Not a government site. We do not sell records or host personal data. About us

County Records Guide
Menu

Finding a will or probate case in Washington

Who holds it: Superior court of the county (clerk of the superior court keeps the file).1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Fees
  2. More details
  3. Related records in Washington
  4. How Washington handles it
  5. Probate and wills in Washington counties with a full guide
  6. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  7. Sources

Fees

Fees
Probate filing fee $200 (plus statutory surcharges); will filed without probate $20; certified letters $5.2

More details

Will deposit
A will may be filed under seal with a superior court before death (RCW 11.12.265); fee $20 (RCW 36.18.016(27)).3
Deadline
Custodian must deliver the will to the court or named executor within 30 days of learning of death; executor within 40 days.4
Courts: court system
State court system administered by the Administrative Office of the Courts: Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, superior courts (general jurisdiction; felonies, civil, probate, divorce; a courthouse in each of 39 counties, grouped into 30 districts) and courts of limited jurisdiction (district and municipal courts). The elected county clerk keeps superior court records.5
Courts: statewide case search
Washington Courts Case Records Search (dw.courts.wa.gov) indexes municipal, district, superior and appellate cases; for complete superior-court records the AOC points to Odyssey Portal (37 listed counties), King County Superior Court's DJA portal (dja-prd-ecexap1.kingcounty.gov) and Pierce County LINX; listed participating limited-jurisdiction courts via re:SearchWA.6
Courts: fees
Superior court clerk copies: certified $5 first page + $1 each additional page; uncertified 50 cents per page; electronic media $5. Civil filing fee $200 (plus statutory surcharges).2
Death certificates: who holds it
Department of Health (July 1, 1907-present) and local health jurisdictions; pre-1907 at State Archives (county auditor records).7
Death certificates: fee
$25 per certificate or informational copy; VitalChek total starts at $40.50.7

How Washington handles it

  • County clerk is the clerk of the superior court (court records, divorce, probate) — separate from the auditor5

Probate and wills in Washington counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Benton CountyBenton County Clerk8——
Clark CountyClark County Clerk - Guardianship, Probate, Trusts and Wills9——
Cowlitz CountyCowlitz County Superior Court10——
Franklin CountyFranklin County Clerk11——
Grant CountyGrant County Clerk12——
Island CountyIsland County Clerk13—Certified $5 first page, $1 per page thereafter; non-certified 50 cents per page14
King CountyKing County Superior Court Clerk's Office15——
Kitsap CountyProbate opened in Kitsap County Superior Court via the Clerk (room 202): $290 filing fee16——
Lewis CountyLewis County Clerk17——
Pierce CountyPierce County Clerk of the Superior Court18——
Skagit CountySkagit County Clerk / Superior Court19——
Snohomish CountySnohomish County Superior Court / County Clerk20—Same Clerk copy fees ($.25/page; certified $5.00 first page + $1.00 each additional)21
Spokane CountySpokane County Clerk - Probates, Wills, Trusts & Guardianships22——
Thurston CountyThurston County Clerk24Search23—
Whatcom CountyProbate files are Superior Court records kept by the Clerk, who issues letters testamentary25——
Yakima CountyYakima County Clerk - Wills, Probate & Guardianship26——

For any other county, see the county list on the Washington guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Washington office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: probate records and wills in every state. Everything else in Washington: Washington public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. RCW 2.08.010 Superior courts - Original jurisdictionWashington State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  2. RCW Chapter 36.18 Fees of county officersWashington State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  3. RCW 11.12.265 Filing of original will with court before death of testatorWashington State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  4. RCW Chapter 11.20 Wills - ProbateWashington State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  5. A Guide to Washington Courts: Superior CourtsWashington State Administrative Office of the Courtschecked November 4, 2026
  6. Washington Courts Case Records Search (About This Site)Washington State Administrative Office of the Courtschecked November 4, 2026
  7. Ordering a Death RecordWashington State Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  8. ClerkBenton County Clerkchecked November 5, 2026
  9. Guardianship, Probate, Trusts and WillsClark County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
  10. DepartmentsCowlitz Countychecked November 4, 2026
  11. Court Fee ScheduleFranklin County, WAchecked November 7, 2026
  12. Washington State Courts - Court DirectoryWashington Statechecked November 7, 2026
  13. Island County: Departments OfficesIsland County, Washingtonchecked November 8, 2026
  14. Island County: Access to Court RecordsIsland County, Washingtonchecked November 8, 2026
  15. King County records and requestsKing County, Washingtonchecked November 4, 2026
  16. Clerk: Probate InformationKitsap Countychecked November 4, 2026
  17. Court Records/Records RequestsLewis County, WAchecked November 8, 2026
  18. Courts & LawPierce Countychecked November 4, 2026
  19. CourtsSkagit Countychecked November 4, 2026
  20. Superior Court Clerk - About UsSnohomish County, WAchecked November 4, 2026
  21. Access Court Records (County Clerk)Snohomish County, WAchecked November 4, 2026
  22. Probates, Wills, Trusts & Guardianships (Clerk)Spokane Countychecked November 4, 2026
  23. County ClerkThurston Countychecked November 4, 2026
  24. Wills & Probate InformationThurston Countychecked November 4, 2026
  25. Superior Court ClerkWhatcom Countychecked November 4, 2026
  26. Wills, Probate & GuardianshipYakima County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026