Orchards Public Records

Orchards is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Washington. Because it is not an incorporated city, Orchards does not have its own city government or city-level public records system. All public records for Orchards residents and properties are held by Clark County. That includes court records, property documents, police reports, and government records. Clark County handles all requests under the Washington Public Records Act. This page covers how to find and request public records that involve Orchards through Clark County offices.

Clark County Public Records for Orchards

Clark County is the governing authority for Orchards. All public records requests that relate to Orchards go through Clark County departments. The Clark County Records Office is located at 1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver, WA 98660. The county accepts requests by mail, in person, or through the online portal at clark.wa.gov. Clark County Clerk Scott G. Weber can be reached at 564-397-2292 for questions about court-related records.

Clark County processes requests under RCW 42.56, the Washington Public Records Act. The county has five business days to respond to any records request. That response may be the records themselves, a time estimate for when records will be ready, a request for clarification, or a written denial with a legal basis. Most routine records are released without issue. Requests that involve large volumes of documents or records that need review for exemptions may take longer.

Clark County uses an online public records portal for most general government records. You can submit a new request or check the status of an existing one. Many previously fulfilled requests are listed publicly, so it is worth searching before you file a new one.

Property and Recorded Documents

Property records for Orchards are maintained by the Clark County Auditor. The Auditor's office records deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and other documents affecting real property. These records are available to the public through the Auditor's online portal at clark.wa.gov/auditor. You can search by property address, parcel number, or party name. Most recorded documents going back several decades are available online at no charge.

The Clark County Assessor handles property assessment and tax records. If you need to know the assessed value of a property in Orchards, tax payment status, or ownership history, the Assessor's records are the right place to look. These records are also public and available online through the county website.

Note: Deeds and other property documents recorded with the Auditor are different from a current title search. For title insurance purposes, work with a licensed title company.

Clark County Sheriff Records

Because Orchards is unincorporated, law enforcement is provided by the Clark County Sheriff's Office rather than a city police department. Incident reports, arrest records, and other law enforcement records for Orchards go through the Sheriff. The Sheriff's Office handles public records requests for law enforcement documents separately from the county's general records office.

Traffic collision reports for incidents in Orchards may be handled by the Washington State Patrol depending on where and how the crash occurred. The WSP maintains collision records at wsp.wa.gov/driver/collision-records/. If you are not sure whether the report is held by the Sheriff or WSP, start with the Sheriff and they can redirect you if needed.

Arrest records that resulted in court filings are also available through the Clark County Superior Court. The Clark County Clerk maintains court case records for all Superior Court cases, including criminal cases originating from Orchards.

Clark County Court Records

Clark County Superior Court handles felony criminal cases, civil cases, family law, and probate matters for all of Clark County, including Orchards. Clark County Clerk Scott G. Weber maintains these records. The courthouse is in Vancouver at 1200 Franklin Street. Court records are available through the Washington State Courts Odyssey portal at odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov.

The Odyssey portal provides free online access to case information, docket entries, and court calendars for Clark County Superior Court cases. You can search by party name or case number. Copies of actual documents from court files require a request to the Clerk's office. There are per-page fees for paper copies.

Clark County District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, civil claims under the jurisdictional limit, and infractions. District Court records are also available through the Odyssey portal. Contact the Clark County Clerk at 564-397-2292 for help with court records.

The Washington State Courts Odyssey portal provides online access to Clark County case records covering Orchards and all other areas of Clark County.

Washington State Records Resources

Some records for Orchards may be held at the state level rather than by Clark County. The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov holds historical records from Clark County and across the state, including older court records, naturalization records, and other government documents. The Archives are free to search online.

Washington vital records are held by the Department of Health. Birth and death records, and marriage and divorce records from across the state, are available through the DOH. For general help with records requests that were denied or not answered properly, the Washington State Attorney General's Office runs a public records ombudsman. You can reach the ombudsman program at atg.wa.gov/open-government.

Nearby Washington Cities

These cities are close to Orchards. Each has its own public records separate from Clark County records.

For all Clark County records resources, visit the Clark County public records page.