Search Pierce County Superior Court Records

Pierce County Superior Court Overview

Washington uses Superior Courts as its general-jurisdiction trial courts. Pierce County Superior Court sits in downtown Tacoma and hears cases with no limit on the type of civil or criminal matter. That means felonies, class A through class C, all go here. Divorce, legal separation, third-party custody, and invalidity of marriage filings all belong in Superior Court under the Domestic case type. Probate, wills, and guardianship of incapacitated adults or minor children go to Probate/Guardianship. Major civil suits, unlawful detainers, personal injury, and commercial disputes also land in Superior Court when they exceed the limited jurisdiction of the lower court. Juvenile Court is a division of Superior Court and sits at 5501 6th Avenue in Tacoma, physically separate from the main building but legally part of the same court system.

The Washington Courts guide describes Superior Courts as having broad civil and criminal jurisdiction, appellate authority over courts of limited jurisdiction, and juvenile divisions created by statute. Pierce County fits that description fully. With 23 numbered departments and nine commissioners, the court handles a very large docket. Washington Court of Appeals, Division II, in Tacoma hears appeals from Pierce County Superior Court decisions. Cases can then go to the Washington Supreme Court for further review.

Pierce County Superior Court administration is at Room 334 of the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Avenue South, phone 253-798-3654. The Clerk of the Superior Court office is in Room 110 of the same building, phone 253-798-7455. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone service ends at 3:30 p.m.

Pierce County Superior Court Departments and Judges

The court is divided into 23 numbered judicial departments. Each department has an assigned judge. Commissioners handle civil, juvenile, civil mental health, and adoption calendars in addition to the regular department workload. All departments are located at 930 Tacoma Avenue South in Tacoma. The table below lists each department and its current judicial officer with direct phone.

The full judicial officer list, including commissioners and their direct lines, is published on the Pierce County Superior Court judicial officers page. Commissioners preside over specialized calendars such as civil mental health, adoptions, and juvenile matters.

Note: Department phone assignments can change when judges rotate or retire. Confirm with the Clerk at 253-798-7455 before sending time-sensitive correspondence.

What Pierce County Superior Court Hears

Superior Court has no cap on civil claim amounts. It also has exclusive jurisdiction over felony criminal cases. Divorce, child custody, parenting plans, and child support modifications go to the Domestic calendar. Probate and guardianship petitions for estates, wills, incapacitated adults, and minor children go to the Probate/Guardianship docket. Tax warrants filed by the state and judgments arising from court orders are a separate LINX category rather than ordinary civil suits. Civil protection orders can originate in Superior Court; the court offers initial-request kiosks and handles final hearings in courtroom 117 via Zoom or in person.

Juvenile Court is a division of Superior Court, but it operates at 5501 6th Avenue, Tacoma, and has its own clerk contact. Juvenile case records go through the Juvenile Court Clerk rather than the main LINX public search. RCW 13.50.050 governs confidentiality and sealing of juvenile offender records. Dependency and youth/family matters are more restricted than adult dockets.

The Involuntary Commitment Court handles civil commitment proceedings at Western State Hospital, 9601 Steilacoom Boulevard SW, Building 9, Room 162, Tacoma, phone 253-756-2951. Records from that court involve behavioral health treatment material restricted under RCW 71.05.620 and are not ordinary public case records.

The Pierce County Superior Court page lists judicial departments, Zoom/hearing guidance, and civil protection order information for people who need to file or respond to a case.

The District Court landing page outlines the limited-jurisdiction services that sit below Superior Court in the Washington trial court structure, which helps searchers route cases to the right court level.

Pierce County District Court

Pierce County District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction. It does not hear felonies or divorce. Its criminal docket covers misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and criminal-traffic misdemeanors. Its civil docket covers anti-harassment protection orders, name changes, small claims, personal injury or property damage below the civil limit, and contract disputes in the limited-jurisdiction range. Infractions such as speeding, failure to carry insurance, photo-enforcement tickets, seat belt violations, and parking citations also go through District Court.

