# RCW 41.14.070: RCW 41.14.070: Classified and unclassified service designated—Procedures

> Washington · Statutes · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S070

## Section

- **Citation:** RCW 41.14.070
- **Heading:** RCW 41.14.070: Classified and unclassified service designated—Procedures
- **Jurisdiction:** Washington
- **Kind:** Statutes
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** Washington Code / Title 41 / Chapter 14 / Section 070

## Text

(1) The classified civil service and provisions of this chapter shall include all deputy sheriffs and other employees of the office of sheriff in each county except the county sheriff in every county and an additional number of positions, designated the unclassified service, determined as follows: Staff Personnel Unclassified Position Appointments 1 through 10 2 11 through 20 3 21 through 50 4 51 through 100 5 101 through 250 6 251 through 500 8 501 and over 10 (2) The unclassified position appointments authorized by this section must include selections from the following positions up to the limit of the number of positions authorized: Undersheriff, inspector, chief criminal deputy, chief civil deputy, jail superintendent, and administrative assistant or administrative secretary. The initial selection of specific positions to be exempt shall be made by the sheriff, who shall notify the civil service commission of his or her selection. Subsequent changes in the designation of which positions are to be exempt may be made only with the concurrence of the sheriff and the civil service commission, and then only after the civil service commission has heard the issue in open meeting. Should the position or positions initially selected by the sheriff to be exempt (unclassified) pursuant to this section be under the classified civil service at the time of such selection, and should it (or they) be occupied, the employee(s) occupying said position(s) shall have the right to return to the next highest position or a like position under classified civil service. (3) In counties with a sheriff's department that operates the 911 emergency communications system, in addition to the unclassified positions authorized in subsections (1), (2), and (4) of this section, the sheriff may designate one unclassified position for the 911 emergency communications system. (4) In addition to the unclassified positions authorized in this section, the county legislative authority of any county with a population of five hundred thousand or more operating under a home rule charter may designate unclassified positions of administrative responsibility not to exceed twenty positions.

## Nearby sections

- [RCW 41.14.010 RCW 41.14.010: Declaration of purpose.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S010.md)
- [RCW 41.14.020 RCW 41.14.020: Terms defined.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S020.md)
- [RCW 41.14.030 RCW 41.14.030: Civil service commission—Appointment, terms, qualifications, compensation, etc.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S030.md)
- [RCW 41.14.040 RCW 41.14.040: Combined system authorized in counties with populations of less than forty thousand.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S040.md)
- [RCW 41.14.050 RCW 41.14.050: Commission—Organization, meetings—Chief examiner, qualifications, duties.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S050.md)
- [RCW 41.14.060 RCW 41.14.060: Powers and duties of commission.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S060.md)
- [RCW 41.14.065 RCW 41.14.065: Delegation of powers and duties of commission in county with a population of one million or more.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S065.md)
- [RCW 41.14.070 RCW 41.14.070: Classified and unclassified service designated—Procedures.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S070.md)
- [RCW 41.14.080 RCW 41.14.080: Classified service—Appointment, promotion, transfer, suspension, discharge.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S080.md)
- [RCW 41.14.090 RCW 41.14.090: Status of existing employees in classified service.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S090.md)
- [RCW 41.14.100 RCW 41.14.100: Qualifications of applicants for position—Law enforcement agencies.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S100.md)
- [RCW 41.14.110 RCW 41.14.110: Tenure—Grounds for deprivation.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S110.md)
- [RCW 41.14.120 RCW 41.14.120: Removal, suspension, demotion, or discharge—Procedure—Appeal.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S120.md)
- [RCW 41.14.130 RCW 41.14.130: Filling vacancies in classified service—Eligibility list—Probation.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S130.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_WA_T41_C14_S070. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.