Washington
Washington Court Records: How to Search, What's Public, and How to Seal Them (2026)
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 10, 2026). · 4 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Washington runs a free statewide search tool, but it is not a one-stop shop. For several of the state's busiest courts, it hands you off to a separate local system instead of showing results directly. Washington's law on sealing and destroying records is also unusually precise about its own vocabulary, and getting that vocabulary wrong is an easy mistake to make.
Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Washington's Statewide Tool and Its Local Hand-Offs
dw.courts.wa.gov, branded Find My Court Date, is the state's free entry point. The Washington Courts' own self-help guidance describes it as "a search engine for cases filed in the municipal, district, superior, and appellate courts of the state of Washington," and notes that "the search results can point you to the official or complete court record," though obtaining the full record still means contacting the specific court.
For a handful of courts, the statewide search does not display results directly at all. Washington Courts' own guidance routes King County Superior Court and King County District Court to their own respective county systems, sends Pierce County Superior Court users to LINX, and sends Kitsap County District Court users to that county's own e-filing portal. dw.courts.wa.gov also directs Seattle Municipal Court and Spokane Municipal Court searchers to those courts' own separate case-record systems rather than showing results directly. Most other superior courts, including Spokane County Superior Court, are searchable through the statewide Odyssey Portal rather than a separate county tool. That statewide coverage is specific to Spokane's Superior Court; the Spokane carve-out named above belongs to its Municipal Court.
King County: A Detailed Example
King County's own records page confirms: "Many court records, including documents and audio recordings, can be accessed online via the KC Script Portal." Accessible case types include civil, criminal, family law, probate, guardianship, and non-confidential juvenile offender cases. In-person viewing is free at three Records Access public areas across the county. Online, non-certified document copies cost $0.50 per page, and certified copies cost $5.00 or more.
Pierce and Kitsap Counties
Pierce County Superior Court records run through LINX, the county's own case management search, reachable by name or case number rather than through the statewide tool. Kitsap County District Court runs its own e-filing portal in the same way. Coverage, fees, and search mechanics for both systems are set locally, so confirm current details on each county's own site rather than assuming they mirror King County's fee structure.
GR 15: Washington's Precise Terminology
Washington's General Rule 15 defines its vocabulary in a way that is easy to get backwards if you assume it works like other states. The rule states plainly: "To destroy means to obliterate a court record or file in such a way as to make it permanently irretrievable. A motion or order to expunge shall be treated as a motion or order to destroy." In Washington, expunge is legally destroy, full stop.
Sealing is a different, separate action. GR 15 defines it: "To seal means to protect from examination by the public and unauthorized court personnel. A motion or order to delete, purge, remove, excise, erase, or redact shall be treated as a motion or order to seal." A sealing order requires the court to make "written findings that the specific sealing or redaction is justified by identified compelling privacy or safety concerns that outweigh the public interest in access to the court record," and the rule specifically states that agreement of the parties alone is not enough to justify sealing.
Vacating a conviction is its own, third category. GR 15 defines it simply: "To vacate means to nullify or cancel." A vacated conviction does not automatically become sealed or destroyed. It remains part of the record unless a separate sealing motion succeeds, although the rule lists a vacated conviction among the circumstances a court may weigh when deciding whether sealing is justified. GR 15 also draws one more distinction worth knowing: "A motion or order to strike is not a motion or order to seal or destroy." GR 15 was last amended June 27, 2023. For the eligibility rules behind a vacate motion itself, see the Washington expungement laws guide.
Certified Copies and Courthouse Access
King County's certified-copy fee of $5.00 or more is confirmed directly. Fees in other counties are set locally and were not independently confirmed for this article; check with the clerk of the specific court where the case was filed.
Using Washington Court Records the Right Way
These tools are built for checking your own case, verifying a matter you are personally involved in, or general public transparency, not for compiling background information on someone else. If a Washington court record is being used to screen a job applicant or tenant, that use is governed separately by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, records of criminal convictions are exempt from the standard seven-year reporting limit and can be reported indefinitely unless Washington has sealed or destroyed them under GR 15.
