Kitsap County Superior Court Records Search

Kitsap County Superior Court Overview

Washington state organizes its trial courts into two main tiers. Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction. It has original jurisdiction over the broadest range of cases the state allows: felonies, civil disputes above the district court limit, family law, dissolution of marriage, parentage, adoption, mental health commitments, probate and guardianship, juvenile matters, and appeals from the lower courts. The Kitsap Superior Court website describes the court as having original and appellate jurisdiction as authorized by the Washington Constitution and state laws.

The court is a court of record. That phrase matters. It means every hearing must have an official record, and the Clerk must preserve filings permanently. Even old files from decades ago remain a Clerk function, whether the physical image lives in the Digital Archives system or in the Odyssey subscription portal. It also means that official hearing minutes and exhibits are part of the court record, not just case documents.

Superior Court sits on the same Division Street campus in downtown Port Orchard as the County Clerk, District Court, and the jail. Superior Court Administration is in Room 210. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on court holidays. The court's main phone line is 360-337-7140.

The image below, from the Kitsap County Superior Court homepage, shows the court's official web presence where calendars, self-help links, and specialty court information are published.

From that page, readers can reach court calendars, the Clerk's copy and forms pages, and the specialty court programs that are described later in this page.

Kitsap Superior Court Departments and Judges

Kitsap Superior Court has eight numbered judicial departments. Each department has one elected judge who serves a four-year term. All eight departments are located at 614 Division Street, MS-24, Room 210, Port Orchard, WA 98366, and all share the main court line. The table below lists the current judicial roster as published on the Kitsap County Auditor's court-officials page, which was last updated December 31, 2024. Every judge listed won election in May 2024 and is serving a term of January 2025 through December 2028.

Note: Governor Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Maureen McKeeman to a Kitsap County Superior Court position in May 2026. The Auditor's roster page reflects the December 2024 update and may not yet show that appointment. Verify the current judicial lineup at the Superior Court homepage or the Auditor's court-officials page before relying on any roster for official purposes.

Superior Court vs District Court vs Municipal Court

Washington divides its trial courts into tiers based on jurisdiction. The tier a case lands in decides where the file lives, which clerk handles it, and where an appeal goes. The three tiers operating in Kitsap County are Superior Court, District Court, and the Municipal Courts in Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, and Port Orchard. Each tier has different civil limits, criminal authority, and record-keeping rules.

The comparison below summarizes the key differences. If you are trying to find a Kitsap court record and are not sure which court handled it, this table is a good first guide. The court named on your paperwork, summons, or citation is the right place to start.

District Court civil jurisdiction is set by RCW 3.66.020. Small claims limits are set by RCW 12.40. If a civil amount or case type falls outside the district court limit, it belongs in Superior Court.

How a Case Moves Through the Kitsap System

Washington cases follow a defined path through the court structure. Where a case enters and where it can go from there depends on the charge or claim type. Most people interact with one court level and never see the appellate courts. But knowing the full path helps you understand what "appeal" means on a Kitsap case file, and it clarifies why records for the same person can sit at multiple levels at the same time.

Court of record flow (Washington):

District Court or Municipal Court › Kitsap Superior Court › Washington Court of Appeals › Washington Supreme Court

That flow covers appeals. A criminal conviction in District Court can be appealed to Superior Court; a Superior Court felony conviction goes up to the Court of Appeals; and a Court of Appeals decision can be petitioned to the Supreme Court. Not every case reaches a higher level. Most resolve at the trial court tier.

Criminal case flow through Superior Court:

1. Arrest and booking at the Kitsap County jail or by a city officer.
2. First appearance or arraignment; bail or release conditions set.
3. Charging document filed by the Kitsap County Prosecutor (information or indictment).
4. Arraignment in Superior Court; plea entered.
5. Pretrial motions, discovery, hearings before an assigned Superior Court judge.
6. Trial or plea agreement; jury or bench trial if contested.
7. Sentencing if convicted; legal financial obligations entered into the court record.
8. Appeal to the Washington Court of Appeals if the defendant wishes to challenge the outcome.

Civil case flow through Superior Court:

Petition or complaint filed with the Clerk › Defendant served and answer filed › Discovery and motions › Mediation or settlement conference (often required) › Trial › Judgment entered › Post-judgment motions or appeal to the Court of Appeals.

Family law cases follow the civil path but have additional steps. A dissolution (divorce) case requires a 90-day waiting period after filing before a final decree can be entered. Probate cases open with a petition and run through the Clerk until the estate is closed. Each of those steps generates a separate document in the case file, which is why long-running cases have thick file histories in the Digital Archives.

