Kitsap County Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriage Licenses in Kitsap County

The Kitsap County Auditor is the office that issues marriage licenses. The Auditor sits in Port Orchard and is responsible for recording property documents, running elections, and handling marriage licensing. Couples can start the process online, but most still come to the Auditor's Office in person to complete it. Both parties must sign the application before a deputy auditor. If one or both people cannot appear in person, there is a mail option.

Washington state requires a 3-day waiting period after the license is issued before the ceremony can take place. The license is valid beginning three days after issuance and remains valid through 60 days after the waiting period expires. That gives couples a clear window to schedule the ceremony. If you wait too long and the license lapses, you will need to apply again and pay the full fee a second time.

Any prior Kitsap County divorce must be finalized and filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court before the Auditor will issue a new marriage license. The Auditor's Office accepts checks, cash, money orders, and credit cards. Credit card payments carry an additional processing fee. For fee questions, the Auditor can be reached at 360-337-4935.

How to Apply for a Kitsap County Marriage License

The Auditor's marriage license page walks through the process. Starting the online application before you visit speeds things up at the counter. The page below from the Auditor shows the full process and fee information.

View the Kitsap County Auditor marriage license application page

The Auditor page lays out each step alongside the required documents and explains what happens at the counter when both parties appear together.

1. Start the online marriage application on the Kitsap County Auditor website before your visit. This pre-fills some information and shortens the time you spend at the counter.
2. Both parties visit the Kitsap County Auditor's Office in Port Orchard together and sign the application before a deputy auditor. If one or both cannot appear, complete the printable application PDF, have each signature notarized, and mail the notarized form with the $172 payment, a phone number, and return instructions.
3. Pay the $172 marriage license fee. Credit cards are accepted but carry an additional processing fee; cash, check, and money order have no extra charge.
4. Wait 3 full days after the license is issued. The ceremony cannot happen on the day of issuance or the two days that follow.
5. Hold the ceremony anywhere in Washington within the license validity window. The license is good for 60 days after the 3-day waiting period ends.
6. Return or record the completed marriage certificate as required. Once recorded, the record is public and cannot be removed from the public record except for Address Confidentiality Program participants.

Kitsap County 3-Day Waiting Period Quick Reference

The 3-day rule can be easy to miscalculate, especially when a ceremony falls on a weekend. The Kitsap County Auditor provides a ready reference that maps ceremony day to the latest day you can pick up the license. Use the table below to avoid getting the license too late.

This table assumes the Auditor's Office is open on the pickup day. Holidays and office closures can shift things. Call the Auditor at 360-337-4935 if the ceremony date falls close to a state or federal holiday.

Marriage License Application Form Fields

The Kitsap County marriage license application asks each party to provide personal and legal information that becomes part of the recorded marriage document. The form fields below come from the Auditor's published application. Both parties fill out the same fields. The Social Security Number field is treated as sensitive and is not shared on the public record.

Bring a government-issued photo ID when you appear in person. The Auditor will compare the ID to the information on the form. If a prior marriage ended in divorce, be ready to state the date and county or state where the divorce was finalized.

Kitsap County Marriage and Divorce Fee Schedule

The Auditor sets the fees for marriage license issuance and copies of marriage records. Divorce filing fees are set by the Clerk's office for Superior Court. The fee schedule and the Auditor's fee page are shown below.

View the Kitsap County Auditor marriage fee schedule

The fee page lists every charge for marriage-related documents and notes the accepted payment methods, including the credit card surcharge.

Marriage fees go to the Auditor. The $364 divorce filing fee goes to the Clerk of the Superior Court. Sending a payment to the wrong office will cause delays. The Auditor accepts checks, cash, money orders, and credit cards; credit cards carry an additional processing fee. The Clerk accepts cash, credit card, money order, and cashier's check; personal checks are not accepted at the Clerk's window.

How to Look Up Kitsap County Marriage Records

Recorded marriage records in Kitsap County are held by the Auditor. The Auditor's recording division maintains a document search tool at kcwaimg.co.kitsap.wa.us/recorder/web where recorded instruments, including marriage certificates, can be searched. That tool is part of the Auditor's copy request form and lets you find a document by name or recording date before ordering a copy.

To get a copy, use the Auditor's copy request form or contact the office directly at 360-337-4935. You can request a certified copy for $3 or a plain copy for $1. Certified copies are suitable for most legal and identification purposes. Plain copies are fine for personal reference but may not be accepted by courts, government agencies, or financial institutions that require an official document with a seal.

Marriage records are public in Kitsap County. Anyone can request a copy. The only exception covers participants in Washington's Address Confidentiality Program, who are shielded from certain record disclosures under state law. If a marriage record has been recorded, it stays on the public record permanently. There is no process to remove or seal a marriage certificate once the Auditor records it.