District Court sits at Room 239 in the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Avenue South, phone 253-798-7487. It shares the same building as Superior Court but operates as a separate court with its own docket, judges, and case files. The eight District Court judges are Karla E. Buttorff, Dwayne L. Christopher, Jeanette A. Lineberry, Kevin A. McCann, Lloyd D. Oaks, Lizanne Padula, Claire Sussman, and Karl Williams. Pedro Chou serves as District Court Commissioner and Misty Butler Robison as Administrator.

District Court case records are public under Washington General Rule 31. To request those records, contact District Court directly during business hours through the court's Live Chat or by phone at 253-798-7487. District Court records are separate from Superior Court records and are not part of the main Superior Court Clerk's file system.

The District Court case information page explains how to look up hearing dates and request District Court case records.

The case information page also directs users to the Washington Courts statewide search for scheduled district and municipal court hearing dates.

District Court Mental Health Court

Pierce County District Court operates a Mental Health Court program. The mission of the program is to engage, support, and help people with mental health disorders within the criminal justice system reach and keep stability, while reducing recidivism and improving public safety. This is a problem-solving court tied to District Court, not a separate court structure. It focuses on misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor defendants who have qualifying behavioral health needs and can benefit from structured supervision, treatment connections, and frequent court review.

Mental Health Court contact is at 510 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma, WA 98402, phone 253-798-6634. The official program page is at piercecountywa.gov/6046/Mental-Health-Court-MHC. Because this is a diversion and treatment program, many proceedings and records related to program participation may be handled differently from ordinary criminal misdemeanor dockets.

The Pierce County Mental Health Court page describes the program mission and how it connects to the District Court docket.

The Mental Health Court page provides contact details and program background for people seeking information about this specialty court option within the District Court system.

Superior Court vs. District Court vs. Municipal Court

Washington's trial court structure has three layers in Pierce County. Each layer handles a different range of cases. Knowing the right court saves time when searching records or filing a case. The table below compares the three court types on the key points most searchers care about.

Superior Court also hears appeals from District Court and Municipal Court decisions. That appellate function sits inside the same Superior Court system; a party who loses in District Court can appeal to Superior Court, where a judge reviews the record. Further appeals from Superior Court go to the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II in Tacoma and then to the Washington Supreme Court.

How a Case Moves Through Pierce County Courts

The path a case takes depends on whether it starts as a criminal charge, a civil filing, or a family matter. Criminal and civil routes are different. Both routes eventually reach Superior Court for serious or high-value matters, and both can go to the appellate courts if a party challenges the outcome.

Criminal felony flow: Arrest › Booking at Pierce County Jail › First Appearance / Magistrate › Probable Cause Hearing › Arraignment in Superior Court › Pretrial Hearings › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal to Court of Appeals Division II › Washington Supreme Court

Criminal misdemeanor flow: Arrest or Citation › Arraignment in District Court or Municipal Court › Pretrial › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal to Superior Court › Court of Appeals Division II

Civil / family flow: Petition or Complaint Filed in Superior Court › Service on Respondent or Defendant › Answer or Response › Discovery › Mediation or Settlement Conference › Trial › Judgment › Appeal to Court of Appeals Division II

For civil protection orders, the petitioner may file an initial request through online kiosks or in person at the Clerk's Office in Room 110. A temporary order can be granted the same day. The final hearing is scheduled in courtroom 117, available by Zoom or in person.

Records from each stage of a case appear in LINX for Superior Court matters and in the District Court records system for misdemeanor matters. The court dockets page explains how docket entries are structured and what each event type means.

Searching Pierce County Superior Court Records in LINX

LINX is Pierce County's own case-management and public-access system, not the generic statewide portal. The county has run it for nearly 20 years. It covers Superior Court records, District Court records, and the current jail roster in separate tabs. More than 8,000 public account users access LINX. The search form is free and open to the public at linxonline.piercecountywa.gov/linxweb/Search.cfm.

