Tacoma Criminal Court Records
Tacoma criminal court records come from three main sources: Tacoma Municipal Court for city ordinance violations, Pierce County Superior Court for felony cases, and Pierce County District Court for misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor charges. Each court keeps its own records, but you can search most Tacoma criminal cases through free online tools without visiting a courthouse. This page explains each court, how to search records, what is public, and what requires a formal request.
Tacoma Quick Facts
Tacoma Municipal Court
Tacoma Municipal Court handles cases involving violations of Tacoma city ordinances. This includes traffic infractions, low-level misdemeanors filed under city law, and certain civil infractions. The court does not handle state felony charges. Those go to Pierce County Superior Court instead. Municipal Court is the first stop for many Tacoma criminal matters that do not rise to the felony level.
The City of Tacoma uses the Tyler Technologies case management system for Municipal Court records. You can search Tacoma Municipal Court cases online at researchwa.tylerhost.net. This portal lets you search by name or case number and shows case status, charges, and court dates. It is free to use and does not require an account.
Tacoma Municipal Court is part of the City of Tacoma government. The city website at cityoftacoma.org has court contact information, hours, and instructions for requesting certified copies of court documents. Certified copies require a written request and a per-page fee paid to the Municipal Court clerk.
| Court | Tacoma Municipal Court |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | City ordinance violations, traffic infractions, city misdemeanors |
| Website | cityoftacoma.org |
| Online Case Search | researchwa.tylerhost.net |
Pierce County Superior Court Felony Records
Felony charges in Tacoma are filed in Pierce County Superior Court. This court handles the full range of serious crimes: assault, robbery, drug offenses above a certain level, sexual assault, murder, and other class A, B, and C felonies under Washington state law. The court is located in Tacoma, which also serves as the Pierce County seat. Because Tacoma is the largest city in Pierce County, a large share of the county's felony caseload originates here.
Pierce County Superior Court uses the LINX case management system rather than the statewide Odyssey platform. You can search LINX records through the public portal at linxonline.co.pierce.wa.us. The portal lets you search by name, date range, or case number. Results show charges, case status, hearing dates, and disposition information. It is one of the most detailed public court search tools in Washington.
Case files at Pierce County Superior Court are public records under RCW 42.56, with some exceptions. Records related to juvenile defendants are sealed under RCW 13.50 and cannot be accessed through public portals. Certain victim information and mental health records may also be withheld. For everything else, case documents including charging papers, plea agreements, motions, and sentencing orders are available to the public.
To get certified copies of Superior Court records, you submit a request to the Pierce County Clerk's office. In-person requests at the courthouse in Tacoma are typically the fastest. Mail requests are also accepted. The clerk charges a per-page fee for certified copies. Plain copies cost less but are not certified. Both types are useful depending on why you need the records.
| Court | Pierce County Superior Court |
|---|---|
| Location | 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma WA 98402 |
| Jurisdiction | Felony cases, serious criminal matters |
| Records Portal | LinxOnline (LINX) |
| County Website | piercecountywa.gov |
Pierce County District Court Misdemeanor Cases
Pierce County District Court handles misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases in Tacoma. This includes first-offense DUI, domestic violence misdemeanors, simple assault, criminal trespass, and similar charges. District Court also handles civil matters under a dollar threshold and small claims cases. For Tacoma residents, most misdemeanor criminal charges not filed under city ordinance land in Pierce County District Court.
You can search District Court records through the same LINX portal used for Superior Court: linxonline.co.pierce.wa.us. The statewide tool at dw.courts.wa.gov also covers District Court records. Both are free. If you are looking for a specific misdemeanor case from Tacoma, either tool should find it. The LINX portal tends to show more local detail on Pierce County cases.
Pierce County District Court has multiple locations. The main courthouse in Tacoma handles a large share of the county's misdemeanor caseload. The Pierce County website lists all District Court locations and contact numbers. Records requests go to the District Court Clerk, and the same per-page fee structure applies as with Superior Court certified copies.
How to Search Tacoma Criminal Court Records
You have three free online tools for searching Tacoma criminal records. Use all three to get a complete picture, since each one covers different courts.
