Legal Holidays & Legislatively Recognized Holidays
- Washington State -
Legal Holidays
New Year’s Day: The first day of January, commonly called New Year’s Day;
Martin Luther King Day: The third Monday of January, celebrated as the anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Presidents’ Day: The third Monday of February, to be known as Presidents’ Day and celebrated as the anniversary of the births of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington;
Memorial Day: The last Monday of May, commonly known as Memorial Day;
Juneteenth: The nineteenth day of June, recognized as Juneteenth, a day of remembrance for the day the African slaves learned of their freedom;
Independence Day: The fourth day of July, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence;
Labor Day: The first Monday in September, to be known as Labor Day;
Veterans’ Day: The eleventh day of November, to be known as Veterans’ Day;
Thanksgiving Day: The fourth Thursday in November, to be known as Thanksgiving Day;
Native American Heritage Day: The Friday immediately following the fourth Thursday in November, to be known as Native American Heritage Day; and
Christmas: The twenty-fifth day of December, commonly called Christmas Day.
NOTE: Whenever any legal holiday, other than Sunday, falls upon a Sunday, the following Monday shall be the legal holiday. Whenever any legal holiday falls upon a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be the legal holiday.
Understanding “Computation of Time”
Critical Points
Any period of time starts on the day following the event commencing the period (e.g. mutual acceptance occurs on Tuesday, day one is Wednesday)
Time periods of 5 days or less do not include weekends or legal holidays
Time periods of more than 5 days include weekends and legal holidays
Time periods end at 9:00 pm on the last day of the specified period
If the last day of the time period is on a weekend or a legal holiday, it moves to the next day that is not a weekend or legal holiday (except for the Possession Date)
Time periods are not delayed by a missing legal description – time periods begin from the date of mutual acceptance
The computation of time provision applies to all timelines in the purchase and sale agreements and any addenda (e.g. Form 22A, Form 22B, Form 22D, Form 35, etc.)
Examples
A 3-day response period, initiated by a form delivered on Monday, May 5th
The time period is “5 days or less”, therefore weekends and legal holidays are not counted
Day 1 of the time period is Tuesday, May 6th
The end of the time period (Day 3) is Thursday, May 8th at 9:00 pm
A 3-day response period, initiated by a form delivered on Friday, May 9th
The time period is “5 days or less”, therefore weekends and legal holidays are not counted
Day 1 of the time period is Monday, May 12th
The end of the time period (Day 3) is Wednesday, May 14th at 9:00 pm
A 10-day inspection period, with mutual acceptance on Monday, May 5th
The time period is more than 5 days, therefore weekends and legal holidays are counted
Day 1 is Tuesday, May 6th
The end of the time period (Day 10) is Thursday, May 15th at 9:00 pm
A 10-day inspection period, with mutual acceptance on Wednesday, May 7th
The time period is more than 5 days, therefore weekends and legal holidays are counted
Day 1 is Thursday May 8th
The last day in the time period is a weekend day (Saturday, May 17th), therefore the end of the time period is Monday, May 19th at 9:00 pm
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if the buyer and seller reach mutual acceptance at 11:30 pm?
A: The time of day that an accepted offer or counteroffer is delivered is not important. For example, if an accepted offer is properly delivered to the other party on Wednesday, May 7th at 11:30 pm, mutual acceptance occurs on Wednesday, May 7th and Day 1 is Thursday, May 8th. The 9:00 p.m. deadline only applies on the last day of a specific time period.
Q: What if the buyer signs a counteroffer on Monday, May 5th at 11 pm, but the selling broker does not deliver the signed agreement to the listing firm until Tuesday, May 6th?
A: Mutual acceptance occurred on Tuesday, May 6th and Day 1 is Wednesday, May 7th. Time periods should be calculated from the date a signed document is properly delivered to the other party, not the date the document was signed.
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