Kitsap County Divorce Records and Superior Court Filings

Divorce in Washington is called a dissolution of marriage. It is a civil case filed in Kitsap County Superior Court. The person filing starts by completing the required dissolution documents and submitting them at the Clerk's window in Room 202 of the Kitsap County Courthouse at 614 Division Street in Port Orchard. The Clerk sells packets with the forms and instructions for common pro se situations. Washington Courts also provides downloadable forms at no cost.

The Clerk's FAQ page is the practical guide for people who want to file on their own. It explains what the starting documents are, where to file, how to serve the other party, and what happens next. The page is shown below.

View the Kitsap County Clerk FAQ page covering divorce filing

The Clerk FAQ covers self-filed dissolution steps and links the form packets you need to start a case without an attorney.

Once a dissolution case is filed, it becomes a Superior Court case record. The file may include the petition, summons, financial declarations, parenting plan, proposed orders, and the final decree. Under court rule GR 22, some family law information is restricted from public access. Financial declarations, for instance, are not public in most family cases. The final decree of dissolution is generally accessible, but detailed financial exhibits may be sealed or restricted depending on what the parties and the court have ordered.

The filing fee for dissolution is $364, paid to the Clerk. The Clerk accepts cash, credit cards, money orders, and cashier's checks. Personal checks are not accepted. If you qualify as indigent, you may ask the court to waive or defer the filing fee; this is a separate court process and requires a motion.

Searching Kitsap County Divorce Case Records

Divorce case records follow the same search path as other Superior Court records. The main tools are the Washington State Digital Archives, the Odyssey subscription portal, and the statewide Washington Courts case search. For most people, the Digital Archives is the easiest free starting point.

To search a dissolution case in the Digital Archives, go to the Washington State Digital Archives site, select Superior Court Records, choose Kitsap County, and enter the case number with dashes. Documents listed under "Description" appear with titles. If a document image exists, a preview icon lets you see part of it before you purchase a copy. Certified copies require a separate request to the Clerk's Office rather than a Digital Archives purchase.

• Washington State Digital Archives: free case search with paid document copies.
• Odyssey portal: subscription access for attorneys and frequent users.
• Statewide Washington Courts case search at dw.courts.wa.gov: free, shows basic case data and court dates.
• In-person at Room 202 of the Kitsap County Courthouse: staff can locate a case by name or number and assist with copy requests.

GR 22 limits access to certain family law records. Financial declarations are routinely restricted. If you reach a document and find it is sealed or restricted, contact the Clerk's Office for guidance on whether a court order is needed to view it. The Clerk can tell you what documents in a specific case are open to the public and what steps are required for restricted materials.

Legal Help for Kitsap County Family Law Cases

The Kitsap County Courthouse offers Courthouse Facilitators for family law and Title 11 guardianship cases. Facilitators provide procedural information and point people to the right forms, but they cannot give legal advice and will not fill out documents for you. They are a practical first stop for anyone who plans to represent themselves in a dissolution, parentage, or protection order case.

For broader legal help, the Northwest Justice Project runs the CLEAR line, which provides free civil legal advice for low-income residents statewide. Kitsap Legal Services is a local option for qualifying individuals. WashingtonLawHelp publishes plain-language guides on dissolution, parenting plans, and related matters. The Dispute Resolution Center serves as an alternative for couples who want to resolve issues through mediation rather than courtroom hearings.

For questions about the adoption process under RCW 26.33, or about how court rule GR 22 restricts access to family law records, the Washington Courts forms page and the Clerk's FAQ are the most reliable free resources for Kitsap residents.

Washington State Vital Records Office

The Washington State Department of Health maintains vital records for the state, including marriage and divorce records from 1968 onward. The state level is an alternative to the county when the county of filing is not known, or when a certified copy is needed from an older record. County-level copies from the Auditor or the Clerk are often faster and less expensive, but the state office can fill gaps in county archives.

State records go back to 1968 for marriages and divorces. For records before 1968, contact the county where the event occurred. Kitsap County marriage records before 1968 would be held by the Auditor or, for very old records, may be available through the Washington State Digital Archives. State copies cost more than county copies in most cases, so check with the county office first if you know the county where the event was recorded.

Related Kitsap County Records

Marriage and divorce are often connected to other record types. Estate matters that follow a death in the family are handled by the Superior Court through the Kitsap County Probate Records process, which the Clerk also administers. Property transfers tied to a divorce, a name change, or an estate will show up in the Auditor's recording records, which cover deeds, liens, and other instruments. The Auditor's document search tool links marriage records and recorded property instruments in the same system.

For broader records requests that touch county agencies rather than courts, the county's public records request process under the Washington Public Records Act handles agency records. Court records, however, follow court rules and clerk procedures rather than the PRA route. Keep that distinction in mind when deciding where to send a request.

If you need general information about Superior Court filing procedures, forms, or fees, the Clerk of the Superior Court page covers the full scope of the Clerk's responsibilities, including civil, criminal, family, and probate filings. The County Auditor page covers the Auditor's broader role beyond marriage licensing, including recording and elections functions.