The Tyler Technologies portal at researchwa.tylerhost.net covers Tacoma Municipal Court cases. Search by name or case number. Results show charges filed under city ordinance and the current status of those cases. This portal only covers Municipal Court, so you will not find Superior Court or District Court cases here.
The Pierce County LINX portal at linxonline.co.pierce.wa.us covers Superior Court and District Court cases. This is the best tool for finding felony records and state misdemeanor cases tied to Tacoma. The portal shows detailed docket history including all hearings, motions filed, and case outcomes.
The statewide Washington Courts case search at dw.courts.wa.gov searches across all participating courts in Washington. It is useful when you are not sure which county a case was filed in, or when you want to see if someone has cases in multiple courts around the state.
Washington State Patrol Criminal History Records
Washington State Patrol maintains a statewide criminal history database through its WATCH system. This database pulls data from courts and law enforcement agencies across the state, including Tacoma Police and Pierce County Sheriff. A WATCH search can return results from multiple courts and jurisdictions at once, making it more comprehensive than a single-court search.
WATCH searches cost $11 for an online name-based search. Mail requests cost $32. A fingerprint-based search, which is more thorough and less prone to name-match errors, costs $58. Fingerprint searches go through the WSP Criminal Records Division. Name-based searches can be done online at the WSP website. Fingerprint search results are mailed to the requester.
The WATCH database covers convictions, pending charges, and arrests that resulted in charges. It does not cover arrests that did not lead to charges, cases that were dismissed before conviction, or records sealed by court order. For Tacoma criminal history, WATCH is a solid supplement to court record searches, especially when you need data from multiple jurisdictions.
Under RCW 10.97, certain non-conviction data is restricted from public access. This means arrests without charges and cases dismissed without conviction may not appear in a WATCH search. The law is designed to protect people from having non-conviction records used against them.
Tacoma and Pierce County Court Online Resources
The City of Tacoma provides Municipal Court information and links to case search tools at cityoftacoma.org, including access to the Tyler Technologies case search portal for city-level criminal records.
Tacoma Municipal Court uses the Tyler Technologies system, which provides a free public search tool for city ordinance cases and traffic matters filed in Tacoma.
For felony and state-level criminal cases in Tacoma, the free Washington Courts case search at dw.courts.wa.gov provides statewide access to Pierce County Superior and District Court records.
The statewide case search tool is one of the quickest ways to find Tacoma criminal court records without visiting a courthouse in person.
What Is Public and What Is Not
Most adult criminal court records in Tacoma are public under RCW 42.56, Washington's Public Records Act. This means charging documents, hearing records, sentencing orders, and case dispositions are generally accessible to anyone who asks. You do not need to be a party to the case, and you do not have to give a reason for requesting records.
There are limits. Juvenile records are closed under RCW 13.50. Victim contact information and certain protected personal data are redacted from public copies. Mental health evaluations and some presentence investigation reports may be withheld in whole or in part. If a court has issued a sealing order under RCW 9.94A or a vacation of conviction, those records are removed from public access.
Washington allows some people to petition for vacation of a conviction, which removes it from public records for most purposes. The process is handled through the court that issued the conviction. Not all convictions qualify, and the waiting period varies by offense class. An attorney or the Washington Courts self-help center can explain whether a specific conviction is eligible.
Tacoma Police Records
Tacoma Police Department arrest records and incident reports are separate from court records. Police records are kept by the Tacoma PD at the city level. Court records are kept by whichever court handled the resulting case. The two systems are linked but managed independently.
You can request Tacoma Police records through the City of Tacoma at cityoftacoma.org. Requests go to the city's Public Records Office. Response times vary depending on the nature of the request and current volume. Police report requests are subject to the same RCW 42.56 rules as court records, with some exemptions for ongoing investigations and protected information.
Arrest data from Tacoma PD is submitted to the Washington State Patrol. This data feeds into the WSP WATCH system and the state's central criminal repository. So if you want a full picture of someone's criminal history in Tacoma, combining a WATCH search with a court records search gives you the most complete results.
Criminal Court Records in Tacoma - Pierce County
Tacoma is the Pierce County seat. The county's Superior Court and District Court are both located in Tacoma. The Pierce County page covers courthouse locations, LINX search tools, records request procedures, and contact information for both courts.
Nearby Cities
These Pierce County cities are close to Tacoma and use the same county court system for felony and state misdemeanor cases.