Requesting court records

If you need public records from the court, you’ll need to follow their process. Learn about what you can ask for, where to submit requests and what to expect.

Court records policy

The court is committed to providing access to its public records as quickly as possible. Court records are open to the public unless they’re private, sealed or redacted.

The purpose of this policy is to help the public access court information, not to delay or deny access. This policy covers information from both civil and criminal cases, and follows state laws, case law and court rules.

Types of records you can request

You can request any court records that include public data.

However, the court can only give access to its own records. The court can’t give you:

  • Information about people or cases from other courts or areas
  • Criminal histories
  • Driving records

Online

Step 1.Gather the information you’ll need

Your request should have enough information for the court to identify the right records. Please include at least one of the following details with your request:

  • Name and date of birth of a person involved (the defendant in a criminal case)
  • Name and Washington driver's license number of a person involved (the defendant)
  • Case number

The following pieces of information are also helpful, but not required: 

  • Date of violation 
  • Type of case

Step 2.Fill out and submit the request form

Use the online court records request form to submit your request.

Step 3.Wait for a response

The court will make records available as quickly as possible. You may need to wait longer for off-site records.

You can also view the status of your request online.

There are no costs for copies of court records.

Most court records are available to the public. However, some records are considered private under a state law, court rule, or court order. We can’t provide these private records.

Examples include:

  • Affidavit for warrants before the warrant has been served or filed
  • Personal identifiers, such as addresses or Social Security numbers
  • Certain records related to people under 18
  • Records from other agencies, like criminal histories or driving records

You may be able to ask the court to reconsider your request. Ask court staff for more information. The court will tell you if certain records aren’t available.

You can ask court staff or visit the Washington Courts records page.

If court staff aren’t sure how to handle your request, they’ll send it to the judge.

No, criminal histories from the Judicial Information System (JIS) aren’t public records. They are only available to the defendant or their lawyer.

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