Washington Free Public Records Directory

The State of Washington, named after President George Washington, was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Currently, its population of over 7 million makes it the 13th most populous state in the nation and the third most populous state (after California and Texas) west of the Mississippi River. At 71,000 square miles, it is the 18th largest state by area. It is bordered by Oregon on the south, Idaho on the east, the Canadian province of British Columbia on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

The Cascade mountain range crosses Washington from north to south, effectively dividing the state into western and eastern regions with contrasting climate, industry, and culture. Its state nickname - The Evergreen State - comes from the lush temperate rainforests that cover much of the western region. The western region includes the Pacific Ocean coast, Olympic Mountains, and Puget Sound. It has a marine climate with mild, wet winters and dry summers. Average annual temperature on the coast is 51 degrees F. The western slopes of the Olympic Mountains are the wettest area of the lower 48 states at 160 inches of rain per year. Most of the state’s population resides in the western region, with the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area alone accounting nearly half the state’s population, at over 3 million. Industries include aerospace, software development, biotechnology, timber, and tourism.

The Cascade Range includes several volcanoes, including Mount Rainier, the highest mountain in the state at 14,411 feet. To the north, Mount Baker is one of the snowiest places on earth, holding the world record for seasonal snowfall at 1,140 inches in 1999. Perhaps the most famous mountain in Washington, Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption was the deadliest and most destructive in modern U.S. history.

In contrast, Eastern Washington’s climate is semi-arid, with some areas receiving only 6 inches of rain per year. It is prone to extremes of temperature in winter and summer, ranging from a record low of -48 degrees F to a record high of 118 degrees F. The only major city in the east is Spokane. This region is primarily agricultural, making Washington a leader in many crops including fruit, potatoes, onions, apples, and wine. ^[1]

Washington has 39 counties, varying in size from 175 square miles (San Juan County, spanning several islands) to 5,268 square miles (Okanogan County). Population varies from 2,266 (Garfield County) to 1,931,249 (King County, home of Seattle). The state capital is in Olympia, at the southern end of Puget Sound. Washington is one of only seven states with no personal income tax. Among all states, Washington is ranked #2 in health care, #3 in economy, and #6 in education. However, the cost of living is ranked #38 and housing affordability #46. ^[2]

If you need Washington public record information, see our directory database below and find the documents you need, including vital records, criminal records and court records.

Abbreviation	WA, Wash
Capital	Olympia
Population	7,405,743 (2017 est.)
Area size	71,362 sq. mi
Demonym	Washingtonian
Primary languages spoken	English
Governor	Jay Inslee
Lieutenant Governor	Cyrus Habib
U.S. Senators	Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell
U.S. House Delegation	6 Democrats, 4 Republicans
Time Zone	UTC −8/−7

*The map and data in the table are from Wikipedia.

Browse by Public Record Category

Public records are official records that document major life milestones in a person’s life or government records that are made public to any member of the community. The Freedom of Information Act is a national law that releases government agency public records and makes it possible to view most public records. There are two types of public records: personal public records and business or government public records. Personal records typically document major events in a person’s life, such as birth certificates, marriage records, divorce records, death certificates, etc. Business or government public records are generally internal information recorded in the business or agency, such as revenue, business ownership, etc. ^[3] A multitude of records are available, such as court records and arrest records, but it can be difficult to know where to access them. We have provided helpful categories and links to popular public access documents to help you in your records search. These links will direct you to the best website or contact information for the record you are searching for in this state. In Washington, bids and proposals on government construction contracts are public records; trade secrets are confidential when associated with certain types of contracts, such as highway construction and health services. This is different than in Oklahoma where bids and proposals could be withheld if the record would give an unfair advantage to competitors or other bidders. ^[4]

Washington’s first comprehensive public records law was an initiative, passed by a vote of the people (not the legislature) in 1972. It became law on January 1, 1973. ^[5] Because that law covered both campaign finance and public records, it was recodified in 2006 and the public records portion became the Public Records Act. ^[6]