King County Probate Court Records

King County probate court records are filed and maintained at the King County Superior Court, the largest court system in Washington State. If you need to search estate cases, look up a will, find guardianship orders, or get copies of probate filings in King County, the Superior Court Clerk's Office in Seattle and Kent handles all probate matters under RCW Title 11. Cases filed since November 1, 2004 are searchable online. Older records are available through microfiche indexes or a records request submitted directly to the clerk.

King County Superior Court Clerk

The King County Superior Court Clerk's Office handles all probate filings for the county. It maintains estate records, stores original wills, processes probate petitions, and provides certified copies of court documents. Staff at both the Seattle and Kent locations can help you find a case and make copies during normal business hours. Viewing records in person is free. Mail requests require a form and fees.

King County uses two main courthouse locations for probate. If the decedent lived north of Interstate 90, probate cases go to the downtown Seattle courthouse. For decedents who lived in Renton or south of I-90, the Kent location at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center handles the case. Always check the Case Designation Cover Sheet requirement before filing. Getting the designation wrong can cause delays.

The King County Clerk's Office receives roughly 8,000 documents per day. Documents filed after December 31, 1999 are stored electronically on the Electronic Court Record system. Original wills are the exception. The clerk's office keeps all original wills intact regardless of when they were filed. That is worth knowing if you are trying to get a copy of an older will.

Search King County Probate Records

King County offers several ways to find probate court records. Online access is the fastest option for cases filed from November 1, 2004 to the present. The KC Script Portal lets you search by party name or case number and shows docket entries, filings, and case status. You can also use the statewide Odyssey Portal to search King County probate cases alongside records from other Washington counties.

For older cases, the options narrow. Cases from before 1979 are on microfiche at the clerk's office. There is no full online index for records from 1979 to 2003. To access those, you need to visit the courthouse in person or contact the clerk by mail. Staff can search by name for a research fee of $30.00 per hour. The Washington State Digital Archives also holds some historical King County probate indexes from 1853 to 1977 and probate cause files from 1853 to 1971.

To search for a probate case in King County, it helps to have at least one of the following:

• Full legal name of the decedent or ward
• Approximate year the case was filed
• The case number if you have it
• Which courthouse the case was filed at (Seattle or Kent)

King County also has its own eCourt case search system at ecourt.kingcounty.gov. This system gives you access to case records and can be useful if you are not finding what you need through the statewide portal. Both systems pull from the same underlying records for cases filed after 2004.

Note: Adoption, dependency, and mental competency files are not available online and have restricted access. Contact the clerk's office directly for those record types.

The King County Superior Court Clerk's Office provides online access to probate case records filed in King County through the KC Script Portal and eCourt system.

Cases filed since November 2004 can be searched online by party name or case number, with older records available through microfiche or in-person requests at the Seattle and Kent courthouse locations.

King County Probate Filing Fees

The probate filing fee in King County is $310.00 for a standard probate or guardianship case, as set by the 2025 King County fee schedule. This fee is paid to the clerk when you open the case. Guardianship and adoption filings carry the same $310.00 fee. Credit cards, cash, money orders, and cashier's checks are accepted. Personal checks are not always accepted, so call ahead to confirm.

Copy fees depend on how you get them. Non-certified copies ordered online cost $0.25 per page. If you ask a clerk to assist with copies, that rate is $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each page after that. Exemplified copies, which carry a higher level of authentication, cost $9.00 for the first page and $1.00 per page after that.

Mail requests have additional fees. There is a $10.00 shipping and handling charge. If you do not have a case number and need the clerk to research the case, an extra $30.00 fee applies. An expedited request carries its own $30.00 fee. Factor these in if you plan to submit a request by mail without already knowing the case number.

The King County Superior Court Clerk's Office page provides filing instructions, location details, and links to the online records access system for probate cases.

Both the Seattle and Kent locations handle probate record requests in person, with the correct courthouse depending on where the decedent lived at the time of death.

Filing Probate in King County

Probate in King County is governed by RCW Title 11, Washington's main probate statute. The process begins when someone files a Verified Petition with the Superior Court. If there is a will, it gets submitted along with the petition. The court then issues an order admitting the will to probate and appointing a personal representative.

