Understanding The Legal Ramifications Of Shopping Cart Theft In Washington State

The quick answer is Yep! It's illegal to steal shopping carts from stores in Washington.

It's stealing. No different than taking shelves from a grocery store, I suppose, but, yes, taking shopping carts home or using a shopping cart for your own stuff when the shopping cart doesn't belong to you is illegal and they have Washington State laws about this.

What is the law on stealing shopping carts in Washington State?

RCW 9A.56.270

Shopping cart theft.
(1) It is unlawful to do any of the following acts, if a shopping cart has a permanently affixed sign as provided in subsection (2) of this section:
(a) To remove a shopping cart from the parking area of a retail establishment with the intent to deprive the owner of the shopping cart the use of the cart; or
(b) To be in possession of any shopping cart that has been removed from the parking area of a retail establishment with the intent to deprive the owner of the shopping cart the use of the cart.
(2) This section shall apply only when a shopping cart: (a) Has a sign permanently affixed to it that identifies the owner of the cart or the retailer, or both; (b) notifies the public of the procedure to be utilized for authorized removal of the cart from the premises; (c) notifies the public that the unauthorized removal of the cart from the premises or parking area of the retail establishment, or the unauthorized possession of the cart, is unlawful; and (d) lists a telephone number or address for returning carts removed from the premises or parking area to the owner or retailer.
(3) Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

So, yes, basically to grab a shopping cart from a store so the store can no longer use it, that's illegal.

If you need a shopping cart, though, they do sell some on Amazon. They're mostly the collapsible kind but they still work great.