Is it illegal to warm up your car?

Question

According to this article, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 46.61.600 prohibits people from starting their cars in Washington State if they're unoccupied. However, it's a common practice for people to turn on their cars before entering, so the vehicle will be warmed up upon use. Here is some of the text of the statute:

No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key and effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any perceptible grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway.

Is it actually illegal in Washington State to start your car before entering?

Answer 1

Yes. This is illegal in Washington State (the link is from November 9, 2020).

The law means what it says, with one subtle caveat, which is that this law applies only on a public road, and not on your own private driveway. As explained at the link (emphasis added):

PASCO, WA - As colder temperatures move into the Pacific Northwest, if you decide to warm your car up, do not leave it unattended and running. Remember, that is against Washington law. Police officers want to remind drivers who leave their cars running and unattended could face fines or a bigger problem, car theft.

Sgt. Rigo Pruneda said Pasco Police said authorities have been very busy in the Tri-Cities responding to car break-ins. He said when the temperatures get below freezing overnight, people's wind-shields get icy and frosted over.

That's when drivers are tempted to start their car and let them warm up in the morning and go back inside to finish getting ready for work.

"What happens is people see it as an opportunity to take your vehicle, because it is insecure and it is running. So, we just want to remind everybody, if they are going to warm up the car. Please, do not leave it unattended. Stay with the vehicle," Sgt. Pruneda said.

In the state of Washington, it is against the law to leave your car running while it is unattended and you can receive a ticket.

While it is legal for drivers to warm their cars up on their own property, police recommend not doing that, because that provides thieves an opportunity to steal your car.

Also, for future reference, an unattended car that is running is colloquially called a "puffer".

Answer 2

austria

In Austria, it is explicitly forbidden for environmental reasons. § 102 Abs 4 KFG says:

Der Lenker darf mit dem von ihm gelenkten Kraftfahrzeug [...] nicht ungebührlichen Lärm, ferner nicht mehr Rauch, üblen Geruch, schädliche Luftverunreinigungen oder Treibhausgasemissionen verursachen, als bei ordnungsgemäßem Zustand und sachgemäßem Betrieb des Fahrzeuges unvermeidbar ist. [...] „Warmlaufenlassen“ des Motors stellt jedenfalls eine vermeidbare Luftverunreinigung dar. [...]

Translation:

The driver of a motor vehicle [...] may not cause undue noise, more smoke, foul smell, harmful air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions than is unavoidable for a well-operated vehicle in good condition. [...] "Warming up" the engine is, in any case, avoidable air pollution. [...]

Answer 3

The answer is, it depends on where you are parked.

The RCW you cited is clear on the requirements for leaving an unattended car running on public property.

However, on private property it is legal.

Answer 4

Beyond state law, municipalities may have additional prohibitions against idling. This is done most frequently in larger cities for the prevention of unnecessary air pollution, but can also be done to prevent noise pollution, for health and safety reasons, or for aesthetic reasons.

Since you ask about Washington, it appears that at least Spokane has such a law. They define excessive idling as idling for more than 60 seconds (regardless of whether or not someone is in the vehicle). There are a variety of exceptions, but idling your car in your driveway to warm it up or cool it down would be prohibited.

Answer 5

Laws such as this are extremely common. They normally apply, as the Washington state law, only on public roadways and not on private property such as your driveway.

I recommend that if you ever do need to do this, as many people do on cold days, that you find your spare car key so that you can lock the car while it is warming up. That doesn't help the environmental aspect (pollution, wasting fuel) but it does take care of the safety aspect.

Which reminds me of the time that I had a dead battery.

I stopped at a major intersection on the way to a customer because there was a serious accident. The accident did not involve me, but I did stick around to give a report to police as a witness. And then I couldn't leave because my battery was dead! One of the policemen was nice enough to give me a jump start.

Then I drove a significant distance to my first customer of the day. I thought my battery problem was a one-off (e.g., lights left on so battery was weak but after driving would be charged up). No, it wouldn't start...again. My customer gave me a jump-start. When I got to the second customer (very close to the first customer as I had deliberately scheduled them for the same day), I left my car running in the parking lot while I went inside to fix a computer. That's something I would never normally do, but I had a spare key so I was able to lock the car, and that was better than an almost certain need for yet another jump start.

Then I drove back towards home, pulled up in front of my local service station and asked them where to leave the car before I turned it off. I went home (nearby) and they replaced the battery.