Washington criminal records are spread across several government systems. Washington Courts provides case-search tools, the Washington State Patrol operates the official WATCH criminal-history service, county and city agencies maintain many arrest and jail records, and the Washington Department of Corrections provides incarcerated-person and secretary’s-warrant searches. The correct starting point depends on whether you want a court case, conviction history, recent arrest, jail record, DOC record or an older/vacated case.
Which Washington criminal record are you actually looking for?
Washington’s official systems answer different questions. A court case search is not the same thing as a State Patrol background check, and neither one necessarily replaces a local sheriff’s jail roster or police-record request.
Court case
Search criminal cases filed in municipal, district, superior and appellate courts.
Criminal history
WATCH provides the state’s official public Internet source for Washington criminal-history conviction records.
Arrest / jail record
Recent booking, local custody and police incident records are typically maintained by local agencies.
State incarceration
DOC publishes selected information about people currently incarcerated in Washington state correctional facilities.
Secretary’s warrant
DOC provides a separate statewide search for outstanding secretary’s warrants involving people under DOC jurisdiction.
Appeal
Supreme Court and Court of Appeals public documents use a separate appellate document portal.
Search Washington criminal court cases
The Washington Courts website provides a statewide Case Records Search for cases filed in Washington municipal, district, superior and appellate courts.
Washington Courts describes the service as a search engine that points users toward the official or complete record held by the court where the case was filed.
Search by participant name or case number
If you know the case number, use it. It is usually more precise than a common defendant name.
Confirm the court level
A Washington criminal case may be in municipal, district or superior court depending on the jurisdiction and offense.
Open the matching case
Verify the party name, case number, filing court and case type before assuming the result belongs to the intended person.
Use the local court for the complete file
The statewide index can point to a case, but official documents and complete records may require the local court clerk or that court’s document system.
Washington Superior Court records often use Odyssey Portal
Many Washington Superior Courts now use Odyssey Portal for online case access.
Washington Courts currently directs users to Odyssey Portal for Superior Court cases in many counties, including:
| Examples of participating counties | Portal |
|---|---|
| Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz | Odyssey Portal |
| Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson | Odyssey Portal |
| Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific | Odyssey Portal |
| Pend Oreille, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens | Odyssey Portal |
| Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima | Odyssey Portal |
Odyssey Smart Search supports filters such as court location and search type. Depending on the court and record, supported search fields can include:
- party name
- case number
- citation number
- attorney name
- attorney bar number
- judicial officer
- business name
- cross-reference number
King and Pierce County use separate Superior Court systems
Washington’s court-record landscape is not completely uniform. Two major counties have separate systems that users should know about.
King County case access
Washington Courts currently directs users to King County’s separate Superior Court online case-access tool for the most current King County Superior Court information.
King County Superior Court searchLINX
Pierce County Superior Court records are available through the county’s LINX system.
Pierce County LINXHow to read a Washington criminal court case result
| Field | What it means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | The court’s identifier for the criminal matter. | Keep it for document requests and later searches. |
| Charge | The allegation filed in court. | A charge alone is not proof of guilt. |
| Case status | Whether the matter is active, closed or otherwise resolved. | Read alongside disposition information. |
| Judgment / sentence | Final court action after a qualifying conviction or disposition. | Confirm the offense and result. |
| Vacated | A qualifying conviction has been vacated by court order. | Vacating does not automatically mean every court record is sealed. |
Washington State Patrol WATCH criminal-history search
Washington Access to Criminal History (WATCH) is the Washington State Patrol’s official Internet source for public Washington criminal-history conviction records.
WATCH searches information submitted to the Washington State Identification System (WASIS) by courts and criminal-justice agencies throughout Washington.
Open WATCH
Use the public WATCH portal rather than a private background-check website when you need Washington’s official public state criminal-history search.
Search by name and date of birth
WATCH uses identifying information rather than a court case number.
Review the result carefully
Compare names, DOB and other identifiers. WSP warns that name-based matches do not guarantee identity.
Use fingerprints when identity certainty matters
Washington State Patrol states that fingerprint verification is the reliable way to positively link a person to a criminal-history record.
Current Washington WATCH background-check fees
| WATCH service | Current fee | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Name + date-of-birth online search | $11 | Charged for each name searched, regardless of whether a record is found. |
| Online notary request | $15 | Separate fee for a notary request through WATCH. |
Payment is currently accepted through debit/credit card or a pre-established billing account.
