General information

Replevin is a court action to recover the possession of personal property. Personal property is any property that is not land or buildings. It allows a person to request an order for the immediate delivery of their property after a hearing. A judge can decide who the rightful owner is, and then issue an order (sometimes called a Writ of Replevin or an Order Awarding Possession) that allows the sheriff to go to the place where the items are and take the items. The replevin process is complicated and can be expensive.

Washington LawHelp has information about Getting Your Stuff Back that describes the replevin process. There are also some sample demand letters.

The basic state laws for replevin are found in RCW Chapter 7.64.

The Clark County Sheriff's Office has a list of their requirements for replevin.

Self-help kit from the law library

The law library sells a Replevin in Superior Court self-help kit that includes forms and instructions to ask for an order requiring a person or business to return a specific piece of your personal property valued at $300 or more (for example, this can be a vehicle or a pet or anything except land or a building). Kits can be purchased at the library or online and mailed out.