Rule 53.1.Referees

Group 6: Trials · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 13, 2026

In one sentenceRule 53.1 identifies eleven topics governing referees appointed in superior court actions — from a referee's powers and how a case is referred to challenges, procedure, the referee's report, and fees — and for each topic points to the specific RCW section that supplies the actual rule.

Full Text of Rule 53.1

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k)

(a) Referees — Definition and powers. [Reserved. See RCW 2.24.060.]

(b) Reference by consent — Right to jury trial. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.010.]

(d) To whom reference may be ordered. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.030.]

(e) Qualifications of referees. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.040.]

(f) Challenges to referees. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.050.]

(g) Trial procedure — Powers of referee. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.060.]

(h) Referee’s report — Contents — Evidence, filing of, frivolous. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.070.]

(i) Proceedings on filing of report. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.080.]

(j) Judgment on referee’s report. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.090.]

(k) Fees of referees. [Reserved. See RCW 4.48.100.]

Plain-English Summary

Rule 53.1 does not spell out the law governing referees itself. Instead, each lettered subsection names a stage of the referee process — the definition and powers of a referee, reference by consent and its effect on the right to jury trial, reference without consent, who may be referred a case, a referee's qualifications, challenges to a referee, trial procedure and the referee's powers at trial, the contents and filing of the referee's report, proceedings after the report is filed, entry of judgment on the report, and the referee's fees — and marks each one "[Reserved]" with a citation to the Revised Code of Washington section that governs it, from RCW 2.24.060 through RCW 4.48.100.

In practice, this means a lawyer who needs to know how a referee is appointed, what a referee may do at trial, or how a referee's report becomes a judgment has to go to the cited RCW provision rather than to the text of Rule 53.1. The rule's function is to map the topic to its statutory home, not to restate the statute's substance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does CR 53.1 say about referees?

Each subsection names a topic — such as a referee's powers, how a case is referred with or without consent, a referee's qualifications, or the referee's report — and states that it is reserved to a specific RCW section rather than setting out the substantive rule in the text of CR 53.1 itself.

Where do I find the actual rules governing referees in Washington superior court?

In the Revised Code of Washington. Rule 53.1 cross-references RCW 2.24.060 for a referee's definition and powers, and RCW 4.48.010 through RCW 4.48.100 for reference by consent, reference without consent, qualifications, challenges, trial procedure, the referee's report, proceedings on the report, judgment on the report, and referee fees.

Does reference to a referee affect the right to a jury trial?

CR 53.1(b) identifies reference by consent and its relationship to the right to jury trial as a topic, but directs the reader to RCW 4.48.010 for the governing rule rather than describing the effect in the rule text.

How is Rule 53.1 different from Rule 53.3?

Rule 53.1 covers referees under the statutory scheme in RCW 2.24 and RCW 4.48 and defers entirely to those statutes. Rule 53.3 covers a separate role, the special master appointed to preside at depositions or resolve discovery disputes, and sets out that procedure directly in the rule's own text.

Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Washington Superior Court Civil Rules, adopted by the Supreme Court of Washington. Last verified July 13, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: referees in Washington superior courtreference of a case to a refereeRCW 4.48 referee procedurereferee report and judgmentchallenges to a referee