[ Clerk Home ] [ Fee Schedule ] [ Printable Forms ] [ Common Questions ]
NOTICE REGARDING AVAILABILITY OF CASE FILE
INFORMATION
Anyone filing documents with a court should not include
sensitive information in any document filed with the court, unless such
inclusion is necessary and relevant to the case or is otherwise ordered by the
court. Any personal information not otherwise protected by statute or court rule
will be made available at the courthouse and may also be available in a local
court’s website.
Access to Family Law Case documents is governed by the
general court rule GR22 - Access to Family Law Cases. Types of cases covered
under GR 22 are:
|
Dissolutions/Legal Separations |
Chapter 26.09 RCW |
| |
|
|
Nonparental
Actions for Child Custody |
Chapter 26.10 RCW |
| |
|
|
Family Court |
Chapter 26.12 RCW |
| |
|
|
Child Support Enforcement |
Chapter 26.18 RCW |
| |
|
|
Uniform Interstate Family Support Act |
Chapter 26.21 RCW |
| |
|
|
State Support Registry |
Chapter 26.23 RCW |
| |
|
|
Uniform Parentage Act |
Chapter 26.26 RCW |
| |
|
|
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act |
Chapter 26.27 RCW |
| |
|
|
Domestic Violence Prevention |
Chapter 26.50 RCW |
| |
|
|
Foreign Protection Order Full Faith And
Credit Act |
Chapter 26.52 RCW |
In Family Law Cases, income tax returns, W-2s
and schedules, wage stubs, credit card statements, financial institution
statements, check registers, and other financial information sealed by court
order should be filed under the Sealed Financial Source Documents Cover Sheet.
Anyone filing a document should remove or omit (leave out) social security
numbers, financial account numbers, and driver’s license numbers on all other
documents, except the Confidential Information Form and Addendums, Notice of
Intent to Relocate, Vital Statistics Form, Law Enforcement Information Form,
Foreign Protection Order Information Form, unless otherwise ordered by the
court.
By statute, the following types of case records
are not open to the public:
|
Adoptions |
RCW 26.33.330 |
|
Chemical Dependency
Commitment |
RCW 70.96A.150 |
|
Confidential Name Changes |
RCW
4.24.130(5) |
|
Grand Jury and Special
Inquiry Judge |
RCW 10.27.160 |
|
Juvenile Non-Offense |
RCW 13.50.100 |
|
Juvenile Offender Records
(other than official court file) |
RCW 13.50.050 |
|
Mental Illness Commitment |
RCW
71.05.620 |
|
Mental Illness Commitment of
Minors |
RCW 71.34.210 |
|
Paternity |
RCW 26.26.610(2) |
For all other types of cases, unless otherwise
necessary or otherwise ordered by the court, persons filing documents with the
court should not include, and if present shall remove or omit (leave out), the
following personal identifiers from all documents:
-
v Social Security Number.
If the Social Security Number of an individual must be included in a document,
only the last four digits of that number shall be used.
-
v Names of Minor Children.
If the involvement of a minor child must be mentioned, only that child’s
initials shall be used, unless otherwise necessary. The full names of minor
children on documents are necessary when they are a party to the action, subject
of the action, and changing a name.
-
v Financial Account Numbers.
If financial account numbers are relevant, only the last four digits shall be
included in the document.
-
v Driver’s License Numbers.
Driver’s license numbers are necessary on Notice of Infractions and Uniform
Citations.
Attorneys are strongly urged to share this
notice with all clients so that an informed decision about the inclusion of
certain materials may be made.
It is the sole
responsibility of the filer to be sure that all documents filed comply with the
rules of the court requiring removal or omission of personal identifiers. The
clerk will not review each document for compliance with these requirements.
