How to search Washington court records

Washington runs a single statewide case-lookup system, so one search — with the name spelled correctly — reaches courts across the entire state. There's no charge and no account required — results are visible to anyone who searches.

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Open the official Washington portal →

What's actually there

Washington Courts Search is the free statewide search across municipal, district, superior and appellate courts. Odyssey Portal is not statewide: it covers superior courts in 37 counties, excluding King and Pierce and all district and municipal courts, and shows case information only (documents need county clerk registration and fees).

Other official lookups for Washington

How Washington's courts are organized

Washington's courts come in four levels. Superior courts are the county-level general trial courts. District courts (run by counties) and municipal courts (run by cities) are the courts of limited jurisdiction. Above them are the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

No single system holds every record. The state's Washington Courts Search indexes cases from all four levels, while document access depends on the county and court.

Searching Washington court records online

Washington Courts Search, run by the Administrative Office of the Courts, is a free search engine for cases in municipal, district, superior and appellate courts. Person Search finds cases by a party's name, and Attorney Search finds district and municipal proceedings by bar number. Data updates within about a day of the clerk's entry. It is not the official record and does not show case outcomes, so treat a hit as a pointer to the court that holds the file.

For superior court cases, the Odyssey Portal is used by superior courts in 37 counties. Anonymous searching is free and needs no account but shows case information only, not documents. Online documents are available only in counties that use Odyssey's document system, after registering with that county clerk, and each county sets its own registration and document fees.

King and Pierce County superior courts are not in Odyssey Portal, and neither are any district or municipal courts. King County runs its own records portal, Pierce County uses its LINX system, and courts such as Seattle Municipal and Spokane point users to their own searches.

Criminal history: court searches are not a criminal background check; the Washington State Patrol's WATCH system handles conviction records
Appellate court public documents have their own portal
Every superior courthouse lets the public view public records in the court lobby, though not all have kiosks

Getting copies and certified copies

In Washington, the court that heard the case supplies the copies; for superior court, that means the county clerk. Under RCW 36.18.016, the clerk charges 50 cents a page for uncertified copies, $5 for the first page of a certified copy plus $1 for each additional page, and up to $30 an hour for historical or unusual record searches.

District and municipal courts handle their own records requests; court rule ARLJ 9 covers disclosure of records in those courts, and GR 31 governs access to court records generally. The state Court Directory lists contact details for every court, and you can ask for a fee waiver.

Records that are not public

Washington clears convictions by vacating them. Under RCW 9.94A.640, a person discharged from a felony sentence can ask the sentencing court to vacate it after 10 crime-free years for a class B felony or 5 for a class C felony. Violent offenses (with some exceptions such as second-degree assault and robbery) and felony DUI cannot be vacated. After vacation, the person may say they were never convicted of that crime, and the State Patrol and local police may not release it to the public.

Under RCW 9.96.060, most misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors can be vacated three years after sentencing or release, five years for domestic violence offenses, if there are no pending charges or new convictions; DUI and many sex offenses are restricted. Courts post motion and order forms. For your own record, talk to a lawyer or a legal aid program.

Tip: search engine first, then the clerk

Run a Person Search on Washington Courts Search to find which court has a case, then go to that court's own system: Odyssey Portal for most superior courts, the King or Pierce county portal, or the municipal court's site. The Find My Court Date tool on the same site shows upcoming hearings if you already know the person is in the system.

Sources

Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.

Federal cases filed in Washington

State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.

Search tips

Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to search Washington court records online?

Yes. Washington's statewide search is free to use, with no account or subscription required.

Does this include criminal records?

Yes. Washington's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.

Does one search cover the whole state?

Washington runs one statewide system, so a single search covers the whole state.

Links move. If the Washington portal link above is dead, tell us on the corrections page.