How to Appeal a Washington Small Claims Judgment as a Defendant

You lost at trial in Washington small claims court and want to challenge the judgment. An appeal is possible, but Washington imposes strict dollar thresholds, a tight deadline, and a bond requirement that makes appeals practical only for larger judgments.

The Threshold: Does Your Case Qualify?

Under RCW 12.36.010 and RCW 12.40.120, appeal rights depend on both the amount in controversy and the amount claimed by a party who asked the Small Claims Department to hear that party's claim:

• Amount in controversy of $250 or less: No appeal is allowed; the amount in controversy, excluding costs, must exceed $250.
• A party's own claim is under $1,000: A party who asked the Small Claims Department to hear that claim cannot appeal if the amount claimed was less than $1,000. A defendant who did not file a counterclaim is not barred by this rule.
• A party's own claim is $1,000 or more: The less-than-$1,000 bar does not apply to that party, but the amount-in-controversy threshold must still be met.

If the plaintiff sued you for $200 and won, the amount-in-controversy threshold is not met, so there is no appeal.

The 30-Day Deadline

You have exactly 30 calendar days from the date the judgment was entered to complete every step of the appeal. Not 30 business days. Not 30 days from when you received the judgment in the mail. Thirty calendar days from entry. Miss this deadline and you lose the right to appeal entirely — courts have no discretion to extend it.

What You Must Do Within 30 Days

All four steps must be completed within the same 30-day window:

1. File a written Notice of Appeal with the District Court clerk
2. Serve a copy of the Notice of Appeal on the plaintiff (and any other opposing parties)
3. Pay the $20 transcript fee, the Superior Court filing fee ($280), and the District Court appeal preparation fee ($40) — that's $340 in listed court fees before the appeal proceeds
4. Post an appeal bond with the District Court. The bond amount equals twice the judgment and costs, or twice the amount in controversy, whichever is greater

The bond is the sticking point for most people. A $5,000 judgment requires a $10,000 bond. A $10,000 judgment requires a $20,000 bond. You can post a cash bond or obtain a surety bond from a bonding company (which charges a premium, typically 5-15% of the bond amount).

Default Judgments Cannot Be Directly Appealed

If you lost by default because you missed the hearing, you cannot appeal. Under RCW 12.40.120, default judgments must first be vacated through a Motion to Vacate under CRLJ 60(b). Only after the default is set aside and you lose at a new trial can you then appeal that trial judgment.

What Happens in Superior Court

Within 14 days of filing the Notice of Appeal, the District Court clerk transmits the case record to Superior Court. The appeal is tried de novo on the District Court record under RCW 12.36.055.

The Superior Court can affirm the judgment, reverse it, or modify the amount. If the court reverses and you posted a cash bond, the bond is returned. If the court affirms, the bond covers the judgment.

Is It Worth Appealing?

Run the numbers before filing:

• $340 in listed court fees
• A bond of at least twice the judgment (tied up until the appeal resolves)
• Time — appeals can take months to schedule
• The same evidence — unless new facts emerged, the Superior Court sees the same documents and testimony

For judgments under $1,000, the filing fees and bond alone often exceed what you'd save by winning the appeal. Appeals make financial sense for larger judgments where the trial court clearly misapplied the law or ignored key evidence.

The Washington Small Claims Response Guide includes a post-judgment action tracker that maps out the appeal timeline, bond calculation, and filing checklist if you decide to proceed.

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