Washington Court Records: How to Search, What's Public, and How to Seal Them (2026)

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.

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Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.