Email Signature Magic
Get started
All states

Washington real estate email signature requirements

Washington's advertising rule names email as a medium: WAC 308-124B-210 says all advertising or solicitations for brokerage services, including email, must include the firm name or an assumed name as licensed. It does not use the words “email signature”. We found no requirement to show a license number.

Regulator: Washington State Department of Licensing (Real Estate Commission). Summarized from the rule text and official guidance linked below, as of October 15, 2026. Not legal advice.

Does the rule cover email?

  • WAC 308-124B-210(1) says all advertising or solicitations “without limitation” for brokerage services, “to include the internet-based advertising, web pages, email, newspaper, and other visual media”, must include the firm name or an assumed name as licensed.
  • RCW 18.85.011 defines “advertising” as any attempt by publication or broadcast, whether oral, written, or otherwise, to induce a person to use the services of a real estate firm, broker, managing broker, or designated broker. RCW 18.85.361(8) makes advertising in any manner without the firm's name or assumed name as licensed, in a clear and conspicuous manner, a ground for discipline.
  • RCW 18.85.011(4) defines “clear and conspicuous” as a representation or term of such a color, contrast, size, or audibility, and presented in a manner, so as to be readily noticed and understood.
  • DOL's Real Estate Advertising Guidelines (form RE-620-400) list “e-mails, text messages, and other promotional materials” among examples of advertising. They say internet advertising that can be viewed as a separate unit, for example email messages or web pages, calls for disclosure of the firm's name as licensed and the broker's or managing broker's name as licensed, and that once an agency relationship is established with a buyer or seller that disclosure is no longer required in this medium. This is guidance, not rule text.

Is a license number required?

  • We found no provision in RCW 18.85, WAC 308-124A, 308-124B or 308-124C, or in DOL's Real Estate Advertising Guidelines, that requires a license number to appear in advertising.
  • The identifier the rule requires is the firm's name as licensed, or an assumed name licensed to the firm. The guidelines add that including a firm logo or a website address does not qualify as including the firm's licensed name.

Team names

  • The guidelines say teams are not firms, and that advertising a team name or brand must be consistent with all the advertising rules.
  • WAC 308-124B-210(2): a broker or managing broker advertising with a name, title, or brand that has no assumed name license must always display the firm's licensed name or licensed assumed name clearly and conspicuously with it, must not use a name suggesting a separate legal entity (examples given: Inc., LLC, LLP, Corp., firm, company), must not use a term commonly understood to reference a firm or office (examples given: realty, realtors, firm, real estate), and must have advance written approval from the firm's designated broker.
  • The guidelines say a firm may hold an assumed name license that is the name of a team. If the team name is a licensed assumed name, the team may advertise under it in the absence of any other firm name. If it is not, all team advertising must include the firm's licensed name in a clear and conspicuous manner. The firm owns the assumed name license.
  • The guidelines say it is unlawful to use only part of either the firm's licensed name or its assumed name, and give the example that a combined “Big Franchise/Team Terrific” could not be used. WAC 308-124A-815(3) says a firm shall not advertise in any manner using a name that has not been licensed by the department.

Anything specific to signatures

  • Neither the WAC nor the guidelines use the term “email signature”. WAC 308-124B-210 names email as an advertising medium, and the guidelines list business cards, letterhead and email among examples of advertising.
  • The guidelines say the firm's licensed name must be shown as it appears on the license. Abbreviations that are not commonly understood are not acceptable (their example is “R.E” for “Real Estate”), and showing only the franchise name is not sufficient if the licensed name has more words.
  • The guidelines say a firm logo or website address does not count as including the firm's licensed name.
  • The guidelines say professional designations or certifications from an association may be included as long as they are current. They also say REALTOR and the capital R logo are registered trademarks and that use by non-members is potentially a trademark violation and is false, deceptive and misleading.
  • The guidelines say advertising in circulation for a long time, such as business cards, needs a plan for monitoring and correcting statements whose supporting facts change. That applies to any claims placed in a signature.

A practical checklist

Our reading of the rules above, not language from any rule. Your broker-in-charge has the final say.

  • Put your firm's full licensed name (or the assumed name licensed to your firm) in your signature as readable text, exactly as on the firm license.
  • Do not rely on a logo image or a website address alone to carry the firm name.
  • If you use a team name, ask your designated broker whether it is a licensed assumed name; if it is not, show the firm's licensed name with it.
  • Avoid corporate-style endings and firm-style words such as Inc., LLC, realty, realtors or real estate in a team name or personal brand.
  • Show your own name as licensed; DOL's guidance asks for the broker's name as well as the firm's in internet advertising.
  • Use the REALTOR mark only if you are a member.
  • Have your designated broker confirm the final wording.

What we could not confirm

  • Rule text read: WAC 308-124B-210, WAC 308-124A-815 and RCW 18.85 (including 18.85.011 and 18.85.361) on the Washington Legislature site on October 15, 2026. WAC 308-124B-210 shows a history note ending WSR 10-20-095, effective October 31, 2010. RCW 18.85.361 shows a 2008 history note (2008 c 23 s 32).
  • DOL's Real Estate Advertising Guidelines are form RE-620-400 (N/10/17), October 2017, and are the file currently linked from DOL's Advertising page. DOL says they are guidelines only and not legal advice. The PDF's metadata shows a July 2026 modification date that we could not match to any visible change in content.
  • The guidelines' statement that internet advertising such as email must also disclose the broker's or managing broker's licensed name does not appear in the text of WAC 308-124B-210 or RCW 18.85.361 as we read them. Treat it as DOL guidance only.
  • RCW 18.85.361(8) has an exception: brokers, managing brokers or firms advertising their personally owned real property must only disclose that they hold a real estate license.
  • DOL's Advertising page also links a video, “Social Media and Internet Guidelines for Real Estate Professionals”, which we did not review.
Build a signature with these details

Add your license number, brokerage name and Equal Housing line in the free generator, or set them once for your whole brokerage and keep every agent's Gmail signature in step.

Free signature generatorSignatures for real estate

Other states

See also what a real estate signature can carry and how to keep it out of spam.

Sources (read October 15, 2026)

Rules change and this page can fall behind. Email Signature Magic is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any regulator. Found something out of date? Tell us.