What WATCH includes — and what it leaves out
WATCH does not simply reproduce every piece of information held by Washington law enforcement. Washington’s Criminal Records Privacy Act controls what public criminal-history information can be released.
| Information | Public WATCH result? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Washington conviction information | Yes | Public conviction data can be released under state law. |
| Arrests less than one year old with disposition pending | May appear | WATCH states that qualifying recent pending arrest information can be included. |
| Registered sex / kidnap offender information | May appear | Subject to Washington law. |
| Vacated cases | Excluded | WATCH states vacated cases are excluded from public background-check results. |
| Sealed records | Excluded | Sealed records are not returned in public WATCH results. |
| Misdemeanor traffic violations | Excluded | WATCH specifically excludes misdemeanor traffic violations. |
| Other non-conviction history | Generally not public | WSP states public users do not receive general non-conviction criminal-history information. |
Name search vs. fingerprint verification
WSP warns that criminal-history searches based on names, birth dates and similar identifiers can produce false matches or miss a record when identifying information varies.
Name + DOB search
Best for: quick public research.
Faster, but it cannot conclusively establish that a record belongs to a specific person.
Fingerprint comparison
Best for: identity certainty.
WSP states that fingerprints are the only reliable way to positively associate a person with a criminal-history record.
Washington arrest and county jail records
Washington does not have one universal public county-jail database covering every local jail. Recent arrest and booking information is generally maintained by the county sheriff, city jail or arresting police agency.
Identify the arresting agency
Determine whether the arrest was made by a city police department, county sheriff or Washington State Patrol.
Identify the jail
Search the county or city detention agency responsible for the person’s custody.
Search the related court
Once charges are filed, use Washington Courts or the relevant local court portal to find the criminal case.
Use WATCH for broader state conviction history
A jail roster shows custody; it is not a statewide conviction-history report.
Request Washington police reports and law-enforcement records
Court records and police records are held by different agencies. If you need an arrest report, incident report, investigative record or another law-enforcement document, request it from the agency that created or maintains it.
Washington’s Public Records Act governs access to many state and local government records, but exemptions can protect information such as sensitive investigative material, victim/witness information and records restricted by other laws.
Useful details to provide include:
- incident number
- full name
- date of incident
- location
- arrest number if known
- specific report or document
- agency that handled the event
- preferred format
Washington DOC incarcerated-person search
The Washington Department of Corrections Incarcerated Search provides selected public information about people currently incarcerated under Washington DOC jurisdiction.
The search supports:
- DOC number
- first name
- last name
Search results can include:
- DOC number
- name
- age
- current location
- housing assignment
Washington DOC secretary’s warrant search
Washington DOC maintains a separate Warrant Search for people with an outstanding DOC secretary’s warrant.
The search supports:
- first name
- last name
- DOC number
- crime
- county
Results can show:
- warrant date
- name
- DOC number
- supervision county
- crime type
- physical characteristics
- photo when available
DOC warns the public not to approach wanted individuals and directs tips to 911 or its tip line.
Washington Supreme Court and Court of Appeals records
Washington provides a separate Appellate Court Public Document Portal for public documents filed with the Washington Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
The current portal provides access to qualifying public documents for appellate cases filed after January 1, 2020.
A complete appellate case number is required to search the document portal.
Public documents
Search qualifying public Washington Supreme Court case documents.
Supreme Court documentsPublic documents
Search qualifying public Washington Court of Appeals documents.
Court of Appeals documentsGet official Washington criminal court documents and certified copies
Washington’s statewide search tools help locate cases, but the official court record is maintained by the clerk or court administrator for the court where the case was filed.
Contact that court when you need:
- certified copies
- complete case documents
- older paper records
- documents not available online
- official verification of a case outcome
- records subject to local access procedures
Vacating a Washington criminal conviction
Washington law allows certain qualifying misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor and felony convictions to be vacated under specific statutory conditions.
Washington Courts currently publishes official forms for:
- vacating misdemeanor convictions
- vacating gross misdemeanor convictions
- vacating qualifying felony convictions
- vacating qualifying cannabis convictions
Washington Courts also provides a guided interview for eligible users seeking to prepare felony-vacation forms.
Sealing a Washington criminal court record
Court-record sealing is governed separately from vacation of a conviction. Washington General Rule 15 governs sealing and destruction of court records.
Washington Courts explains that a court may seal or redact criminal court records when the legal requirements are met, including qualifying privacy or safety considerations.
Deleting Washington criminal-history information is a separate process
Washington distinguishes:
- vacating a conviction
- sealing a court record
- destroying certain court records where legally authorized
- deleting qualifying criminal-history information held by law-enforcement agencies
The Washington Courts guide explains that court records and criminal-history records are maintained by different agencies, so relief involving one record system does not automatically produce the same result everywhere.
Court case → court/clerk.
State criminal history → Washington State Patrol.
Police report → law-enforcement agency.
DOC record → Department of Corrections.
Washington juvenile criminal records follow different rules
Juvenile court and criminal-history records have special sealing, access and confidentiality rules. Washington Courts provides separate forms for sealing juvenile offender records.
A juvenile record should not be assumed public merely because an adult criminal case would be searchable.
