Access Pasco Criminal Court Records

Pasco criminal court records are filed with Pasco Municipal Court, Franklin County Superior Court, and Franklin County District Court depending on the charge type and location of the offense. Pasco is part of the Tri-Cities area along with Kennewick and Richland, and it serves as the county seat of Franklin County. This page covers how to search case records online, what courts handle different charge types, and how to request copies of court documents for Pasco and the surrounding Franklin County court system.

Pasco Municipal Court

Pasco Municipal Court handles city-level criminal cases including traffic violations, parking matters, city ordinance infractions, and misdemeanor charges filed by the Pasco city prosecutor. Felony cases do not go to municipal court. Those are filed at Franklin County Superior Court, which is located in Pasco since it's the county seat.

The City of Pasco website has current contact information for the municipal court, including address and hours. Records filed in the municipal court are public under RCW 42.56. You can request copies in person or by mail. The clerk will confirm availability and cost before processing a request.

When requesting records from Pasco Municipal Court, bring the defendant's name and date of birth. A case number helps narrow down the search. If you want a certified copy, ask for it specifically. Plain copies are cheaper but are not appropriate for legal use. Certified copies have the court's official seal and signature.

Below is a screenshot from the Pasco city website, which hosts the municipal court information and resources for the public.

The city site provides court contact information, fee schedules, and links to city services that interact with the court system.

Franklin County Superior Court

Franklin County Superior Court is in Pasco. It handles all felony criminal cases for the county, including those arising within city limits. Class A, B, and C felonies under RCW 9A are filed here. This covers crimes like first-degree assault, robbery, residential burglary, drug trafficking, and other serious offenses.

Franklin County Superior Court uses the Odyssey case management system. You can access it free at odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov/odyportal. Enter a name or case number to pull up case records. The portal returns charging information, hearing schedules, case status, and other case-level details for public records in the court.

The courthouse is in Pasco, which is convenient if you need to visit in person. The clerk's office handles certified copy requests for Superior Court records. You can submit requests in person or by mail. Processing time depends on record volume, and the clerk will tell you the fee per page before processing.

Franklin County District Court

Franklin County District Court handles county-level misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases that don't fall under Pasco Municipal Court's jurisdiction. It also handles civil matters under a certain dollar threshold and small claims. District Court records are separate from both the municipal court and the Superior Court systems.

You can search Franklin County District Court records through dw.courts.wa.gov. This is the Washington Courts statewide case search. Select Franklin County and enter a name. Results will include District Court and Superior Court cases in the county. It's free to use and doesn't require an account.

If you're unsure which court handled a particular case, the statewide search is a good starting point. It covers most courts in the state and returns results across case types in one search.

Searching Pasco Criminal Records Online

For most Pasco criminal records, start with the statewide Washington Courts search at dw.courts.wa.gov. This free tool covers Franklin County Superior Court and District Court and returns results quickly. You can filter by county and search by name or case number.

For more detail on felony cases, the Odyssey Public Portal is the better tool. It covers Franklin County Superior Court with more case-level detail, including document lists, hearing dates, and charge histories. It often has more current information than the statewide search.

City-level misdemeanor cases may not appear in these county and state tools. For those, contact Pasco Municipal Court directly or check the city website for any online tools they offer.

The Washington State Patrol WATCH system at wsp.wa.gov/crime/criminal-history is a separate statewide criminal history search costing $11 online. It is not a court search, but it includes arrest and conviction data from agencies across Washington including Franklin County.

Note: The statewide search may not include older records. For cases filed before online systems were in use, contact the court clerk directly for a manual search.

Washington State Patrol WATCH System

The WATCH criminal history system, operated by the Washington State Patrol, is a statewide database of criminal records that draws from law enforcement agencies across Washington. It's not limited to court records. It includes arrest data, conviction history, and other criminal history information from agencies covering the Pasco area.

An online WATCH search costs $11 per person. You submit a name and date of birth and get results fast. Mail-in name and DOB searches cost $32. Fingerprint searches cost $58 and take longer but are the most complete option. Results reflect the full scope of Washington State criminal history, not just records from Pasco or Franklin County.

Under RCW 10.97, the Criminal Records Privacy Act, arrests without a conviction are not always visible in public searches. Juvenile records are protected under RCW 13.50 and won't appear in WATCH results for adults who were charged as minors. These rules apply both at the court level and in the WATCH system.

Public Records Law and Access in Pasco

Washington's Public Records Act, RCW 42.56, gives anyone the right to request government records including criminal court filings. This covers Pasco Municipal Court, Franklin County District Court, and Franklin County Superior Court. You don't need to provide a reason for requesting records, and agencies cannot require you to identify yourself unless it's needed to fulfill the request.

Not all records are open. Juvenile cases are restricted under RCW 13.50. Records sealed by court order are not available to the public. Victim contact information, certain mental health records, and ongoing investigation documents have restrictions. When a court withholds records, it must identify the exemption it is relying on.

To request records not available online, submit a written public records request to the relevant court clerk. You can mail it or hand-deliver it. The court must respond within five business days. The response may be the records themselves, a timeline for production, or a denial with legal justification. Each page of copied records may have a fee.

Criminal Court Records in Pasco - Franklin County

Pasco is the county seat of Franklin County, so the Franklin County Courthouse is located in the city. This makes in-person access to Superior Court records straightforward for Pasco residents. The county clerk's office handles records requests for both Superior Court and is a resource for navigating the court system.

View Franklin County Criminal Court Records

Nearby Cities

Other Tri-Cities and Eastern Washington cities with criminal court record pages are listed below.