Note: The Kitsap County Clerk serves as the official record-keeper for every Superior Court proceeding, which means the Clerk's Office is the first stop for certified copies of any file in the flow above.

What Kitsap Superior Court Records Cover

The scope of Superior Court cases is broad. If you are not sure whether a Kitsap record lives in Superior Court, the rule of thumb is: felonies, family, probate, and appeals belong here. Misdemeanors and traffic tickets belong in District or Municipal Court. Some record types touch both, which is why checking the court named on the document is always the clearest path.

The categories below reflect what the Clerk preserves for Superior Court. Each category can generate its own document trail, and a single case number may have dozens of filings attached to it over its lifetime.

• Felony criminal records: charging documents, motions, orders, plea agreements, sentencing orders, warrants, no-contact orders, and legal financial obligations.
• Dissolution and family law: dissolution petitions, parenting plans, child-support orders, parentage actions. Access to some documents is limited under court rule GR 22.
• Probate and guardianship: petitions, original wills, letters testamentary, inventories, accountings, and closing documents. For more detail, see Kitsap County probate records.
• Adoption records: restricted under chapter 26.33 RCW; not publicly available.
• Juvenile matters: official court orders kept by the Clerk; diversion records and social files are confidential under RCW 13.50.
• Mental health and civil commitment proceedings.
• Appeals from District and Municipal Courts.

The Auditor's page lists the court types to give residents a map of where each kind of record lives. The image below, from the Kitsap County Auditor courts page, shows how the county presents that information publicly.

That page also lists judge names, terms, and addresses for both Superior Court and District Court departments, making it a useful cross-check when you need to confirm who holds a specific department seat.

Kitsap County District Court

District Court is the limited-jurisdiction trial court for Kitsap County. It sits in Room 106 of the same Division Street courthouse and is reached at 360-337-7109. District Court handles the cases that most county residents actually encounter: traffic tickets, misdemeanor criminal charges, small claims, protection orders, name changes, vehicle impound hearings, and animal control matters. It is a busy court, and it runs its own ePortal separate from the Superior Court and Clerk systems.

District Court has four judicial departments. The table below lists the current judges as published on the Auditor's court-officials page.

Judge Buskirk was appointed in June 2025 after Judge Jeffrey Jahns resigned in May 2025. She will stand for election in 2026. The other three judges are in terms that run through December 2026.

The image below is from the Kitsap County District Court homepage, which links the ePortal, payment options, forms, and the Behavioral Health Court program.

If your matter is in District Court, that page is your starting point for ePortal registration, payment of citations, and court calendar information. The District Court ePortal requires a free account to search cases or view documents online.

District Court Jurisdiction in Kitsap County

Understanding what District Court can and cannot do helps readers route their records search correctly. Many people file a small-claims case or contest a traffic ticket without realizing those records are in a completely different system from a Superior Court felony file. District Court records live in the District Court ePortal, not in the Digital Archives or the Odyssey subscription portal used by the Clerk for Superior Court files.

The image below is from the District Court About page, which outlines the court's jurisdiction in plain terms.

That page notes that District Court handles matters including misdemeanors, traffic offenses, civil claims within the statutory limit, small claims, and protection orders for city and county areas under a contracting arrangement. Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, and Port Orchard contract with the Kitsap County Prosecutor for misdemeanor prosecution, so some city-based misdemeanor cases end up in District Court rather than a municipal court.

District Court civil claims are governed by RCW 3.66.020, which sets the dollar limit for cases the court can hear. Small claims are the low-cost track for money disputes and fall under RCW 12.40. Small claims matters are money-only and cannot include attorney representation at the hearing itself.

Specialty Courts in Kitsap County

Kitsap Superior Court runs two therapeutic court programs: Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court. Both use a collaborative model that brings together the court, the Prosecutor, defense counsel, treatment providers, and community agencies to address the causes of repeat criminal behavior rather than only the charge. Neither program is an open enrollment service. Eligibility is screened by the court, the Prosecutor, and defense counsel based on the nature of the charge, treatment needs, and public safety factors. Defendants apply through their attorney.

Adult Drug Court targets individuals whose criminal cases are driven by substance use. Veterans Treatment Court serves veterans and active-duty military members, and it pulls in the Kitsap County Veterans Services office as a program partner. Both courts aim for reduced recidivism through structured treatment and regular court check-ins with the assigned judge.