Related Resources
Court Records by State covers the full 50-state picture. See also How to Look Up Court Records, Are Court Records Public?, Washington Expungement Laws, Washington Background Check Laws, Washington Warrant Search, and Washington Public Records Laws.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Washington's public court record tools and GR 15's sealing, destruction, and vacate rules. It is not legal advice. Portal fees, county systems, and court rules change; verify current details with Washington Courts or a Washington attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one statewide Washington court records portal?
There is a free statewide search, dw.courts.wa.gov, but it hands off to separate local systems for King County Superior and District Courts, Pierce County Superior Court (LINX), Kitsap County District Court, and the Seattle and Spokane Municipal Courts.
How do I search King County court records?
Use the KC Script Portal for online access, or view records for free in person at one of three Records Access public areas. Online copies cost $0.50 per page non-certified or $5.00 or more certified.
What does expunge mean under Washington law?
Under General Rule 15, a motion or order to expunge is legally treated as a motion or order to destroy. The record becomes permanently irretrievable, not just hidden.
What does vacate mean, and does it seal my record?
Vacate means to nullify or cancel a conviction. It does not by itself seal or destroy the record. A separate sealing motion is required, although a vacated conviction is one factor a court may weigh in deciding whether to grant it.
What does seal mean under GR 15, and what does it take to get a record sealed?
Sealing protects a record from examination by the public and unauthorized court personnel. The court must make written findings of compelling privacy or safety concerns that outweigh the public interest in access; agreement of the parties alone is not enough.
Which Washington counties or cities have their own separate court records systems?
King County Superior and District Courts, Pierce County Superior Court (LINX), Kitsap County District Court, Seattle Municipal Court, and Spokane Municipal Court each maintain their own systems outside the statewide search tool. Spokane County Superior Court, unlike Spokane Municipal Court, is covered by the statewide Odyssey Portal.
Can I use Washington court records to screen a tenant or job applicant?
You can search public records, but using them for an employment or housing decision is separately governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. This guide addresses personal lookups, not screening compliance.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
United States Code Title 15
§ 1681cRequirements relating to information contained in consumer reportsIn forcecited in 61 of our articles
Except as authorized under subsection (b), no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information: Cases under title 11 or under the Bankruptcy Act that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, as the case may be, antedate the report by more than 10 years. Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest that, from date of entry, antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is the longer period. Paid tax liens which, from date of payment, antedate the report by more than seven years. Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years. Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-16 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 383 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (2017) addressed the FACTA truncation rule in 1681c(g) and affirmed dismissal for lack of Article III standing, treating material risk of harm as a fact question. Edward Seamans v. Temple University (2014) held the seven-year window in 1681c(a)(4) is extended for an education loan only until that loan is repaid.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2017, 872 F.3d 114)✓A shopper sued two stores whose receipts printed the first six digits of his credit card number; the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal for lack of standing, seeing no clear error in the finding that those digits show only the card issuer, not a material risk of identity theft.
- Edward Seamans v. Temple University (Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2014, 744 F.3d 853)✓A defaulted university loan kept appearing on a borrower's credit reports after he repaid it because the school never reported the delinquency date; the Third Circuit held the Higher Education Act suspends section 1681c(a)(4)'s aging-off rule only until repayment.
- Gonzales v. Arrow Financial Services, LLC (Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2011, 660 F.3d 1055)✓A debt buyer offered to settle health club debts over seven years old, saying that if it was reporting the account the bureaus would be told it was settled; the Ninth Circuit, treating those debts as unreportable under section 1681c(a)(4), called that implication misleading.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: How Long Does a Felony Stay on Your Record? (2026), Background Check Laws by State (2026 Guide), Alabama Background Check Laws (2026 Guide)
Sources and References
- King County, Case Records / Records Access(kingcounty.gov).gov
- Washington Courts, Find My Court Date (dw.courts.wa.gov)(dw.courts.wa.gov).gov
- Washington General Rule 15, Destruction, Sealing, and Redaction of Court Records(courts.wa.gov).gov
- Washington Courts, Find Court Records (self-help)(courts.wa.gov).gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 15 U.S.C. § 1681c (FCRA obsolete information)(law.cornell.edu)