in the first degree is also narrower than “assault with a deadly weapon.” RCW 9A.36.011 requires intent to inflict great bodily harm. Side by side, robbery 1 is Class A at Level IX, and robbery 2 is Class B.

How Sentencing Works on a Class A Charge

Robbery in the first degree carries a statutory maximum of life, yet its standard range on the grid at an offender score of 0 is 31 to 41 months. That gap is why the grid matters more than the maximum.

Reading the Grid for a Class A Charge

Washington’s sentencing grid works in four steps:

The offense’s seriousness level, from RCW 9.94A.515, is the row.
The offender score, counted from criminal history under RCW 9.94A.525, is the column.
The cell where they meet in RCW 9.94A.510 is the standard range, in months.
Under RCW 9.94A.530(1), the court “may impose any sentence within the range that it deems appropriate.”

The Caseload Forecast Council’s 2025 Adult Sentencing Guidelines Manual describes the system’s goal as making sure people with similar crimes and similar histories “receive equivalent sentences.”

Here’s what the grid states for four Class A offenses, in months:

Offense (level)	Score 0	Score 3	Score 6	Score 9+
Burglary 1 (VII)	15-20	31-41	57-75	87-116
Robbery 1 (IX)	31-41	46-61	77-102	129-171
Assault 1 (XII)	93-123	120-160	162-216	240-318
Murder 2 (XIV)	123-220	154-254	195-295	298-397

These are the ranges in the statute’s grid before any enhancement or exceptional sentence. They aren’t a forecast for any particular case.

The offender score works differently on a Class A charge. Under RCW 9.94A.525(2)(a), “Class A and sex prior felony convictions shall always be included in the offender score,” while most Class B priors drop out after 10 crime-free years in the community and most Class C priors after five. Juvenile adjudications follow their own rules in the same statute. Every Class A felony is a violent offense, and when the current charge is violent, the general rule in RCW 9.94A.525(8) counts each scorable prior violent felony as two points instead of one, with separate scoring rules for some offenses, such as burglary 1. For a serious violent offense, a group that includes murder 1 and 2, manslaughter 1, assault 1, kidnapping 1, rape 1, homicide by abuse and assault of a child 1, a prior conviction in that same group counts three points under subsection (9). One more point is added if the offense happened while the person was on community custody. So the same criminal history can produce a higher score on a Class A charge than on a lesser one.

A sentence can also land outside the cell. An attempt uses 75 percent of the completed offense’s range under RCW 9.94A.533(2). Under RCW 9.94A.535, any sentence outside the range needs substantial and compelling reasons. The court may go below the range if mitigating circumstances are established by a preponderance of the evidence. Going above it generally depends on aggravating facts found under RCW 9.94A.537, apart from prior convictions and a few grounds the statute lets the court find itself. Either side may appeal an exceptional sentence.

For scale, the Caseload Forecast Council’s Fiscal Year 2025 sentencing summary counted 15,467 adult felony sentences in Washington from July 2024 through June 2025, and 2,372 of them were in Pierce County.

What the Class A Label Adds at Sentencing

The grid cell is only part of it. For an adult, a Class A charge brings several rules with it. Washington law treats people who were juveniles at the time differently on several of these points.

