How to Search Kitsap County Court Records
Kitsap court records are not kept in one database. The court and record type decide where you look. Superior Court case documents route through the County Clerk, the Washington State Digital Archives, and the subscription Odyssey Portal. District Court files route through the District Court ePortal. A free statewide tool at the Washington Courts site lets you check basic case data and court dates across the state.
Before you start, gather what you know. A case number speeds up every search. A full party name works too. For Superior Court documents, the Clerk points the general public to the Washington State Digital Archives to view and buy copies. Here is the basic path most people follow.
- Decide which court heard the case. Felony, divorce, and probate matters are Superior Court; tickets and misdemeanors are usually District Court.
- For Superior Court records, open the Digital Archives, choose "Superior Court Records," and select Kitsap County.
- Enter the case number with dashes, then review the document titles listed under "Description."
- Use the preview icon under "Image Exists" to see part of a document before you buy it.
- Add documents to the cart and check out, or request a certified copy from the Clerk if you need one for court.
For District Court cases, the District Court ePortal lets the public search and view files, but you must register for a free account first. The statewide Washington Courts case search is a good first stop when you only need a court date or a quick confirmation.
The official Kitsap County government site links every department that holds records. It is a useful gateway when you are not sure which office to call. We pulled the search steps above from the Clerk's own instructions on that site.
Below is the county homepage that links the courts, the Clerk, the Sheriff, and the Auditor.
From this page you can reach Superior Court, District Court, and the Clerk in a click or two, which saves time when a case spans more than one office.
The Kitsap County Judicial System
Washington uses a four-level court structure. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort. The Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court. Superior Court is the general trial court. District and Municipal Courts are limited-jurisdiction courts. Kitsap Superior Court handles felonies, major civil cases, family law, probate, guardianship, juvenile matters, adoptions, mental health cases, and appeals from the lower courts.
Kitsap County Superior Court has eight judicial departments, each with an elected judge. Current judges include Tina Robinson, Michelle Adams, Melissa A. Hemstreet, William C. Houser, Jeffrey P. Bassett, Kevin D. Hull, Jennifer A. Forbes, and Cadine Ferguson-Brown. The Superior Court homepage describes the court as a court of record that must stay open except on non-judicial days.
Case flow: District / Municipal Court › Superior Court › Washington Court of Appeals › Washington Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court | General | Felonies, divorce, probate, juvenile, civil over the district limit |
| District Court | Limited | Misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, protection orders, name changes |
| Municipal Courts | City | City code, parking, traffic, and misdemeanor matters in each city |
Municipal courts in Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, and Port Orchard handle cases that arise under city law. The court named on your paperwork tells you where the case lives.
Types of Court Records Available in Kitsap County
Kitsap court records cover the full range of cases the two trial courts hear. Superior Court produces the felony, family, and probate files. District Court produces the misdemeanor, traffic, and small claims files. Knowing the record type points you to the right court and the right search tool.
- Criminal records - felony files in Superior Court; misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor files in District Court.
- Civil records - complaints, motions, orders, and judgments, split by claim size between the two courts.
- Family and divorce records - dissolution, parentage, and parenting plans in Superior Court, with access limits under court rule GR 22.
- Probate records - wills, estates, and guardianships handled by Superior Court through the Clerk.
- Traffic records - tickets and infractions in District Court or a city municipal court.
Juvenile records sit in a separate track. Official juvenile court orders are kept by the Clerk, but diversion records and social files are confidential under state law. For a deeper look at each type, see the Kitsap County court records page.
What Kitsap County Court Records Show
A court record is built from many fields. Some appear in every case. Others show up only in criminal or family matters. The Clerk's pro se handout gives a sample Superior Court case number format of "11-2-00123-4," which is the kind of detail a search needs. The table below lists the fields a reader runs into most.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique court ID; required for most Kitsap searches. |
| Filing Date | When the case or document was filed with the court. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, petitioner, defendant, or respondent names. |
| Charges / Cause | The criminal charge or the civil claim at issue. |
| Disposition | The outcome, such as a plea, dismissal, or judgment. |
| Sentence / Judgment | The penalty or money order entered after a ruling. |
Some fields are redacted. Court rules require filers to remove Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, phone numbers, financial account numbers, and a minor child's date of birth.
Public Access Laws for Kitsap County Court Records
Washington treats court records and agency records under different rules. County agency records fall under the Public Records Act, chapter 42.56 RCW, and go through the Kitsap County Public Records Center. Court case files do not follow the same path. Access to court records is governed by court rules and common law, and the Clerk or court portals handle most case files. Court administrative records use a separate rule, GR 31.1.
Key Statutes and Rules:
Chapter 42.56 RCW - the Public Records Act, which sets the open-records policy for county agency records.
Chapter 10.97 RCW - the Criminal Records Privacy Act, which controls how criminal-history data is shared.
Chapter 13.50 RCW - the rules for keeping and releasing juvenile court records.
For agency records, the county must respond within five business days. That response may provide the record, deny the request, or give a time estimate. More detail is on the Kitsap County public records page.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Not every Kitsap court record is open. Some are sealed by court order. Others are confidential by statute. Juvenile diversion records and social files are confidential, and the county cannot confirm whether such a record exists except as the law allows. Adoption records are restricted under chapter 26.33 RCW. Family law, protection order, and guardianship files have confidential parts governed by court rule GR 22.
