Wash. Rev. Code § 70.58.080

Registration of Washington Births

Within ten days after the birth of any child, the attending physician, midwife, or his or her agent must:

• Fill out a birth certificate, giving all of the particulars required, including the mother's name and date of birth, and (if the mother and father are married at the time of birth, or an acknowledgment of paternity has been signed, or one has been filed with the state registrar of vital statistics naming the man as the father) the father's name and date of birth
• File the certificate of birth together with the mother's and father's social security numbers with the state registrar of vital statistics.

The state registrar of vital statistics will make available to the division of child support the birth certificates, the mother's and father's social security numbers and acknowledgments of paternity.


Upon the birth of a child to an unmarried woman, the attending physician, midwife, or his or her agent must:

• Provide an opportunity for the child's mother and natural father to complete an acknowledgment of paternity. The completed acknowledgment shall be filed with the state registrar of vital statistics
• Provide written and oral information, furnished by the department of social and health services, to the mother and the father regarding the benefits of having the child's paternity established and of the availability of paternity establishment services, including a request for support enforcement services. The oral and written information should include information regarding the alternatives to, the legal consequences of, and the rights, including, if one parent is a minor any rights afforded due to minority status, and responsibilities that arise from, signing the acknowledgment of paternity.

Finally, if there is no attending physician or midwife, the father or mother of the child, householder or owner of the premises, manager or superintendent of the public or private institution in which the birth occurred, shall notify the local registrar, within ten days after the birth, of the fact of the birth, and the local registrar shall secure the necessary information and signature to make a proper certificate of birth.


When an infant is found for whom no certificate of birth is known to be on file, a birth certificate shall be filed within the time and in the form prescribed by the state board of health.