Search Seattle Public Records
Seattle public records are available through the City Clerk's office, Seattle Police Department, and Seattle Municipal Court. Seattle is Washington's largest city, home to roughly 750,000 residents in King County. The city maintains its own public records separate from King County. For city government documents, contracts, ordinances, permits, and police reports, start with Seattle's official portals. This page covers the main offices, how to request Seattle public records, and what you can access online.
Seattle Overview
Seattle City Public Records Portal
The Seattle City Clerk's office handles public records requests for general city government documents. This covers contracts, ordinances, resolutions, permits, budgets, meeting minutes, and administrative records. The city uses a NextRequest portal at seattle.gov/public-records for online submissions. You can create an account to track your request status and receive records electronically when they are ready.
Within five business days of receiving a request, the city will either make the records available for inspection or copying, acknowledge receipt and provide a reasonable estimate of when records will be ready, ask for clarification if your request is unclear, or issue a written denial citing the specific legal exemption. This timeline is set by RCW 42.56.520.
| Office | Seattle City Clerk, Public Records |
|---|---|
| Portal | seattle.gov/public-records |
| Phone | (206) 684-2489 |
| itd_cpra@seattle.gov | |
| TTY | 711 |
The Seattle public records portal lets you search previously fulfilled requests. You may find that what you need has already been released to someone else. Searching existing responses first can save you time and get you records faster than submitting a new request.
The city's public records request page is the starting point for most Seattle public records needs.
The Seattle public records portal is available around the clock for submissions and request tracking.
Seattle Municipal Court Records
Seattle Municipal Court handles city ordinance violations, misdemeanor criminal cases, and civil matters within city jurisdiction. Court records from the Municipal Court are separate from Seattle city public records under the Washington Public Records Act. Municipal court records are governed by Washington Court General Rules 31 and 31.1. Access to these records is through the court directly, not through the city's public records portal.
The Seattle Municipal Court Records portal provides online access to case information, calendars, and records without a login. Attorneys and legal staff need a login to file documents. For copies of court records, email smc_copy_requests@seattle.gov. Civil case inquiries go to smc_civil@seattle.gov.
The Seattle Municipal Court portal provides public access to case information, dockets, and hearing calendars for cases filed in the city court.
Seattle Municipal Court does not handle felony criminal cases or Superior Court-level civil matters. Those cases are filed at King County Superior Court at 516 Third Ave, Seattle. If you need records for a Superior Court case, contact the King County Superior Court Clerk at 206-296-9300 or visit King County public records.
What Seattle Public Records Include
Seattle city records cover a broad range of documents. The city maintains records related to its legislative, executive, and administrative functions. These include City Council meeting minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and legislative records. Seattle's online Digital Records Center (DRC) provides instant access to many types of records without a formal request. The DRC includes City Council materials, permits, Public Works documents, bid documents, and contracts.
Police records are handled separately from general city records. Seattle Police Department reports, use of force records, body-worn camera footage, and other law enforcement records go through the Police Department's own public records process. Body camera requests require specific information including the name of the person involved, incident or case number, date, time, and location of the incident, or the name of the officer involved. Fees for body-worn camera footage include an hourly rate for redaction time.
Seattle is one of Washington's largest public records producers. The city handles thousands of requests each year across all departments.
Note: Seattle Municipal Court records are not subject to the Public Records Act. Contact the court directly at smc_copy_requests@seattle.gov for court document copies.
King County Records for Seattle Residents
Many records that affect Seattle residents are held by King County rather than the city. Superior Court filings, property records, recording of deeds and mortgages, vital records indexes, and Sheriff's Office records all belong to King County. If you need records from the Superior Court, the County Auditor's recording division, or the Sheriff, go to King County directly rather than submitting a request to the City of Seattle.
King County Superior Court serves all of Seattle. The courthouse is at 516 Third Ave in downtown Seattle, just blocks from City Hall. King County's Records Access Portal covers civil, criminal, family law, probate, and guardianship cases. The county's eReal Property tool covers property assessment and sales records. Both are free and available online without a request.
Visit the King County public records page for county-level resources, office contacts, and online search tools that serve Seattle residents.
Washington State Records Resources
Some records you need may be held by Washington State agencies rather than the city or county. The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov provides free access to over 21 million historical records from Seattle and across the state. Vital records from the Department of Health are available at doh.wa.gov. State court case searches covering King County are available at odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov.
For help with a public records request that has not been answered or was wrongly denied, the Washington State Attorney General's Office runs a public records ombudsman. Email AGOOmbuds@atg.wa.gov or call (360) 570-3418. The ombudsman provides informal help to get records released without the need for court action. More information is at atg.wa.gov/open-government.
Nearby Washington Cities
These cities are near Seattle. Each has its own city-level public records separate from county records.