Kittitas County Court Records Search

Kittitas County court records are filed and maintained by the County Clerk at the Superior Court in Ellensburg. You can search Kittitas County court records online through the Washington State Digital Archives for cases from 2015 forward, or use the statewide name and case search at dw.courts.wa.gov for cases across all court levels. The clerk's office handles in-person requests, certified copies, and inquiries about civil, criminal, family law, probate, and juvenile cases. Older records not available online can be requested directly from the clerk at 205 W 5th Avenue, Suite 210, Ellensburg. This page covers all the ways to find and access court records in Kittitas County.

Kittitas County Superior Court Clerk

Val Barschaw serves as the elected Kittitas County Clerk. The clerk's office files, indexes, and stores all records for Kittitas County Superior Court and Family Court. Staff can look up cases by name or case number and provide copies of court documents. The office handles civil, criminal, family law, probate, juvenile, and mental commitment matters.

Kittitas County court records are available online through the court records portal, which provides attorney, person, and case search options. Offline searches can also be done in person or by mailing a request to the clerk's office. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All fees must be paid at the time of filing or when requesting copies.

The Kittitas County Juvenile Court is also at the same building at Suite 211, and the phone is 509-962-7516. Kittitas County has two district courts: the Lower Kittitas County District Court at Suite 180, 205 W 5th Avenue, Ellensburg (509-962-7511), and the Upper Kittitas County District Court at 700 E 1st Street, Cle Elum (509-674-5533). The Cle Elum and Roslyn municipal courts share the Upper District Court location.

Search Kittitas County Records Online

The Washington State Digital Archives holds Kittitas County Superior Court case files from 2015 to the present. Most records in the collection are from 2016 forward. The total record count is over 469,000 cases. Case types include civil, criminal, divorce, and probate. Public access to adoption, dependency, and mental competency proceedings is restricted and those files are not available online.

Each case file in the archives contains documents filed by both parties and the presiding judge. These may include awards, complaints, decrees, depositions, orders, pleadings, sentences, and verdicts. Cases are listed numerically by initiation date. Before you order, note that documents are not previewable online. Contact the clerk at 509-962-7531 if you have questions about what's in a specific file.

The Washington State Digital Archives Kittitas County Superior Court Case Files collection has over 469,000 records from 2015 to the present.

Sealed or confidential documents will not appear in search results and cannot be ordered online. Requests for adoption, dependency, and mental competency files should go directly to the Kittitas County Clerk at 509-962-7531. Access to all court records is governed by GR 31, Washington State Supreme Court's general rule on court records. For more information on the digital archives, you can contact the Washington State Archives Central Regional Branch at 509-963-2136.

The statewide search at dw.courts.wa.gov covers Kittitas County municipal, district, and superior courts. Results include case summaries, docket entries, and hearing schedules. The site updates at 3:00 a.m. daily. To get official copies, you must order from the appropriate court clerk's office.

In-Person and Mail Records Requests

For cases not in the digital archives, contact the clerk's office directly. You can visit in person at Suite 210, 205 W 5th Avenue in Ellensburg, or send a written request by mail. Bring the party's name or the case number when you visit. Staff will look up the case and provide copy options.

Certified copies cost $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 per additional page. Non-certified copies are available at a lower rate. Research fees may apply for complex searches. Mail requests should be sent to the Kittitas County Clerk, 205 W 5th Avenue Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926. Include as much detail as possible: party names, case number, and approximate filing year. This speeds up the process and reduces back-and-forth.

Personal identifiers may appear in case records. Under GR 31, the responsibility for redacting personal identifiers rests with the attorneys and parties who filed the documents. The court and clerk do not review each filing for redaction compliance.

Historical and Naturalization Records

Kittitas County has a notable collection of historical court records available through the digital archives. The Washington State Archives holds Kittitas County Clerk Naturalization Records from 1890 to 1979. The collection has 6,233 naturalization files. These records include the index to Declarations of Intention, Naturalization Records, Naturalization Certificate Stubs, and Petitions for Naturalization.

For best search results in the naturalization collection, search by name using last name only, first and last name together, or just the first letter of the last name. The document year in this collection reflects the date of entry into the United States, not the date of the naturalization action. These records are open for research and free to access through the digital archives portal.

The Kittitas County Naturalization Records collection at the Digital Archives holds 6,233 files covering 1890 to 1979 and is useful for genealogical research.

The records were transcribed and proofread by researchers and transferred from the Central Regional Archives. Citations for academic and genealogical use follow the preferred format listed in the archive. Contact the Central Regional Branch at 509-963-2136 for help with historical record research.

Washington Laws for Court Records

RCW 42.56 is the state Public Records Act. It governs access to government records broadly, but court case files are handled under court rules rather than this statute. RCW 36.23 sets out the duties of the county clerk, including the requirement to maintain accurate court records and provide access to the public. The clerk's responsibilities include filing, indexing, and storing all court documents.

Court records access is governed by GR 31. This general rule from the Washington Supreme Court defines what records are public and what restrictions apply. Most court records are presumed public. Sealed types like adoptions, dependency, and mental health proceedings are restricted. Parties are responsible for redacting their own personal identifiers from filings before submission. The court and clerk do not audit each filing for personal information.

Original court records are located at the Office of the Kittitas County Clerk, Ellensburg, WA. The digital archives copy is for research and access purposes. For certified copies with legal validity, you must order through the clerk's office or through the digital archives certified copy option at $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 per additional page.

Cities in Kittitas County

Kittitas County's county seat is Ellensburg, where the Superior Court and main clerk's office are located. Cle Elum and Roslyn are in the upper part of the county and share a district court location. All Superior Court cases for the county are filed at the courthouse in Ellensburg.

No cities in Kittitas County currently meet the qualifying population threshold for individual city pages. All court records for county residents are handled at the Superior Court and District Courts in Ellensburg and Cle Elum.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Kittitas County. Check your address to confirm which county's court handles your case.