Clark County County Clerk

The Clark County County Clerk

Scott G. Weber serves as Clark County County Clerk, an elected position created by the Washington State Constitution. The Clerk is not appointed by a judge or hired through the civil service system. Voters in Clark County choose the Clerk directly. Charlene Huffman holds the title of Chief Deputy Clerk. The office sits inside the Clark County Courthouse at 1200 Franklin Street in downtown Vancouver, the same building that houses Superior Court, the Law Library, and the Family Court Facilitator.

The Clerk's constitutional role connects directly to Superior Court. The office serves and supports the court by receiving and processing documents, attending and assisting in court proceedings, maintaining court files, and entering orders, judgments, and decrees. The Clerk also authenticates court records by certificate or transcript, preserves and journalizes orders for security, and receipts and disburses court money. Those duties make the Clerk the central records keeper for every Superior Court case in the county. When a judge signs an order, the Clerk's entry makes it part of the permanent file.

Beyond those administrative tasks, the County Clerk performs quasi-judicial functions. When a court order requires it, the Clerk issues writs, subpoenas, warrants, and letters testamentary. These are formal legal instruments, not routine paperwork, and they carry legal weight precisely because the Clerk issues them as a consequence of a court order. That distinction matters for anyone who receives one.

The screenshot below comes from the Clark County Clerk main page, which lists the office's core services and access links.

That page is the starting point for anyone who needs to access Superior Court records or reach the Clerk's office directly.

General questions go to countyclerk@clark.wa.gov. Document copy requests go to copyrequests@clark.wa.gov. Blake Act inquiries use a separate address: cntyclerkblake@clark.wa.gov.

What the County Clerk Maintains

The Clerk's records cover a wide range of case types. All of them are Superior Court cases. District Court keeps its own limited-jurisdiction files separately, and the County Auditor holds marriage licenses and recorded documents. If you need a marriage license or a deed, the Auditor is the right office. For anything filed in Superior Court, the Clerk holds the record.

Clark County Superior Court cases maintained by the County Clerk fall into these categories:

• Appeals and reviews from lower courts or administrative agencies
• Contract and commercial cases
• Property rights cases
• Torts
• Writ petitions, injunctions, and interpleaders
• Probate and guardianship
• Adoption and paternity
• Domestic relations, including divorce and parenting plans
• Mental illness proceedings
• Dependency
• Felony criminal
• Juvenile offender

Not every category is open to the public. Adoption records are explicitly named as confidential under RCW 26.33.330. Mental health treatment records carry confidentiality protections under RCW 71.05.620. Juvenile offender files follow access rules under RCW chapter 13.50. The rest of the categories are generally public, subject to any sealing orders a judge may have entered on specific documents.

The contact information page for the Clerk lists the full office and confirms the department breakdown. You can see how it is organized at the official Clark County Clerk contact information page, shown below.

The criminal department line, 564-397-2295, is separate from the main line and handles inquiries about criminal conviction verification and felony case records.

How to Access Superior Court Records

The County Clerk offers three ways to look at Superior Court records. Each method suits a different need. Knowing which one fits your situation saves time and a trip downtown.

The first option is public review in person. The Clerk's Office is open for file review Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public terminals in the office let anyone run routine records checks and verify a case number or cause number. These terminals are free to use and don't require registration.

The second option is OnBase public terminals in the courthouse lobby. OnBase is the Clerk's document imaging system. All documents filed with the Clerk are scanned into OnBase as part of the court record. The lobby terminals let members of the public view document images without a subscription, during the same public hours. This is a useful option when you know the case number and want to read a specific filing without paying copy fees.

