Thurston County
Thurston County, created in 1852 by the Oregon Territorial Legislature, is located at the southern end of Puget Sound in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. The county is home to about 294,272 residents and covers a land area of 722.5 square miles. The administrative headquarters is located in Olympia.
The Thurston County court system comprises a Superior Court, a District Court, and three Municipal Courts. The Superior Court has jurisdiction over felony, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, mental health, and probate cases. Its main campus location handles criminal and civil cases. This court also has another division, the Family and Juvenile Court, located in Tumwater, that deals with family-related, juvenile, and other matters. It operates a Drug Court and a Family Recovery Court and hears appeals from lower courts and state administrative agencies. The Thurston County District Court hears misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims worth under $10,000, and civil cases with claims valued below $100,000. The court also operates a Mental Health Court and a Veterans Court. Some cities have Municipal Courts presiding over traffic infractions and ordinance violations.
Thurston County public court records include case files, dockets, decrees, judgments, calendars, and orders received from court proceedings. General Rule 31 of the Washington State Register allows the public to access Thurston County court records, including the following:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
- Family law records
- Probate records
The Thurston County Clerk maintains and disseminates court records maintained by the Superior Court. The Washington Judicial system allows individuals to search court records online through its Case Search portal. Also, the public may turn in their District Court Records Request form on the internet or mail the printable Request Form to the court to request records maintained by the District Court. Generally, to access Thurston County court records, requests may be made through email, telephone, or visit to the clerks' offices at:
Thurston County Superior Court
2000 Lakeridge Drive South West
Building 2
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: (360) 786-5430 (Civil and Criminal)
Phone: (360) 709-3260 (Family and Juvenile)
Email: tcclerk@co.thurston.wa.us
Public Records Officer
Thurston County District Court
2000 Lakeridge Drive South West
Building 3
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: (360) 786-5450
Email: tcdc@co.thurston.wa.us
To request Municipal Court records, individuals may visit the court website whose records they want to obtain. Per Section 36.18.016 of the Revised Code of Washington, there is a $0.05 fee per page for non-certified records, a $5 fee per document for certified records, a $0.25 fee per page for non-certified electronic records, and a $20 fee per CD of court proceedings. The public may also access court documents from public access computer terminals at the Superior Court.
