Kent Public Records

Kent public records are available through the City Clerk's office and the Kent Police Department. Kent is King County's third-largest city with roughly 132,000 residents in the Green River Valley south of Seattle. The City Clerk serves as the Public Records Officer and handles all non-police city records. The Kent Police Department manages its own records process. This page covers how to submit public records requests in Kent, what the City Clerk handles, how to request police records, and where to find King County records that serve Kent residents.

Kent City Public Records Portal

The Kent City Clerk serves as the Public Records Officer for all city government records. The Clerk oversees City Council meeting administration, agenda development, preparation of official minutes, legal notices, and local election coordination. The Clerk also serves as the official custodian of the Kent City Code and all public records. Submit requests through the city's public disclosure page at kentwa.gov/government/city-clerk/public-disclosure/public-records.

Kent city records include City Council meeting minutes, ordinances, resolutions, permits, contracts, public works documents, budgets, financial reports, and administrative correspondence. The city must respond within five business days under RCW 42.56.520. That response will either provide the records, give a timeline for large requests, ask for clarification, or issue a written denial with the specific legal reason.

Standard copy fees for Kent city records are $0.15 per page under state guidelines. For large requests, ask for a fee estimate before records are copied. You can also inspect records in person for free before deciding what copies you need.

The King County Superior Court operates a second courthouse location at the Regional Justice Center in Kent at 401 Fourth Ave N, Kent, WA 98032, Room 2C. Phone: 206-296-9300. This is a King County courthouse, not a city facility. For county-level records, use the King County contacts rather than the Kent city contacts.

Kent Police Department Records

The Kent Police Department handles law enforcement records separately from the City Clerk. Police records include incident reports, collision reports, arrest records, and body-worn camera footage. Submit police records requests directly to the Kent Police Department. Include the incident date, location, case or report number if available, and the names of the people involved.

Body-worn camera requests require specific identifying information under RCW 42.56: the name of the person involved in the incident, the incident or case number, the date and location, or the officer's name. Law enforcement records may be exempt from disclosure under RCW 42.56.240 if nondisclosure is essential to an active investigation.

What Kent City Records Include

Kent city records cover everything the city government creates, owns, uses, or keeps in the course of official business. That includes City Council materials, ordinances, permits, contracts, land use records, public works plans, budgets, financial statements, and staff correspondence. Washington law defines "writing" broadly to include emails, texts, digital files, photos, and any other format used in official city business.

Kent Municipal Court records are separate from city public records. Municipal court records are governed by Washington Court Rules GR 31 and GR 31.1 rather than the Public Records Act. Contact Kent Municipal Court directly for case files. Note that some nearby cities including Maple Valley use the Kent Municipal Court for their local court services. Those records are held at the Kent court.

King County Records for Kent Residents

Many records that affect Kent residents are held by King County. Superior Court filings, property records, deeds, mortgages, and Sheriff records all belong to King County. The King County Regional Justice Center in Kent handles many South King County cases. For county records, go to King County rather than the City of Kent.

Visit the King County public records page for county-level contacts, the Regional Justice Center location, and online tools serving Kent residents.

Online Search Tools for Kent Records

The Washington State Courts Odyssey Portal provides free access to King County Superior Court case information. The Washington State Digital Archives holds historical records from King County and surrounding areas, all free to search. For vital records, contact the Washington State Department of Health.

Nearby Washington Cities

These cities are near Kent in South King County. Each has its own city-level public records.