The third option is an OnBase document subscription. Subscribers get 24-hour internet access to public file images going back to 1985. One subscription can cover up to five attorneys or offices, though only one person may access images at any given time. The subscription covers Civil, Domestic, Probate, Criminal, and Juvenile Offender files. Documents filed under a sealed cover sheet still require you to contact the Clerk's Office directly. For documents predating 1985, the Clerk handles requests through the archived microfilm process.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a photocopy of a court document with an official seal or stamp from the Clerk confirming it is a true and complete copy of the original file. Courts, government agencies, lenders, and employers often require certified copies because they carry authentication that a plain photocopy does not. Divorce decrees, probate orders, and letters testamentary are common documents people request in certified form.

1. Find the case number. Use the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal to search by name or case number. The case number format starts with the two-digit year, a dash, and the case-type digit (1 for criminal, 2 for civil, 3 for domestic, 4 for probate), followed by the sequence number and the county code, which is 06 for Clark County. Write the number down before you contact the Clerk.
2. Complete the Copy Request Form. Download it from the Clerk's website or pick it up at the office counter. Fill in your name and contact information, the case number and case name, the specific document you want (such as a final decree, a judgment, or a specific motion), and the copy type. Check the certified box if you need certification.
3. Choose your delivery method. You can pick up copies in person at 1200 Franklin Street during office hours, request mailed copies, or submit the form by email to copyrequests@clark.wa.gov and receive emailed copies. Note that mailed and emailed non-certified copies have different per-page rates.
4. Calculate and submit payment. Certified copies cost $5.00 for the first page of each document plus $1.00 for each additional page. Include a check or money order payable to Clark County Clerk if you are mailing the request. For email or in-person requests, confirm the payment method with the office.
5. Wait for processing. The Clerk will pull the file, make the copy, apply the certification, and return it by your chosen method. Complex or archived requests may take longer, especially if the file is on pre-1996 microfilm.

Note: Adoptions are confidential under state law. The Clerk cannot release adoption records without a court order. If you need adoption-related documents, consult an attorney about the correct petition process.

Copy Request Form Field Inventory

The Copy Request Form is the standard way to submit a document request to the Clark County County Clerk by email or mail. The table below lists each field from the form, whether it is required, and notes on how to fill it in correctly. Having all of these details ready before you start the form speeds up the process and reduces back-and-forth with the office.

Email your completed form to copyrequests@clark.wa.gov. For mail, send it to Clark County Clerk's Office, PO Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000. The Clerk's office processes requests in the order they are received.

Copy and Search Fees

Clark County Clerk fees are set by a published schedule that took effect July 27, 2025. The fees follow RCW chapter 36.18, which governs county clerk charges across Washington State. Different fees apply depending on whether a copy is certified or not, how it is delivered, and whether the source document is on microfilm or in the digital system. The table below covers the fees you are most likely to encounter.

The official Clark County Clerk fee schedule is shown in the screenshot below, which you can consult for the complete and current list.

The schedule also covers probate, appeal, and judgment fees that arise less often but can involve larger amounts.

Pre-1979 criminal conviction searches may incur copy costs plus a $30.00 research fee on top of the standard fee. The criminal conviction verification service covers only Clark County cases. For statewide criminal history, you use the WSP WATCH system, which is a separate service and not processed through the County Clerk.

OnBase Document Subscription

OnBase is the document imaging system the Clark County County Clerk uses to scan and store every filing that comes through the office. When a pleading, order, motion, or exhibit lands at the counter, it goes into OnBase as part of the court record. That system now holds public file images going back to 1985.

The Clerk sells subscriptions that give registered users 24-hour remote access to those images over the internet. You don't have to come to the courthouse or wait for business hours. One subscription can be shared among up to five attorneys or offices, but only one person at a time can view images under a single account. Sharing a login with someone outside that group is not allowed. The subscription covers these file types: Civil, Domestic, Probate, Criminal, and Juvenile Offender. Any document filed under a sealed cover sheet is not accessible through the subscription. For sealed documents, you need to contact the Clerk's Office and follow the court order process.

