What a felony means in Washington.
Every Washington felony belongs to one of three classes, each with a statutory ceiling set by RCW 9A.20.021:
Felony classes — the outer limits
- Class A: up to life in prison and a $50,000 fine
- Class B: up to 10 years and a $20,000 fine
- Class C: up to 5 years and a $10,000 fine
But those maximums are almost never the real exposure. Washington's Sentencing Reform Act sets the actual sentence through a grid — and that's where felony cases are really won and lost.
The sentencing grid is where the fight is.
Under the SRA, your standard sentencing range comes from two numbers: the seriousness level of the offense (RCW 9.94A.515) and your offender score — a point total built from your criminal history (RCW 9.94A.510, .525). Small scoring disputes move sentences by years:
- Wash-outs. Older Class B and C convictions stop counting after enough crime-free years in the community — but prosecutors don't always concede them.
- Same criminal conduct. Multiple counts that share time, place, victim, and intent can score as one — argued right.
- Out-of-state and federal priors. These only count if they're legally comparable to a Washington offense, and comparability is a fight worth having.
Before I advise any client on any plea offer, I run the full exposure analysis myself — score, range, enhancements, and every alternative. You can't judge an offer until you know precisely what trial risk actually looks like.
Enhancements and the persistent-offender law.
Firearm and deadly-weapon enhancements (RCW 9.94A.533) add flat, mandatory time that runs consecutive to the underlying sentence — they routinely dwarf the base range, and they're often the State's real leverage in negotiations. And for those with qualifying history, Washington's persistent-offender statute (RCW 9.94A.570) means a third "most serious offense" conviction carries life without release. When a strike offense is on the table, every charging and plea decision has to be made with that endgame in view.
Trial-ready from the first phone call.
Felony cases are lost through slow starts: evidence disappears, witnesses scatter, and charging decisions harden. I move early — preserving video and scene evidence, litigating suppression where the stop, search, or statements are vulnerable (CrR 3.5 and 3.6), engaging experts where the State's forensics deserve scrutiny, and, when the timing is right, negotiating with prosecutors before charges are even filed. Prosecutors extend better offers to lawyers they know will actually try the case. I built my reputation on their side of the aisle; they know I will.
Prison isn't the only outcome.
Depending on the charge and your history, Washington law offers real alternatives: drug-offender sentencing alternatives (DOSA, RCW 9.94A.660) that trade prison time for treatment, the first-time offender waiver (RCW 9.94A.650), and exceptional sentences below the range where the law supports them. Part of my job is knowing which doors are open in your specific case — and building the record that gets you through one.
Felony questions I hear most.
What's the difference between the maximum and my standard range?
The maximum is the statutory ceiling for the felony class; the standard range is what the sentencing grid actually prescribes for your offense and offender score, and it's usually far below the maximum. The range — not the ceiling — is the number that drives every strategic decision.
What is an offender score?
A point total, generally 0 to 9+, computed from your prior convictions under detailed rules about what counts, how much, and for how long. It's one axis of the sentencing grid, and it's contestable — scoring fights are some of the highest-value work in a felony case.
Do old convictions ever stop counting?
Many do. Class C felonies generally wash out after five crime-free years in the community, Class B after ten — and priors that wash out can't be scored. Verifying the State's history calculation is never a formality in my office.
Can a felony charge be reduced to a misdemeanor?
Yes — reduction is a common and legitimate resolution when the State's case has problems or the charge was inflated to begin with. It's the difference between a felony record and something you can genuinely move past, and it's always on my list of targets.
Statutory references current as of July 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice about your case — exposure depends entirely on the specific charge and your history.