Mandatory minimums. RCW 9.94A.540(1) lists these: murder 1, not less than 20 years; assault 1 or assault of a child 1 where the offender used force or means likely to result in death or intended to kill, not less than five years; rape 1, not less than five years; sexually violent predator escape, not less than 60 months; and aggravated first degree murder committed before age 18, not less than 25 years. For adults, these can’t be reduced by an exceptional sentence, and there’s no earned release while serving them. Murder 2, robbery 1 and kidnapping 1 aren’t on the list.
Weapon enhancements. Under RCW 9.94A.533, the base firearm enhancement on a Class A felony is five years, and the base enhancement for another deadly weapon is two. The amounts double if the person has a qualifying earlier weapon enhancement, and a few offenses are excluded. Enhancements are served in total confinement and run consecutively to everything else. They’re added to the entire standard range, so in the statute’s arithmetic, robbery 1 at a score of 0 with one base firearm enhancement becomes 91 to 101 months. The firearm enhancement is three years for a Class B felony and 18 months for a Class C.
Earned release caps. Under RCW 9.94A.729, earned release time can’t exceed 10 percent of the sentence for a serious violent offense or a Class A sex offense committed on or after July 1, 2003, and can’t exceed one-third in other cases. No earned release applies to the part of a sentence that comes from a weapon enhancement.
Class A sex offenses. For an adult who isn’t a persistent offender, rape 1 and 2, rape of a child 1 and 2, child molestation 1 and indecent liberties by forcible compulsion are generally sentenced under RCW 9.94A.507. The court sets a minimum term, and the maximum term equals the statutory maximum, which is life.
No first-time offender waiver. RCW 9.94A.030 defines every Class A felony as a violent offense, and RCW 9.94A.650(1)(a) excludes violent offenses from the waiver.
Strikes. Every Class A felony is a “most serious offense” under RCW 9.94A.030. A person convicted of a most serious offense who already has two earlier most serious offense convictions, on separate occasions and in the order the statute requires, is a persistent offender, and RCW 9.94A.570 requires “a term of total confinement for life without the possibility of release.” Many Class B and C offenses are also on the most serious offense list, so this is a broader rule that every Class A felony falls under. A separate two-strike rule covers certain sex offenses.

The grid cell is where the court starts. On a Class A charge, the enhancements, minimums and scoring rules decide how far that cell sits from the score-0 number.

From Arrest to Trial in Pierce County Superior Court

Once charges are filed, the next date that matters is arraignment. Under CrR 4.1(a), a person held in the county jail or on release conditions on the charge must generally be arraigned no later than 3 days after the charges are filed, and a person not being held within 14 days of their next appearance. The first 48 and 72 hours after an arrest are covered in felony vs. misdemeanor in Washington. Here’s what comes after:

Charging. The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office prosecutes all state felony cases in the county, and its Violent Crimes division includes a Violent Crimes Unit, a Special Assault Unit and a High Priority Offender Unit. A deputy prosecutor can file charges, decline them, or wait for more information.
Release or detention. Under CrR 3.2(a), the starting point is release on personal recognizance, unless the court finds that won’t assure the person’s appearance or there’s a shown likely danger. Washington’s Constitution, Article I, section 20, says bail may be denied for offenses punishable by the possibility of life in prison, on clear and convincing evidence of a propensity for violence that creates a substantial likelihood of danger, subject to limits the legislature sets. Most Class A felonies carry a possible life sentence. Under RCW 10.21.040, detention before trial requires a hearing and findings, by clear and convincing evidence, of that propensity for violence and that no conditions will reasonably assure safety. A person ordered held is entitled to expedited review.
Arraignment. The charge is read unless the reading is waived, a plea is entered, and release conditions can be argued again. A lawyer is appointed if the person can’t afford one. According to Pierce County’s Superior Court FAQ, felony arraignments are held at 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. in a criminal division court on the second floor of the County-City Building, and a Department of Assigned Counsel attorney is there for defendants without a private attorney.
The trial clock. Under CrR 3.3, trial must start within 60 days of arraignment for a person held in jail and 90 days for a person who isn’t, extended to 90 if the person is released before day 60. The court sets a trial date within 15 days of arraignment or at the omnibus hearing. Excluded periods and continuances extend the clock, some events reset it, and a party who thinks the trial date falls outside the rule’s limits has to object within 10 days of notice or lose the objection.
Discovery and the omnibus hearing. Under CrR 4.7(a), the prosecutor must disclose witnesses and their statements, the defendant’s statements, expert reports, physical evidence, prior convictions, and anything that tends to negate guilt, no later than the omnibus hearing. Under CrR 4.5, the omnibus hearing is set after a not guilty plea, and an issue not raised there may be waived.
Where it happens. Under Pierce County’s local rules, effective as amended September 1, 2026, the Superior Court’s three criminal division courts hear arraignments, omnibus hearings, pleas, sentencings and revocation hearings, “but not criminal jury trials.” The Presiding Judge decides who presides over a trial.
Trial and sentencing. Under CrR 6.1, a jury has 12 members unless every defendant elects a jury of at least six or a trial by the judge, which takes a written waiver and the court’s consent. Sentencing follows the grid rules above.

The arraignment date is what first starts the trial clock, so that’s the one to write down.

