How to Find and Access Washington Arrest Records

The Washington State Patrol has established a central website where you can access forms and information regarding criminal history background checks and conviction records which have occurred in the state of Washington. Visit https://watch.wsp.wa.gov/ for more information.

Criminal justice agencies may request arrest records and receive unrestricted information from the Washington State Police. According to the Freedom of Information Act, the general public may request Washington criminal history record information as well, but the results may be limited to conviction information only and are to be used for non-criminal justice purposes.

Searching Court Records Online

You may also search the Washington Courts system for open and closed cases which have gone through trial. Visit http://dw.courts.wa.gov/. While these are not considered official court records, they still contain information about names, dates, charges, and results. Official Washington arrest records must be obtained from the court of record—in other words, the jurisdiction where the trial took place.

Information in the Records

Records on Washington arrests can contain any or all of the following information, depending on individual history:

•    Legal names and known aliases
•    Known addresses, including work addresses if known
•    Sex offender information if the person is a registered sex offender
•    Washington State criminal convictions
•    Federal arrests and conviction
•    Fines paid and probation information
•    Washington criminal driving records
•    Offense information, including dispositions where available

Conducting a Records Search

Since Washington arrest record information is conducted by the person’s name, you may receive information about other people with the same name. Duplicate records may also contain close matches to the desired name. There may be more than one arrest record for a given name as well.

Washington arrests which are still waiting for trial and are less than one year old are also available by request, including any pending dispositions and dates. The Washington State Police criminal history files contain information which is not open to the general public, so requests for information may not be complete.

A non-refundable $17 fee is paid for each record requested by mail. If you want a fingerprint search, there is a non-refundable $26 fee. In addition, a $10 processing fee may be applied to some Washington arrest records requests. It takes 7 to 14 business days to complete a request. If there are no matches in the Washington state police database, you will receive a report that says so.

Anyone who requests Washington arrest reports is recorded as well. Your name, the target of your search, and the date the search was conducted are kept on record. This is required by Washington State legislation.

At the time you request the search you must submit payment of $10 for each name, regardless of the search outcome. You may pay by credit card or by establishing a subscription account with the state of Washington. Non-profit organizations are exempt from payment if they are searching for information on employees or volunteers, or looking for evidence of crimes against children or vulnerable adults.

More information on private searches for arrest records in Washington State may be obtained by calling (360) 705-5100.