District Court runs a separate Behavioral Health Court program that started its first cohort in November 2016. That program uses a team approach with defense, prosecutors, the jail, and treatment providers to help participants who have a mental illness or co-occurring disorder. Like the Superior Court programs, it is voluntary and involves strict eligibility screening. It is not a walk-in service. The District Court program sits below Superior Court in the hierarchy, so cases in the Behavioral Health Court are District Court cases, not Superior Court filings.

If you are looking for records related to a therapeutic court case, the file lives in whatever court handled the underlying charge. A felony drug case in Adult Drug Court is a Superior Court file. A misdemeanor mental health case in the Behavioral Health Court is a District Court file.

How to Search Kitsap Superior Court Records

Superior Court case files are not searchable through one single free portal. The county uses three access paths depending on who is searching and what they need. Knowing which path fits your situation saves time and avoids confusion when a search comes up empty in the wrong system.

1. Washington State Digital Archives is the path the Clerk directs general public users. At the Digital Archives site, choose "Superior Court Records" from the Record Series dropdown, select "Kitsap County" from the County dropdown, enter the case number with dashes, and then review the document titles listed under "Description." A magnifying-glass icon lets you preview part of a document before purchase. Add documents to the cart and check out. Certified copies and non-certified copies are both available for purchase.
2. Odyssey Portal is a subscription-based system for businesses, law firms, and frequent users who need regular access to Superior Court documents as part of their work. It is not intended for general public use. Contact the Clerk at odyportal@kitsap.gov if you think you qualify.
3. Washington Courts statewide case search at dw.courts.wa.gov gives a quick first look at case status, hearing dates, and basic case information. It does not give access to the actual documents. Use it to confirm that a case exists and to check the next hearing date before going deeper into the Digital Archives.

For Kitsap Superior Court court dockets and detailed case filings, the Digital Archives remains the primary public route. If you need a certified copy for use in legal proceedings, request it from the Clerk of the Superior Court directly at Room 202, phone 360-337-7164, hours 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Clerk does not accept personal checks; cash, money order, or cashier's check are the standard payment methods, and card payments are accepted with a minimum $2 fee or up to a 2.4 percent transaction fee.

For a deeper walkthrough of the search tools and fee schedule, see the Kitsap County court records page.

Kitsap Superior Court Contact and Administration

Superior Court Administration handles scheduling, administrative-record requests under court rule GR 31.1, and coordination for the eight judicial departments. Administrative-record requests are routed separately from case-file copy requests. The administrative contact for GR 31.1 requests is Frank A. Maiocco, Jr., who can be reached at the address below or by email at fmaiocco@kitsap.gov, fax 360-337-4673.

Juvenile Court administrative records are handled at a separate facility: Kitsap County Juvenile Court, 1338 SW Clifton Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, phone 360-337-5401. Juvenile court orders are preserved by the Clerk, but diversion records and social files are confidential and cannot be released without a court order.

Municipal courts in Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, and Port Orchard are separate from the county courts and maintain their own files. If your case was cited by a city officer and names one of those cities on the citation, contact that city court directly.

Related Kitsap Court Records Resources

Superior Court records connect to several other record types and offices. A single case can generate files that touch the Clerk, the jail, the Prosecutor, and Public Defense. The links below point to the pages most closely related to Superior Court records in Kitsap County.

For case search tools and document access instructions, the Kitsap County court records page covers all three main access paths in detail, including the Digital Archives workflow, the Odyssey subscription option, and the District Court ePortal. For docket lookup and hearing calendars, see court dockets.

Criminal matters that reach Superior Court often start with an arrest. For booking records and jail roster information, see the arrest records page. To check whether an active warrant exists in connection with a Superior Court case, see the warrant records section. Probate and estate matters filed in Superior Court are covered in more depth on the probate records page, which includes the fee schedule and the definition of key probate terms.

The Clerk of the Superior Court page profiles the Clerk's office, explains certified copy fees in full, and covers the Clerk's role as jury commissioner for all Kitsap County courts, including District and Municipal Courts. The Washington Courts statewide site at courts.wa.gov is the official state resource for court rules, forms, and the statewide case search tool.

Court of Record

A court whose proceedings must be officially recorded and whose files are preserved permanently by the clerk.

General Jurisdiction

The authority to hear any type of case the law allows, without a dollar ceiling or case-type restriction.

Limited Jurisdiction

Authority to hear only those case types and dollar amounts specified by statute, such as misdemeanors and smaller civil claims.

Appellate Jurisdiction

The power to review decisions made by a lower court, as Superior Court does for District and Municipal Court appeals.

Legal Financial Obligation (LFO)

Court-ordered payments, such as fines, fees, and victim restitution, that become part of a criminal case file and are tracked by the Clerk.