To search Superior Court cases, enter a cause number or a name (last name, first name), set a year range, and pick a case type from: Criminal, Civil, Domestic, Probate/Guardianship, or Tax Warrant/Judgment. Results show case title, cause number, parties, attorneys, charges, docket, proceedings, and judgments. Documents filed after January 1, 2002 can be accessed, paid for, and printed through LINX. Pre-2002 non-imaged records require a Scan Document form; those are made available through LINX within two business days. Records filed before January 1991 need a phone call to the Clerk at 253-798-7455.

LINX updates as information enters the local system. The LINX FAQ notes that some data is first entered into a state system and transferred back early the next business morning. That can add up to 24 hours, so most new information shows up by the following business morning.

District Court cases use the same search page but under the District Court tab. The type choices shift to Criminal, Civil, and Infraction, which covers misdemeanors, protection orders, name changes, and tickets.

Municipal court hearing dates are not in LINX. For district and municipal hearing dates, the statewide Washington Courts Find My Court Date tool covers those proceedings by case number or party name, except Seattle Municipal Court. More details about Pierce County court records and court dockets are on those dedicated pages.

The Washington Courts case and hearing search covers district and municipal hearing dates statewide, including Pierce County.

The statewide tool fills the gap left by LINX for municipal courts and offers a second lookup path for District Court hearing schedules when LINX is not accessible.

Copy Fees for Pierce County Superior Court Records

Copy fees for Superior Court records are set by RCW 36.18.016(4) and collected by the Clerk of the Superior Court. Certified copies cost $5 for the first page and $1 for each additional page. Non-certified copies are $0.50 per page in person or by mail and $0.25 per page when accessed online through LINX. A commissioner-hearing audio transcript request costs $25 and must be submitted by e-filing through LINX, in person, or by mail. Social Security offices will not accept electronically certified documents, so in-person certified copies may be needed for that purpose.

Payment in person accepts cash or debit. Mail requests require a cashier's check or money order; personal checks are not accepted. For the exact amount, call the Clerk at 253-798-7455. Mail requests go to: Pierce County Clerk, ATTN Records and Copies, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Room 110, Tacoma, WA 98402-2177. District Court copy fees follow a separate schedule: certified copies cost $5 plus paper/electronic/CD fees, electronic copies by fax or email are $0.25 per page, paper copies are $0.50 per page, and CD copies are $10 per disc plus copy and certification charges.

• Superior Court certified copy, first page: $5
• Superior Court certified copy, each additional page: $1
• Superior Court non-certified copy in person or by mail: $0.50 per page
• Superior Court non-certified copy online through LINX: $0.25 per page
• Commissioner audio transcript request: $25
• District Court certified copy: $5 plus applicable paper, electronic, or CD fees
• District Court paper copy: $0.50 per page
• District Court electronic copy: $0.25 per page

For the full Clerk fee schedule and any updates, the Clerk of the Superior Court page has the current rules and copy request instructions. The District Court fee schedule is published at piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/109107/District-Court-Filing-Fee-Schedule.

Related Pierce County Resources

The Superior Court system connects to several other records sets that serve different search needs. Arrest records and booking information, including the current jail roster, are on the Pierce County arrest records page. For full case searches, certified copy requests, and document access rules, the court records page covers the LINX system in more detail. Court docket structure and how to read docket entries are on the court dockets page. The Clerk of the Superior Court page profiles the elected Clerk, Ivan Sandoval, with copy fees, request forms, office hours, and mail request procedures. Pierce County Superior Court handles all probate records including estates, wills, and guardianship filings; those are in the Probate/Guardianship case type on LINX.

The Washington Court Directory entry for Pierce County at courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/286.html lists all court addresses, judge names, administrators, and municipal courts in the county. That page also shows the Involuntary Commitment Court at Western State Hospital.

For legal help, the Pierce County legal-help resources page at piercecountywa.gov/2075/Legal-Help-Advice lists lawyer referral, the law library, and the family law facilitator. The Department of Assigned Counsel handles indigent defense for people facing criminal charges in Superior Court and District Court.