Practicable means feasible or capable of being done. The term is commonly used in statutes to indicate when, how, or if something should be done. For example:
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In Washington, Rule CrRLJ 3.1 states, “when a person has been arrested he or she shall as soon as practicable be advised of the right to a lawyer.”
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Section 5774 of the California Food and Agriculture Code states, in reference to aerial applications of pesticides for pest control measures, “notice shall be delivered by hand distribution whenever practicable. If it is not practicable to provide notice by hand distribution, then notice may be accomplished by first-class mail so long as the affected residents and physicians receive the notice within the time limits prescribed in this article.”
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In Oklahoma, “no sewer or water line shall run diagonally through private property when it is practicable, without injury to the sewer or water line, to construct it parallel with one of the exterior lines of such property; nor shall any public sewer or public water line be constructed through private property when it is practicable to construct it along or through a street, alley or other public highway,” according to Section 37-208 of the municipal code.
[Last updated in July of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]