Des Moines Court Records
Des Moines court records are held at the Des Moines Municipal Court for traffic and misdemeanor cases, while felonies and family law matters go to King County Superior Court. The municipal court also processes cases for the neighboring City of Normandy Park. If you need to find a case, get a certified copy of a court document, or look up a case number from Des Moines, this page covers each court, how to search online, and what to bring when you visit in person.
Des Moines Overview
Des Moines Municipal Court
Des Moines Municipal Court is the court of limited jurisdiction for the city. It handles traffic infractions, misdemeanors, and gross misdemeanors that occur within Des Moines city limits. It also takes on cases for the City of Normandy Park through a service agreement. This is the right court to contact if you got a traffic ticket, received a citation for a misdemeanor offense, or need records from a lower-level criminal or infraction case tied to Des Moines.
The court is at 21630 11th Avenue S, Suite C, Des Moines, WA 98198. Phone: 206-878-4597. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court accepts payments in person, by mail, and online. ADA accommodations and interpreter services are available on request. Public records requests for court records should be submitted to the municipal court clerk directly.
| Office | Des Moines Municipal Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 21630 11th Avenue S, Suite C Des Moines, WA 98198 |
| Phone | 206-878-4597 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | desmoineswa.gov/municipal-court |
The court conducts arraignments, pretrial hearings, bench trials, and jury trials. Forms for hearing requests, continuances, and deferred findings are available through the court. If you need to request records from a past Des Moines case, contact the clerk's office with the case number and the type of document you need.
Payments and Fines
If you have fines or fees tied to a Des Moines Municipal Court case, you can pay in person, by mail, or online. Mail payments go to Des Moines Municipal Court, 21630 11th Ave S Suite C, Des Moines, WA 98198. Do not send cash through the mail. Write your citation number on checks or money orders.
Online payments can be made through NCourt, a third-party payment processor authorized by the court. The portal covers red light photo enforcement, school zone photo enforcement, City of Des Moines cases, City of Normandy Park cases, and speeding park zone violations. You can search by citation number or case number. If your citation starts with a zero and doesn't appear in the system, try entering the number without the leading zero. New citations may take up to five days from the issue date to show up in the online system.
Payment plans may be available for those who can't pay in full. The court accepts Visa and Mastercard for online transactions. A service fee is added to online payments. If your account gets sent to collections, a third-party agency handles it, and you'll need to deal with them directly at that point. Failure to pay fines can lead to license suspension and other penalties, so it's better to address it quickly.
Note: Payments made online may take one to two business days to post to your court case. Don't wait until the last minute if a deadline is coming up.
King County Superior Court for Des Moines
Des Moines Municipal Court handles lower-level cases. Felony cases, family law matters such as divorce and child custody, and probate proceedings go to King County Superior Court. Appeals from Des Moines Municipal Court also go to Superior Court. So if someone lost a case in municipal court and appealed it, the record moves to the King County level.
King County Superior Court operates two main venues that serve Des Moines area residents. The King County Courthouse is in downtown Seattle at 516 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104. The Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent also handles Superior Court cases and is closer to Des Moines. King County District Court may handle certain civil and criminal matters for unincorporated areas near Des Moines as well.
Public access terminals are available for free case searches at King County courthouses. The King County Superior Court Clerk's office manages all records at that level. Online access to Superior Court records is available through the KC Script Portal. Non-certified copies run $0.25 per page. Certified copies cost $5 for the first page and $1 for each page after that. The Clerk's office does not process requests by phone or email, so you'll need to use the portal or visit in person at kingcounty.gov/courts/clerk/access-records.
How to Search Des Moines Court Records
The free statewide search tool at dw.courts.wa.gov is the best place to start. It covers Des Moines Municipal Court cases along with district and superior court cases from King County. You can search by name or case number. Results show case summaries, docket entries, and hearing schedules. The system updates daily at 3:00 a.m.
For Superior Court cases, the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal at odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov provides deeper search capabilities. You can look up felony cases, family law matters, civil suits, and other King County Superior Court filings by name or case number.
To search effectively, you'll want the full name of at least one party and an approximate filing year. Case numbers are the most direct path to a specific record. Once you find the case, contact the court that holds it to get actual copies of the documents. Online searches show you what's there, but official copies come from the clerk's office.
Washington court records follow General Rule 31, not the Public Records Act under RCW 42.56. GR 31 sets the rules for who can access court records and how fees are applied. Most records are public, but sealed files and juvenile records require a court order to access.
Getting Copies of Court Records
To get a copy of a Des Moines Municipal Court record, go to or write the clerk at 21630 11th Avenue S, Suite C, Des Moines, WA 98198. Bring the case number if you have it. The clerk can pull the file and provide copies. Come during business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For King County Superior Court records, use the KC Script Portal or visit the King County Courthouse or the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Certified copies require you to go in person or use the court's approved mail process. Staff cannot answer records requests by phone or email at the Superior Court level.
The Washington State Digital Archives is another resource for older records that may not be in active online search systems. This archive holds historical court documents from across Washington state and may have records from past decades that aren't available in the current search tools.
King County Court Records
Des Moines is in King County, and cases above the municipal level are handled by the King County court system. For full details on the King County courts, the clerk's office, and how to access records, see the King County court records page.
Nearby Cities
These cities are close to Des Moines and also use the King County court system for most filings.