Washington
Washington Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
Washington routes a general adult, child, or ward name-change petition to district court, not superior court, under . That venue choice is easy to get wrong when comparing Washington to other states, since most of this cluster's states use their general trial court for the equivalent filing.
The other detail worth stating carefully is sealing. A Washington name-change file is not automatically sealed as a general rule. District court petitions become public Recorder's Office records unless the petitioner affirmatively asks the judge to seal the file at the hearing. Automatic sealing is real, but it is narrower than that: it applies only in superior court, for a specific list of protected-category petitioners.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
How to Legally Change Your Name in Washington
A general adult, child, or ward name-change petition is filed in district court under (1). This is worth stating plainly because it differs from most other states in this batch, where the general trial court (circuit, superior, or district-as-general-jurisdiction court) handles the filing directly. In Washington, the statute's plain text does not tie venue to the petitioner's county of residence; a petition can be filed in any judicial district.
There is no single statewide filing-fee figure independently confirmed for this article; King County's District Court publishes a representative example: a $98 filing fee plus a $203.50 recording fee for an individual petition, with family petitions running $204.50 or more. RCW 4.24.130(4) sets the fee-collection mechanism by cross-reference to RCW 36.18.010, but the underlying statewide number itself was not independently pulled from that separate fee statute. A full fee waiver is available on a financial-hardship affidavit, unless victim compensation already covered the costs of the name change.
Changing a Minor's Name
A general child or ward petition also runs through district court under 4.24.130(1), the same track as an adult petition. Superior court has separate, concurrent jurisdiction for a narrower set of situations: an emancipated minor, a child already involved in a Title 13 or Title 74 juvenile proceeding, or a petition grounded in asylum or refugee status, special-immigrant-juvenile status, gender identity, or domestic-violence or stalking safety. This is also where automatic sealing applies, described below; it is a superior-court, protected-category feature, not a general rule that reaches every minor's petition.
Restoring Your Name After Divorce
Divorce-based restoration is a standard part of the dissolution decree, not a separate filing. Under (3), on request of a party whose marriage or domestic partnership is dissolved or declared invalid, the court shall order a former name restored, or the court may, in its discretion, order a change to a different name instead.
Publication and Sealing: Not a Blanket Default
Washington has no newspaper-publication requirement for the general public. The detail that needs care is sealing, and it is easy to overstate. District court petitions are NOT automatically sealed. King County District Court's own guidance states this directly: the court does not automatically seal name-change files, and a petitioner must ask the judge to do so at the hearing. Absent that request, the granted order becomes viewable as a public record through the county Recorder's Office.
Automatic sealing is real in Washington, but only in a narrower circumstance: superior court petitions grounded in the protected categories described above, gender identity, refugee or asylum status, domestic-violence or stalking safety, and emancipated minors, receive automatic sealing under RCW 4.24.130(5). Even that automatic superior-court sealing does not automatically make a new name confidential with the Social Security Administration or the U.S. State Department; those agencies apply their own separate rules for what they will and will not disclose. Since most general adult petitioners use the default district court track, a reader should not assume their Washington name change will be confidential by default. If confidentiality matters to your situation, either request sealing explicitly in district court or determine whether your circumstances qualify for the superior court's protected-category track.
Restrictions: Corrections and Sex-Offender Rules
A person under Department of Corrections jurisdiction who is changing their name must notify DOC at least five days before the change is entered into court records. The change may be denied if it would interfere with legitimate penological interests, except when the change is for religious or cultural reasons or is related to a marriage or dissolution. Violating the DOC-notice requirement is itself a misdemeanor.
A sex offender required to register under RCW 9A.44.130 follows that statute's separate registry-notification procedures rather than the general 4.24.130 process described above.
Name Change After Marriage
Washington has no general marriage-based name-change statute. The reference to «recognition of marriage or dissolution of marriage» in 4.24.130(1) is only an exception carved out of the DOC-offender penological-interest restriction, not a standalone mechanism for changing a name at marriage. A spouse who wants a new name at marriage does so administratively, presenting the marriage certificate to the Social Security Administration and the DMV. For the federal-level steps involved, see name change after marriage.
Related Washington Records
For the marriage certificate or divorce decree that may support a filing, see Washington marriage and divorce records. For how the state's court system handles filings and case access generally, see Washington court records. For the broader dissolution process a name restoration is part of, see Washington divorce laws. For the full agency-by-agency update process once a change is granted, see the name change checklist and how to legally change your name.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Washington name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and sealing procedures vary by county and change over time; verify current details with your district or superior court clerk or a licensed Washington attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What court handles a name change in Washington state?
District court, for the general adult, child, or ward petition under RCW 4.24.130(1). Superior court handles only a narrower set of protected-category cases.
Is a Washington name change automatically sealed?
No, not by default. District court files become public Recorder's Office records unless the petitioner asks the judge to seal the file at the hearing. Automatic sealing applies only to superior court filings involving specific protected categories.
How much does a Washington name change cost?
There is no single confirmed statewide figure. King County District Court's example is $98 for filing plus $203.50 for recording an individual petition. A fee waiver is available on a hardship affidavit.
Does Washington require newspaper publication for a name change?
No. Washington has no general publication requirement for the public.
Can I get my maiden name back after a Washington divorce without a separate name-change petition?
Yes. RCW 26.09.150(3) makes it a standard part of the dissolution decree: the court restores a former name on request, and may order a different name change at its discretion.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on 2 statutory provisions held in our own legal record, each retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Revised Code of Washington
§ 26.09.150Decree of dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership, legal separation, or declaration of invalidity—Finality—Appeal—Conversion of decree of legal separation to decree of dissolution—Name of party.In force
(1) A decree of dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership, legal separation, or declaration of invalidity is final when entered, subject to the right of appeal. An appeal which does not challenge the finding that the marriage or domestic partnership is irretrievably broken or was invalid, does not delay the finality of the dissolution or declaration of invalidity and either party may remarry or enter into a domestic partnership pending such an appeal. (2)(a) No earlier than six months after entry of a decree of legal separation, on motion of either party, the court shall convert the decree of legal separation to a decree of dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership. The clerk of court shall complete the certificate on the form provided by the department of health. On or before the tenth day of each month, the clerk of the court shall forward to the state registrar of vital statistics the certificate of each decree of divorce, dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership, annulment, or separate maintenance granted during the preceding month.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 4.24.130Action for change of name—Fees.In forcecited in 2 of our articles
(1) Any person desiring a change of the person's name or that of the person's child or of an individual subject to guardianship for whom the person has been appointed as guardian, may apply therefor to the district court of any judicial district in the state, by petition setting forth the desire for such change; thereupon such court in its discretion may order a change of the name and thenceforth the new name shall be in place of the former. (2) An offender under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections who applies to change the offender's name under subsection (1) of this section shall submit a copy of the application to the department of corrections not fewer than five days before the entry of an order granting the name change. No offender under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections at the time of application shall be granted an order changing the offender's name if the court finds that doing so will interfere with legitimate penological interests, except that no order shall be denied when the name change is requested for religious or legitimate cultural reasons or in recognition of marriage or dissolution of marriage.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at app.leg.wa.gov
Also relied on in: How to Legally Change Your Name
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Sources and References
- Revised Code of Washington § 4.24.130, Change of Name(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- Revised Code of Washington § 26.09.150, Decree, Contents(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- King County District Court, Name Changes(kingcounty.gov).gov
- Washington Courts, Name Change Forms(courts.wa.gov).gov