How a Defense Is Built on a Class A Charge

The first document a defense reads closely is the charge itself, set against the elements in the statute that defines it. For several Class A offenses, one element separates the charge from the lower degree. Assault 1 requires intent to inflict great bodily harm. Burglary 1 requires being armed with a deadly weapon or assaulting someone. Robbery 1 requires being armed with a deadly weapon, displaying what appears to be a firearm or other deadly weapon, inflicting bodily injury, or robbing a financial institution. The first question is whether the facts fit the class charged or a lower degree.

That’s where we start too. Someone calling about a felony charge may have heard one thing from whoever was there that night and something different online, and it’s fine not to know yet. So we read the charging paperwork with them and name the class, because the class sets the outer limit the court is working within. Then we talk about what people don’t think to ask at first: firearms, job applications, housing, and how a charge at that level can show up in a custody case.

From there, a defense works through the stages the court rules lay out:

Release. Argue conditions using the factors in CrR 3.2(c), such as ties to the community, employment, record, and people willing to vouch, and answer any detention request under RCW 10.21.040.
Discovery. Get and review everything CrR 4.7(a) requires, including material that tends to negate guilt, and raise gaps before the omnibus hearing.
Omnibus motions. The CrR 4.5 omnibus form lists the motions a defense can bring, including suppressing evidence from an illegal search or arrest, a CrR 3.5 hearing on statements, suppressing an identification, and depositions.
Investigation and experts, as the case needs them.
The clock. Track CrR 3.3, continuances, and the 10-day rule for objecting to a trial date.
Charging discussions. Compare what the grid, enhancements and minimums would produce for each possible charge, including the attempt and lower-degree classes.
Trial, if that’s the path.
Sentencing. Check the offender score, contest disputed facts, which under RCW 9.94A.530(2) the court must either not consider or hold a hearing on, and present mitigating circumstances for a sentence below the range. For an adult, no exceptional sentence can go below a RCW 9.94A.540 minimum.

If you or someone in your family is facing a Class A charge in Pierce County, you can schedule a free, confidential consultation. We’ll read the charging paperwork with you, name the class and seriousness level, and walk through what the grid states for that level. More about our major felony defense practice is on our site, and because we handle family law too, we can look at how the charge touches a custody or divorce case.

FAQ

1. What is the difference between a Class A and a Class B felony in Washington?

The default maximum sentence. A Class A felony carries up to life in prison and a $50,000 fine, while a Class B felony carries up to 10 years and a $20,000 fine. The difference shows up in two other places, too. Most adult Class B prior convictions drop out of a later offender score after 10 crime-free years, but an adult Class A prior never does. And the base firearm enhancement is 5 years on a Class A felony and 3 years on a Class B.

2. Is there a time limit to file a Class A felony charge in Washington?

It depends on the offense, because RCW 9A.04.080 sets no single period for the whole class. It sets no limit for murder, homicide by abuse, vehicular homicide, arson where a death results, rape of a child in the first or second degree, and child molestation in the first degree. It sets 20 years for rape in the first or second degree and for indecent liberties, with no limit for rape 1 or 2 if the victim was under 16 or the offender was a first responder who used that position. Arson with no death has 10 years. Offense dates, amendments and time spent out of state can all affect the deadline, so for any specific case it’s a question for an attorney reading the statute.

3. Can a Class A felony conviction come off your record in Washington?

Not through vacation. RCW 9.94A.640(2)(b) bars vacating a violent offense, apart from a few named lesser offenses, and RCW 9.94A.030 defines every Class A felony as a violent offense. A Class A conviction also has a lasting effect on gun rights. Under RCW 9.41.041(1), a person convicted of a Class A felony may not petition a court to restore the right to possess a firearm.

4. Does Washington still have the death penalty for aggravated murder?

No. RCW 10.95.030(1) sets life imprisonment without possibility of release or parole for aggravated first degree murder, and the statute no longer provides for a death sentence. For someone under 16 at the time, it sets a maximum of life and a minimum term of 25 years. For someone 16 or 17, the minimum term is no less than 25 years, and the court must weigh the factors of youth. How youth affects the sentence for someone who was young at the time is a question for an attorney.

This article is attorney advertising and shares general information only, not legal advice. Reading it or contacting Melvin & Torrone, PLLP does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different, so talk with a licensed attorney about yours.