Public Records
Public records are governed by the Public Records Act (RCW 42.56) and pertains to all records prepared, owned, used, or retained by any department or office of Lewis County government, excluding the Lewis County Courts.
Contact
Public Records Officer (PRO): Casey Mauermann, Public Disclosure Manager
Address
Human Resources Office
351 NW North Street, Historic Courthouse Basement
Chehalis, WA, 98532
Email: publicrecords@lewiscountywa.gov
Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays
Records Request Instructions
Lewis County utilizes a web-based Records Center for submission, tracking and delivery of records requests. You can use this portal to submit a request, track the request status of Public Records Request and download responsive records. Get started by clicking the button below. If you have questions, please see our FAQs or other informational pages in the links to the left, or contact us via the information provided in the Contact Tab.
Court Records Information
Under Washington law, the County Clerk’s Office, as part of the judiciary, is not subject to the Public Records Act (the “PRA”), Chapter 42.56 of the Revised Code of Washington (“RCW”). Please see Nast v. Michels (107 Wn.2d 300, 308, 730 P.2d 54 (1986) and City of Federal Way v. Koenig, 16 Wn. 2d 341, 217 P. 3d 1172, 1174 (2009).
Many court records such as divorce decrees, child support/custody, probate/guardianship, judgments, are available for public inspection and copying under applicable law and court rule and are not handled by the County’s Public Records Officers. Requests should be submitted directly to those offices.
To obtain copies of court records, please contact the court where the document was filed.
Mission Statement
Lewis County agencies are required to make records available to the public for inspection and copying. To this end, Lewis County is committed to providing the fullest assistance possible to ensure access to records containing information about the conduct of Lewis County government, while also being mindful of privacy rights defined in state law.