King County Recorder's Office
Administration Building Room 311
500 4th Avenue
Seattle WA 98104

206-296-1570
206-205-8396 FAX

kcrocust@kingcounty.gov

First Time Users Page

Using unfamiliar websites and search engines can be daunting. Following are some hints and instructions to help you get started with searching for your recorded documents.

  • To search for public records (1976 to present), please enter our online Record Search application. The Official Public Records index does not include entries prior to 1976. For searches before that date, please contact the King County Archives.
  • Click on the Record Search button at the top of the page. You must accept the disclaimer on the following page to proceed to the index.
  • Most recorded documents (including deeds, mortgages, power of attorneys, liens, bills of sales, name changes and easements) are accessible by searching in the Official Public Records search screen.

All Official Public Records are indexed by:

  • Grantor name (seller, giver, etc.)
  • Grantee name (buyer, receiver, etc.)
  • Instrument number (or range)
  • Filing date (or range)
  • Document type

Other criteria are infrequently used in the indexing, including the parcel number and section-township-range coordinates. When conducting searches, you may enter as much or as little information as you like, provided that you at least fill out one field. When completing search fields, enter only as much information as you are sure about. If you enter too much criteria, you might not yield all results. For example, if you enter John Anthony Smith you may not find a recording for John A. Smith because the middle name was not spelled out in the index. If you receive too many hits, try limiting your search by adding more specific criteria.

  • When you receive results for your search, you will see the indexing data as it appears in our database.
  • Not all documents are available as online images. If they are, there will be a small icon in the far right column under Image that will allow you to download and view, print, or save an unofficial image of the actual document.
  • There are help files for each type of record search that detail the specifics of that topic. Select the search type and then select the Help tab at the top of the screen.
  • Spelling errors may be present in the index. Please be creative about using possible alternate spellings when conducting your searches. If you find a keying error, please contact the Recorder's Office so we can update the index.
  • Plats, surveys and other map-related documents are not included in the Official Public Records index. They may be accessed by searching under Maps on the main search page.