SB 5871
In CommitteeSenate
Vehicle glass repair claims
Regulating motor vehicle glass repair claims.
This status may be delayed. See Action History below for the latest updates.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill establishes new rules for motor vehicle glass repair claims in Washington, focusing on transparency, consumer choice, and safety—especially around advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that require calibration after windshield replacement. It bans deceptive practices, strengthens disclosure requirements for repair shops, and reinforces an insured’s right to choose any repair facility.
- Creates a new chapter in Title 48 RCW (the Washington Motor Vehicle Glass Act) with updated definitions and rules for glass repair claims.
- Prohibits insurance policy assignments that transfer an insured’s rights or duties to a repair shop before or after a claim—making such contracts void.
- Requires glass repair shops to disclose whether a vehicle has an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and whether calibration or recalibration is needed after glass replacement.
- Bars inducements or kickbacks (e.g., gifts, cash, rebates) in exchange for referrals or claims, and prohibits deceptive practices like falsifying dates, locations, or insurance approvals.
- Requires repair shops to provide good faith estimates, itemized invoices, and written notices about calibration success or failure before and after service.
- Revises and recodifies RCW 48.30.340 to reinforce an insured’s right to choose any repair shop and require insurers to disclose ownership or affiliations of repair shops they own.
Who is affected
- Motor vehicle owners (insureds) — Consumers who need windshield or window repairs or replacements are protected from being forced to use a specific shop and receive clearer information about system calibrations and costs.
- Motor vehicle glass repair shops — Must follow new rules about disclosures, estimates, calibration, and prohibitions on inducements or fraud; may face penalties for violations.
- Insurance companies and third-party administrators — Must ensure their agents and employees comply with new disclosure and ethical requirements, and may need to adjust internal policies to align with the law.
- Insurance producers (agents, brokers, adjusters) — May need to update training and procedures to meet new calibration standards and disclosure requirements.
Pro/Con Analysis
Stronger case for benefits
Potential Benefits (5)
Explicitly preserves an insured’s right to choose any repair facility and bars insurers from requiring use of a specific shop — this directly empowers consumers and strengthens autonomy in decision-making, especially for low-income or rural residents with limited repair options.
Rights & LibertiesPeopleRef: Sec. 6(1), Sec. 11(1)Requires repair shops to disclose ADAS presence and calibration status — this significantly improves safety by ensuring drivers understand whether critical safety systems (e.g., automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist) are functioning properly post-repair, reducing crash risk.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 3(1)(a)-(c), Sec. 3(2)(a)-(b)Bars deceptive billing practices (e.g., inflating fees, falsely claiming insurer approval, misrepresenting out-of-pocket cost) — this protects consumers—especially seniors and low-income drivers—from surprise charges and misleading claims about coverage, reducing out-of-pocket costs.
FinancialPeopleRef: Sec. 5(2)(b), Sec. 5(2)(f)-(g)Requires insurers with ownership stakes in repair shops to disclose that relationship and post prominent notices — this increases transparency and reduces conflicts of interest, helping consumers avoid unwittingly using a corporate-affiliated shop over an independent one.
Business & EmploymentPeopleRef: Sec. 11(2)-(3), Sec. 6(2)(c)Bars repair shops from charging more than reasonable and customary fees for glass repair and calibration — this caps price gouging and protects consumers from inflated charges, especially in high-demand markets like Seattle-Tacoma.
FinancialLean peopleRef: Sec. 4(2)(c)
Potential Concerns (5)
Mandates that repair shops inform insureds when calibration cannot be performed in-house and advise against using ADAS until recalibrated — this improves safety by reducing the risk of malfunctioning safety systems, but places the burden of compliance and potential follow-up on consumers who may lack technical knowledge.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 3(1)(c), Sec. 3(2)(b)(ii)Requires repair shops to provide good faith estimates, itemized invoices, and calibration success/failure notices — this enhances transparency and helps prevent overcharging, but increases operational costs for small shops, potentially leading to higher prices or reduced service availability in rural areas.
FinancialPeopleRef: Sec. 4(1)(c), Sec. 4(2)(a)-(c), Sec. 4(3)(a)-(b)Prohibits inducements, fraud, and deceptive practices (e.g., falsifying damage dates, inflating repair scope) — this reduces insurance fraud and improves safety by preventing substandard repairs, but may inadvertently penalize well-intentioned shops that make honest errors due to complex calibration requirements.
Public SafetyLean peopleRef: Sec. 5(1), Sec. 5(2)(b)-(h)Bars insurance policy assignments that transfer insured rights/duties to repair shops — this protects consumers from being locked into exclusive repair networks, but may disrupt business models of third-party administrators and captive repair chains that rely on assignment-of-benefits contracts.
Business & EmploymentLean peopleRef: Sec. 2(1)-(2)Creates a new chapter in Title 48 RCW and recodifies existing law — this improves statutory clarity but increases administrative burden on the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to enforce new rules, potentially diverting resources from other consumer protection priorities.
Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 10, Sec. 12
Who Is Most Affected
Motor vehicle owners—especially low-income, elderly, and rural residents—benefit significantly from stronger consumer protections, price transparency, and ADAS safety disclosures. They gain the ability to choose repair shops freely and avoid deceptive billing or unsafe repairs.
Independent glass repair shops benefit from reduced unfair competition (e.g., kickbacks, fraud) and clearer regulatory expectations, but may face higher compliance costs. Large corporate-owned or captive shops may be disadvantaged by the ban on assignment-of-benefits and mandatory disclosure of insurer ownership.
Insurers and TPAs face increased administrative and compliance costs, especially around ADAS calibration verification and conflict-of-interest disclosures. However, the bill may reduce fraud-related payouts and improve long-term claim accuracy.
Insurance producers and adjusters must update training and workflows to comply with new disclosure and calibration requirements, but benefit from reduced exposure to fraud-related liability and clearer regulatory standards.
The Office of the Insurance Commissioner gains new enforcement responsibilities but lacks statutory authority to impose penalties until rulemaking is complete—creating a temporary capacity gap. Local governments are unaffected beyond state-level oversight.