Required documents to open a probate case in King County include a Verified Petition with or without a will, an Order Probating Will and Appointing Personal Representative, a death certificate with a cover sheet, the Oath of Personal Representative, a Notice of Request for Nonintervention Powers, and a Waiver of Hearing on Nonintervention Powers. The death certificate should have the Social Security number and mother's maiden name redacted before filing, even though state law does not technically require the death certificate itself.

Every new case filing in King County requires a King County Case Assignment Designation and Case Information Cover Sheet filed at the same time as the opening petition. This form tells the clerk which courthouse location to assign the case to. Missing this form is one of the most common reasons documents get returned. The courthouse selection depends on where the decedent lived. Seattle courthouse handles cases north of I-90. Kent courthouse handles Renton and areas south of I-90.

King County probate hearings run on set calendars. In Seattle, probate matters are heard at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM on designated days. Scheduling a hearing for the wrong time or the wrong day will trigger the $15.00 faulty document fee and delay your case. Check the court calendar before you set any hearing date on your paperwork.

Note: Washington allows nonintervention powers in most probate cases, which lets the personal representative administer the estate without court approval at every step. This is standard practice and keeps the process more efficient for straightforward estates.

King County publishes detailed filing requirements for probate documents, including the rules that trigger the $15 extra handling fee for noncompliant filings.

Common compliance issues include missing case numbers, wrong paper size, incorrect margin widths, and hearing dates set outside the court's probate calendar.

What King County Probate Records Contain

Probate court records in King County include a range of documents created throughout the estate administration process. The initial petition lays out the basic facts of the case including who the decedent was, whether there is a will, and who is being named as personal representative. The court file grows as the case moves forward, adding orders, notices, inventory filings, creditor claims, and final accountings.

Key documents found in King County probate records include wills and codicils, probate petitions, letters testamentary and letters of administration, estate inventories, creditor claims and objections, guardianship orders and accountings, and final decrees of distribution. Death certificates are part of the file but are submitted with the Social Security number and mother's maiden name redacted before filing per court rules.

Most probate records in King County are public. However, certain sensitive identifiers are redacted in the filed version. Per Washington Court Rule GR 31(e), Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and driver's license numbers are not included in publicly accessible versions of filed documents. If you need a full unredacted copy for a specific legal purpose, contact the clerk's office to discuss what is available and what process applies.

Historical probate records for King County going back to 1853 are preserved at the Puget Sound Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives in Bellevue. The branch holds probate indexes from 1853 to 1977 and probate cause files from 1853 to 1971. Contact the branch at (425) 564-3940 or visit their facility at 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, MS-N100, Bellevue, WA 98007. In-person research is available Wednesdays through Fridays by appointment only.

Probate Resources in King County

Several organizations and resources are available to help with probate matters in King County. The Washington Courts website at courts.wa.gov has official probate forms for free download. These include petition forms, oath forms, notice to creditors forms, and final accounting forms. Using the official forms reduces the chance of a rejection or faulty document fee.

Northwest Justice Project provides free civil legal aid to low-income residents in King County, including help with probate and estate matters. Call (888) 201-1014 to check eligibility. The King County Bar Association runs a lawyer referral service at (206) 267-7010. The Washington State Bar Association has a statewide referral service at (206) 443-9722 and a searchable directory at wsba.org. WashingtonLawHelp at washingtonlawhelp.org has self-help guides on probate and estate administration.

The Puget Sound Regional Archives at (425) 564-3940 is a key resource for genealogical research and historical probate records going back to the 1800s. The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the starting point for searching historical court records online. For general information on Washington probate law, the full text of RCW Title 11 is available on the Washington State Legislature website.

Cities in King County

King County includes Seattle and dozens of surrounding communities. All residents file probate cases at the King County Superior Court, either in Seattle or Kent depending on where the decedent lived.

Other communities in King County include Bothell (partial), Edmonds (partial), and Kenmore. All probate matters go through the King County Superior Court system regardless of which city the decedent lived in.

Nearby Counties

These counties border King County. If you need to check whether a probate case was filed here or in a neighboring county, review where the decedent lived at the time of death.