Washington State Patrol criminal-history contact information
Washington State Patrol
WATCH / criminal-history phone:
360-534-2000
WATCH email:
WATCH.help@wsp.wa.gov
Criminal-history email:
Crimhis@wsp.wa.gov
Published business hours:
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
Criminal Records Division
WSP CRDP.O. Box 42633
Olympia, WA 98504
Washington State Patrol headquarters
Washington State PatrolHelen Sommers Building
106 11th Avenue SW
Olympia, WA 98501
The map is lazy-loaded to reduce its effect on initial page performance.
Washington Supreme Court and State Law Library
Washington Supreme Court
Temple of Justice415 12th Avenue SW
Olympia, WA 98504
Supreme Court Clerk: 360-357-2077
The Washington State Law Library is also located in the Temple of Justice and can assist with legal research, although library staff do not act as a substitute for an attorney.
Federal criminal records in Washington are separate
Washington state criminal-history and court searches do not include all federal criminal prosecutions.
Federal criminal dockets and documents are generally searched through PACER.
For your own nationwide fingerprint-based FBI Identity History Summary, use the FBI’s official Identity History Summary process.
FBI Identity History SummaryPublic records vs. regulated background checks
A public Washington court search or WATCH report is not automatically interchangeable with every regulated employment, licensing, volunteer, housing or consumer background-check process.
Some authorized processes require fingerprints, special agency access or additional federal and state screening.
Washington criminal-record search tips that save time
Use court search for a known case
If you know where the case was filed, court records may answer your question without paying for WATCH.
Use WATCH for state conviction history
WATCH is Washington State Patrol’s official public statewide criminal-history source.
King and Pierce are different
Do not assume every Superior Court uses Odyssey. King and Pierce have separate case-access systems.
Use fingerprints for identity certainty
Name-based WATCH searches cannot positively establish identity.
Recent booking? Search locally
County sheriffs and city jails are usually the better source for a very recent arrest or local custody record.
DOC warrant is not every warrant
DOC’s warrant search is specifically for outstanding secretary’s warrants.
Vacated does not mean invisible
A vacated conviction can remain searchable in court records unless additional sealing rules apply.
Appellate document search needs a case number
Washington’s appellate document portal requires the complete appellate case number.
Always check the disposition
A filed charge or arrest record does not establish how the case ultimately ended.
Washington criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Is there a statewide Washington criminal-record search?
Yes. Washington State Patrol operates WATCH, the official public Internet source for Washington criminal-history conviction records. Washington Courts separately provides statewide case-index searching.
2. How much does a Washington WATCH search cost?
The current online name-and-date-of-birth WATCH search fee is $11 per name searched. An online notary request currently costs $15.
3. Can I search Washington criminal court cases for free?
Washington Courts provides free statewide case-search tools. Some individual court systems may have separate procedures or fees for document copies and certified records.
4. Does WATCH show every arrest in Washington?
No. WATCH provides public criminal-history information permitted by Washington law. It includes conviction information and can include arrests less than one year old with dispositions pending, but general non-conviction information is not publicly available through WATCH.
5. Why is a Washington conviction missing from WATCH?
Possible reasons include vacation, sealing, reporting issues or the record falling outside the categories publicly disseminated by WSP. Check the court case and contact WSP when an official criminal-history issue needs clarification.
6. Where do I search Washington state inmates?
Use the Washington Department of Corrections Incarcerated Search. County-jail custody is usually searched through the local county sheriff or city detention agency.
7. Does Washington have a statewide warrant search?
Washington DOC provides a statewide search for outstanding DOC secretary’s warrants. It is not a comprehensive search for every arrest warrant issued by every Washington court or law-enforcement agency.
8. How do I search a Washington criminal appeal?
Use Washington Courts’ appellate case search and the Appellate Court Public Document Portal. The public document portal requires a complete appellate case number and generally covers qualifying documents from cases filed after January 1, 2020.
9. Can a Washington conviction be vacated?
Certain misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor and felony convictions can qualify for vacation under Washington law. Eligibility depends on the offense, sentence completion, waiting periods and other statutory requirements.
10. Does vacating a Washington conviction seal the court case?
Not automatically. Washington Courts distinguishes vacation of a conviction from sealing the court record. A vacated case can remain searchable, and additional legal requirements apply to sealing.
Official Washington sources used for this guide
- Washington State Courts
- Washington Courts — Case Records Search
- Washington Courts — Find Court Records
- Washington Courts — Odyssey Portal
- Washington State Patrol — WATCH
- Washington State Patrol — WATCH Contact
- Washington State Patrol
- Washington DOC — Incarcerated Search
- Washington DOC — Warrant Search
- Washington Supreme Court — Public Documents
- Washington Court of Appeals — Public Documents
- Washington Courts — Vacating / Sealing Forms
- Washington Courts — Guide to Criminal History Records
- Washington Legislature — Criminal Records Privacy Act
- PACER — Federal Court Records
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks