King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office

Caution:  The ex parte & probate procedure for King County changed substantially effective January 1, 2009.

See:  King County Ex Parte Manual.

• Office Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday (both locations) except the usual holidays.
• Telephone number: 206 296-9300 (both locations).
• Location at Courthouse: The “downtown” Superior Court Clerk’s Office is on the 6th Floor of the King County Courthouse, at the opposite end of the main hallway from the King County Law Library.  In Kent, the Clerk’s Office is located to one side of the elevators on the 2nd Floor.
• Receptionist: A Receptionist (for obtaining further information in person) is available immediately upon entry.
• Paying, Filing, & Conforming: In Seattle, the filing windows and dropbox are at the end of the hallway to the left after entering the Court Clerk’s Office.
  • The cashiers/filing clerks (the sign says “Cashiers / New Filings … Payments”) are on the right — you’ll need to go there if you have anything more than documents to file.
  • The “dropbox” (the sign says “Document Drop Bin”) is on the wall at the end of the hallway — you can deposit in the dropbox any documents that only need to be filed or have a hearing noted.
  • The stamping machines for conforming your copies (the sign says “Do Not Stamp Originals”) are on the long shelf to the left of the dropbox.
  • Remember that filing anything (such as a Will or a Petition for Letters) that necessitates the opening of a new file in the Court Clerk’s Office requires the simultaneous filing of a King County Case Assignment Designation & Case Information Cover Sheet.

  In Kent, the “dropbox”  and stamping machine are across the aisle from the cashiers’ windows.

• Obtaining Files: In both Seattle and Kent, the windows where Court files and documents may be obtained are down the hallway to the right after entering the Court Clerk’s Office.
  • See: The Washington Superior Court Database & How to Access It.
  • See: How Do I Determine If a Probate (or Guardianship) for a Named Decedent (or Incapacitated Person) Has Been Filed in Washington?
  • King County Superior Court Case Search (by either Name or Case Number)
• Obtaining Copies: The Copy Center is to the right of the Court files window.  Copies of documents (eg, a Will) on file in the Court Clerk’s Office are available there (in person or by mail) for a charge.
  • See: How Can I Obtain a Copy of a Document, such as a Will, Filed in a Probate or Guardianship Proceeding in Washington?
• Clerk’s Website
• Clerk’s Services