Island County
Island County, which was created from Thurston County in 1852, consists of varying-sized islands in the Salish Sea in Northwestern Washington. It ranks as the state's second-smallest county with a total land area of 517 square miles, of which 60% is water. Over 80,000 people live in Island County, and Coupeville is its county seat.
The Island County trial court system is composed of two courts, namely: a superior court and a district court. The Island County Superior Court, which is a general jurisdiction court, exercises the broadest authority in the county. It hears all civil and criminal cases in the county, including felonies, misdemeanors exceeding the minor courts' jurisdictions, divorces, annulments, insolvency cases, probate lawsuits, and forcible entry and detainer suits. Cases relating to real property title, tax matters, naturalization cases, mandamus, habeas corpus, quo quarranto suits, and civil claims for amounts beyond the District Court's jurisdictional limits, are also within the Superior Court's jurisdiction. In addition, the Superior Court encompasses various divisions, including a Juvenile Court division, which hears cases related to minors and family matters, such as juvenile delinquency and parental rights termination.
The District Court is a limited jurisdiction court that adjudicates criminal misdemeanors, gross criminal misdemeanors, initial felony hearings, traffic infractions, civil claims for amounts below $100,000, and contract disputes. It also oversees small claims for amounts below $10,000, name changes, civil protection orders, and personal property fraud suits. In addition, the Island District Court serves as a Municipal Court for Coupeville, Oak Harbor, and Langley.
Island County court records are detailed accounts of court proceedings in either paper or electronic format. They contain important legal information about past and ongoing case trials and serve to promote judicial accountability and transparency. Typical information found in court records includes docket entries, case details of the parties and attorneys involved, transcriptions of proceedings, jury verdicts, and court orders. Island County courts maintain various court records in its repository, including:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Family law records
- Juvenile records
The Island County Clerk of the Superior Court manages the court records for the Superior and District Courts. Washington's Access to Court Records Rule authorizes public access to court records, except when restricted by a specific law, rule, or order. Record seekers can access court records by mail, online, or in person. Requesters can also view and/or copy court records dating from 2007 from the Island County Courthouse during business hours at:
101 NE 6th Street
Coupeville, WA 98239
Phone: (360) 679-7359
Non-certified court record copies cost 50 cents per page, while certified copies cost $5 for the first page and $1 for each additional copy of the record page.