To view a sealed record, a person usually must petition the court that handled the case. The court weighs the request against the rule or order that sealed the file. Washington also lets people clear certain convictions through a process called vacation. Felony vacation runs under RCW 9.94A.640, and misdemeanor vacation under RCW 9.96.060.
Specialty Courts in Kitsap County
Kitsap runs therapeutic courts that treat the cause of repeat cases instead of only the charge. The District Court Behavioral Health Court started its first group in November 2016. It uses a team approach with defense, prosecutors, the jail, and treatment providers to help people with mental illness or co-occurring disorders. Participation is voluntary, and applicants must meet eligibility rules.
Superior Court also runs an Adult Drug Court and a Veterans Treatment Court. These use the same collaborative model and pull in treatment, the Sheriff's Office, and Veterans Services. None of these courts is a walk-in service. Eligibility is screened through the court, the prosecutor, and defense counsel based on the charge, treatment needs, and public-safety factors.
The image below shows the District Court Behavioral Health Court page, which explains how the program works.
The page lists the partners involved and notes that defendants apply through their attorney, not through an open sign-up.
Kitsap County Sheriff and Jail
The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail on the Division Street campus in Port Orchard. The jail offers a public Web Jail Viewer that lists people booked into custody. The tool shows booking numbers, names, charges entered by the arresting agency, and release dates. The Sheriff warns that the data is provided by the jail and may not be fully accurate, so call the jail to confirm urgent details.
The Sheriff's homepage links the jail viewer, visitation rules, mail policy, and phone service. For the full roster walkthrough and field tables, see Kitsap County inmate records. To check for active warrants and learn how to resolve one, see warrant records.
The Sheriff's Office homepage appears below.
From here you can reach the jail viewer and the visitation and mail pages that families use most.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Two different offices handle these records, and people often mix them up. Marriage licenses are issued and recorded by the Kitsap County Auditor. Divorce is a Superior Court matter filed through the Clerk. Probate and guardianship are also Superior Court matters. For more, see marriage and divorce records and probate records.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to settle the estate.
- Letters Testamentary
- The court paper that gives an executor authority to act.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
Kitsap County Court Records Fees
The Clerk charges set fees for copies of Superior Court files. A certified copy proves the document is a true court record. The fees below come from the Clerk's current FAQ and copy request pages. The Clerk has announced that regular copy fees rise to $0.50 per page on June 11, 2026 under HB 2543.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Non-certified copy per page | $0.25 |
| Certified copy | $5 first page + $1 each added page |
| Mail request | add $5 |
| Request requiring research | $30 |
| Divorce filing | $364 |
The Clerk takes cash, money order, or cashier's check. Cards add a fee. Personal checks are not accepted.
How to Interpret Kitsap County Court Records
Court files use shorthand. A docket is a log of every event in a case. A disposition is the outcome of a charge. An arrest or a charge is not a conviction. The jail viewer shows charges entered by the arresting agency, and those can change as a case moves through court. Always confirm a final outcome through the court file, not the booking record.
Codes can be confusing. A Kitsap jail profile may show a Court Type like "SC," a charge Level like "FC" or "FB," or a bond code like "C/B." The public pages do not spell these out. Treat them as examples and call the jail or court for the meaning before you rely on one.
Note: Online records can lag behind the court. Confirm any detail you plan to rely on with the office that created the record.
Self-Help and Legal Aid in Kitsap County
Kitsap offers real help for people without a lawyer. The Clerk links Courthouse Facilitators who assist with family law and Title 11 guardianship procedure, though they do not give legal advice or fill out forms. The Clerk also links Kitsap Legal Services, the Northwest Justice Project CLEAR line, WashingtonLawHelp, and the Dispute Resolution Center for mediation.
For criminal cases, the Office of Public Defense represents people who cannot afford a lawyer and who qualify as indigent under state law. The office handles felonies, misdemeanors, juvenile matters, dependencies, and civil contempt, and assigns some cases to local attorneys.
The Office of Public Defense homepage is shown below.
It links court dates, the jail roster, and the form to check whether you qualify for an appointed attorney.
Kitsap County Courthouse Location and Contact
The county's court campus is concentrated in downtown Port Orchard. Superior Court Administration is in Room 210, the Clerk is in Room 202, District Court is in Room 106, and Public Defense is in Room 103. The jail and corrections functions sit on the same Division Street campus. This layout matters because one trip can cover a filing, a hearing, and a Public Defense visit.
Kitsap County Courthouse
614 Division Street
Port Orchard, WA 98366
Superior Court: 360-337-7140
Kitsap County Clerk
614 Division Street, Room 202
Port Orchard, WA 98366
360-337-7164
Kitsap County District Court
614 Division Street, Room 106
Port Orchard, WA 98366
360-337-7109
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find a Kitsap County court date?
Use the Washington Courts case and court-date search at dw.courts.wa.gov, which the Clerk and Public Defense both link. For District Court, the ePortal can search calendars by name, attorney, officer, courtroom, and date once you log in. If you have lost your paperwork, the statewide tool is the fastest way to confirm your next hearing.
Where do I get certified copies of court documents?
For Superior Court records, follow the Clerk's copy request page or use the Washington State Digital Archives for electronic purchases. Certified copies cost $5 for the first page and $1 for each added page, plus $5 for mail. Requests that take research cost $30.
Are Kitsap court records public under the Public Records Act?
Not in the same way as agency records. The county says court records follow court rules and common law, not the PRA. Most case files are open through the Clerk or court portals, while court administrative records use rule GR 31.1.
More answers are on the Kitsap County court records FAQ page.