Spokane County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Spokane County, founded in 1873, spans a total area of 1,764.2 square miles by land mass. Its county seat, Spokane, is the most densely populated city in Washington. The county has a population of 538,711. Spokane County has two Superior Courts, two District Courts, and four Municipal Courts. 

Spokane County Superior Court conducts its hearings at the Commissioners' hearing room in the lower level of Spokane County public works building. The court has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal cases such as felonies and misdemeanors. It also handles civil claims exceeding $50,000, as well as title and possession of real property rights. In addition, the Superior Court has authority over the administration of the decedent's estate, wills and trusts, guardianships and conservatorships, and other probate matters. Domestic relations cases like divorce, child custody, child support, and domestic violence are also within its purview.  The court serves as an appellate court tasked with handling appeals from courts of limited jurisdiction in the county. Additionally, the court's Juvenile Division, located at Adam Street, Spokane, hears juvenile matters such as juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and child abuse. On the other hand, the District Court exercises limited jurisdiction over all kinds of legal proceedings, including criminal and civil actions. This Court handles misdemeanor cases, as well as general civil claims not exceeding $100,000. It also hears cases of traffic infractions, adult name changes, protection orders, mental health, and small claims involving monetary disputes of $5,000 or less. It is located at Spokane Valley and Mallon Avenue. Spokane. Municipal Courts are located at Lungstrom Street Airway Height, Street Cheney, and Mallon Avenue. They have jurisdiction over criminal misdemeanors punishable with incarceration or fine and civil traffic infractions.

Spokane County has a crime rate of approximately 63.84 occurrences per 1,000 residents. Likewise, Washington Statistics 2023 Annual Report revealed that the Spokane County Superior Court resolved a total of 7,144 civil cases,  4,317 criminal cases, 2,492 family cases, 537 juvenile cases, and 2,748 probate cases. Furthermore, an average of 50,000 cases are filled annually in the District Court, and the Municipal Courts process an average of 7,000 criminal misdemeanors cases, 101,000 tickets, and 10,000 civil infractions cases. Anyone can view public records of the court by using the statewide odyssey portal or online case search portal. For the Municipal Court public records, the eCourt portal can be used. A completed RequeSt.for Search Form can also be submitted to the District Courthouse in person or by mail. However, juvenile court probation files, family court mediation files, personal identifying information, and other confidential court records are not open to the public. 

In summary, Spokane County's court system is structured in such a fashion to adjudicate cases promptly while employing effective case management techniques. It also enforces the implementation of judgments and grants interested public members access to records of its cases.