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Public disclosure requests - Superior Court

Learn how to request Superior Court administrative records. King County Superior Court is committed to providing an open and responsive process for handling public record requests.

What is an administrative record?

What is an administrative record?

Administrative records are information and materials that pertain to the operation and administration of court programs and services.

Requests for information associated with an individual court case should be directed to the King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office. This includes, for example, divorce records, parenting plans, judgements, and criminal case documents. 

Your request for an administrative record must be submitted through the portal or in writing and must include your name and contact information, as well as a description of the record you are requesting. 

How to request

Preferred method: online

Use our online portal to securely enter your request

Other options

You may also submit a completed Administrative Records Request Form to the court by mail, email, or fax. 

If you would like to pick up an Administrative Records Request Form in person, you may do so at the King County Courthouse, Room C-912, the Maleng Regional Justice Center, Room 2D, or the Youth Services Center at the main information desk.

By mail

Fill out the Administrative Records Request Form and mail it to:

King County Superior Court
Attn: Court Administration/Bliey
516 Third Avenue, Room C-203
Seattle, Washington 98104

By email

Fill out the Administrative Records Request Form and attach it to an email to:

SCAdminRecordsOffice@kingcounty.gov

By fax

206-205-1360

Fees

You must pay the fees before getting your records.

We charge 15 cents per page for photocopies or 10 cents per page scanned for each record. There is a separate charge for the costs to mail records. In addition, after the first hour, we charge $30 per hour for staff time to process your request.

All fees are payable by:

  • Exact cash (we won't give change)
  • Cashier’s check
  • Money order
  • Credit card with a 2.49% fee (with a $1.49 minimum charge) 

Responses

You will receive a response from the court within 5 business days from our receipt of your request.

This response will include:

  • The estimated time needed to produce the records or a first installment of the records.
  • Requests for clarification, if needed.
  • An estimate of research and preparation costs for requests requiring more than 1 hour of staff time to obtain and prepare.

Appeal requests

If you wish to appeal the Public Records Officer’s decision(s) on your request, you must file an appeal as outlined in GR 31.1(d)(1). Internal Review You may appeal the decision of the Public Records Officer within ninety (90) calendar days. To initiate a review, submit a completed Request for Review form:

Mail: King County Superior Court Attn: Court Administration/Bliey 516 Third Avenue, Room C-203 Seattle, Washington 98104

Email: SCAdminRecordsOffice@kingcounty.gov

Fax: (206) 205-1360

The record will be reviewed by the King County Superior Court Presiding Judge or designee. In most cases, you will receive a response within five (5) business days from the date the request for review was received or the earliest practical date that the Presiding Judge or designee can review your appeal. External Review If you are not satisfied with the decision of the internal review, you may request an external review: File a civil action in Superior Court to challenge the records decision. Request an informal review by a visiting judge, delegated by the Presiding Judge. This request must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the response from the first review.

For an overview of the law governing access to court administrative records, read this guideline for Obtaining Administrative Public Records.

If you have questions, concerns, complaints, or requests for additional information regarding public records requests for Superior Court, please contact the court's Public Records Officer in any one of the following ways:

By mail:

King County Superior Court
Attn: Court Administration/Bliey 
516 Third Avenue, Room C-203
Seattle, Washington 98104

By emailSCAdminRecordsOffice@kingcounty.gov

By phone: (206) 477-4342

By TTY relay: 711

By fax: (206) 205-1360

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