To set up an OnBase subscription, contact the Clerk's office directly at 564-397-2292 or countyclerk@clark.wa.gov. The office will explain the current subscription terms and registration steps. This is a county-specific program; access and pricing are determined by the Clark County Clerk, not by a statewide system.

Superior Court E-Filing

Clark County Superior Court accepts electronic filings, but the program is not open to everyone. E-filing is available to attorneys, schools, guardians ad litem, the State of Washington, and government agencies. Self-represented parties must file paper documents in person or by U.S. Mail. There is no mandatory e-filing requirement for any filer in Clark County as of the current rules.

E-filing hours match the main office: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To register or update an existing registration, complete the Registration Form and return it to efilereg@clark.wa.gov, by mail, or by delivery to the Clerk's Office. New Superior Court cases can be e-filed after the filing fee is paid and a case number is issued. New e-file cases are available for case types 2 (civil), 3 (domestic), 4 (probate), and 5. Before you e-file a fee-bearing document, call 564-397-2298 to confirm the process. Filers must include the Case Information Cover Sheet, and civil filers should review Local Rule 40 before submission.

The screenshot below comes from the official Clark County Clerk electronic filing for Superior Court page, which lists registration steps and requirements.

The e-filing page also notes that documents filed electronically become part of the official court record and are maintained by the Clerk in OnBase, the same system used for paper filings.

Criminal Conviction Verification in Clark County

The County Clerk runs a narrow but useful service for people who need written confirmation that a specific person does or does not have a criminal conviction in Clark County. This is not the same as a full background check and is not the same as searching the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal. It is a written verification of Clark County criminal convictions from 1979 to the present, processed only by regular U.S. Mail.

To submit a criminal conviction verification request, mail the following to Clark County Clerk's Office, Attn. Criminal Department, PO Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000:

• The person's last, first, and middle name
• Date of birth or other identifying information
• Approximate offense date and possible charge, if you are searching for a specific filing
• A $5.00 service fee (check or money order payable to Clark County Clerk)
• A self-addressed stamped envelope for the written response

Records before 1979 may exist but can incur copy costs and a $30.00 research fee on top of the standard charge. For a statewide criminal history search covering all of Washington, the WSP WATCH system charges $11.00 per name and date-of-birth search. Those two services cover different scopes, and neither replaces a court case search through Odyssey, which covers case filings rather than conviction history in a compiled format.

Clerk's Office Contact

The County Clerk's office handles several distinct request types, and different contacts exist for each one. Using the right contact the first time avoids delays. The table below matches the type of request to the correct channel.

Walk-in hours for the public review and copy counter are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. File review is available from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The lunch-hour break means the counter closes for one hour each day. Plan your in-person visit around that window.

The Clerk's office is inside the Clark County Courthouse at 1200 Franklin Street, downtown Vancouver. Superior Court is in the same building. If you need records from District Court, that office moved to 210 E. 13th Street in February 2026. Do not go to the Franklin Street courthouse for District Court records unless you confirmed that is still the right location.

For marriage licenses and recorded documents such as deeds and liens, contact the Clark County Auditor. The Auditor and the County Clerk are two separate offices with different record sets. The County Clerk does not hold marriage licenses, and the Auditor does not hold Superior Court case files.

Related Clark County Records

Several other pages on this site cover records that connect to the County Clerk's work. For the full Superior Court case search walkthrough, including Odyssey Portal steps and field details, see the Clark County court records page. For probate and guardianship filings specifically, including estate fees and terminology, see the Clark County Probate Records page. Divorce and dissolution records are Superior Court files and go through the Clerk; the marriage and divorce records page explains how to separate a marriage license search from a divorce case search.

For the full framework of Washington's public records laws, including the Public Records Act and court rule GR 31, see the Clark County public records page. The Superior Court page explains how the court handles cases from filing through disposition. Visit the Clark County Superior Court page for court structure, judge listings, and specialty court programs. For marriage licenses and recorded documents, the Clark County Auditor is the correct office.