Pierce County WA Court Records Search: LINX, Superior Court, District Court, Dockets, Copies & PACER
Use this guide to find Pierce County, Washington court records through official LINX Superior Court search, Clerk of Superior Court copy routes, District Court records requests, Washington Find My Court Date, municipal court routes, juvenile court routing, recorded-document searches, appellate records and PACER for federal cases.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This page is not Pierce County, the Pierce County Clerk of Superior Court, Pierce County District Court, Pierce County Juvenile Court, Washington Courts, PACER, a federal court, a law firm, a background-check company or a Consumer Reporting Agency. It is an educational routing guide only.
Responsible-use warning: a matching name does not prove identity. A charge, citation, lawsuit, petition, arrest, complaint, warrant, docket entry or court calendar listing does not prove guilt or liability. Do not use this page for employment, housing, credit, insurance, tenant screening or any other FCRA-regulated decision.
Pierce County court records are split between LINX, District Court, municipal courts and record custodians
Pierce County Superior Court uses the Legal Information Network Exchange, commonly called LINX, for Superior Court case information and documents. District Court records use a separate Pierce County District Court request route and Washington court-date search. Municipal courts, juvenile records, appellate records, recorded documents and federal court cases are separate systems.
Search Pierce County Superior Court criminal, civil, domestic, probate, guardianship and judgment cases.
Superior Court documents filed after Jan. 1, 2002 are generally routed through LINX for purchase/viewing.
For records before January 1991, Pierce County directs users to call the Clerk’s Office.
Court case records follow Washington court-record rules, not ordinary county Public Records Act routing.
Pierce County WA court-record route finder
Select the record type you need. This privacy-safe helper does not collect personal information and does not run a real court-record search.
Use LINX for Superior Court case information. For District Court hearing dates, use Washington Find My Court Date and select District and Municipal Courts, then Pierce Co District. Always compare cause number, court, case type, filing date and party role before relying on a name match.
Which official Pierce County source should you use?
Do not search by name only. Match the case type to the official court, clerk or portal that actually maintains that category of record.
| Need | Correct official source | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court criminal, civil, domestic, probate, guardianship, tax warrant or judgment case | LINX and Pierce County Clerk of Superior Court | Search LINX by name or cause number. Use the Clerk of Superior Court for official copies, older records, certified copies and record questions. |
| Superior Court documents filed after Jan. 1, 2002 | LINX case page purchase/view route | Open the case in LINX, review available documents and use the purchase-copies option when the document is available. |
| Superior Court documents from January 1991 through December 2001 not imaged online | Pierce County scan request route | Submit the scan request process, then purchase the imaged document through LINX after it is made available. |
| Superior Court records before January 1991 | Pierce County Clerk of Superior Court | Call the Clerk at 253-798-7455 and be ready with cause number, litigant names, approximate year and document type. |
| District Court misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims, name changes or limited civil cases | Pierce County District Court | Use Find My Court Date for hearing lookup and District Court case-record request routes for copies or case files. |
| Tacoma or other city municipal court record | Correct municipal court | Use Tacoma Municipal Court or the specific city municipal court. Municipal court records are not the same as Pierce County Superior Court records. |
| Juvenile Court record | Pierce County Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office | Contact Juvenile Court at 5501 6th Avenue or 253-798-7973. Expect confidentiality and access limits. |
| Recorded deed, lien, marriage record or recorded name-change document after July 1991 | Pierce County Auditor recorded-documents route | Use Auditor recorded-document search and copy procedures. Recorded documents are not ordinary court case records. |
| Name-change document before July 1991 | Pierce County Superior Court | Contact Superior Court records because the Auditor page directs older name-change documents before July 1991 to Superior Court. |
| Washington state appeal from Pierce County | Washington Court of Appeals Division II and appellate document portal | Search appellate docket/document resources separately and compare the appellate case number with the Pierce County trial-court cause number. |
| Federal district or bankruptcy case | Western District of Washington / Western District Bankruptcy Court / PACER | Use PACER or the specific federal court. Pierce County LINX and District Court search do not contain federal district or bankruptcy records. |
| Birth, death or vital record | Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department | Use health department vital-record routes. Vital records are not ordinary court-case records. |
How to search Pierce County WA court records without using the wrong database
A reliable Pierce County search starts with the correct record type. Superior Court LINX records, District Court files, municipal court records, juvenile court records, recorded documents, appellate cases and federal cases use different routes.
Do not confuse this page with Pierce County, Georgia or another county. Confirm state, county, court and case type before searching.
LINX is the case-management system for Pierce County Superior Court and supports searching criminal and civil cases by name or cause number.
For Pierce County District Court hearings, select Case Search, then District and Municipal Courts, then Pierce Co District.
District Court explains that case records relate to in-court proceedings and are governed by GR 31, while administrative records relate to court management and follow GR 31.1.
Name searches can return wrong matches. Compare cause number, court, case type, filing date, party role, attorneys, docket entries and judgment status.
For Superior Court documents after Jan. 1, 2002, use LINX. For 1991-2001 not-imaged documents, use scan request. For pre-1991 records, call the Clerk.
Use Clerk of Superior Court for Superior Court copies, District Court for District Court records, Juvenile Court for juvenile files and the Auditor for recorded documents.
Sealed, juvenile, adoption, mental-health, family-law financial, personal-health, confidential-report and protected personal-identifier information may be restricted.
Official Pierce County WA court-record links and what to do after opening each one
These are the practical official routes users are most likely to need. Each link includes next steps so this page is not just a generic link list.
Use this for Pierce County Superior Court case information.
- Open the Search tab.
- Search Superior Court cases by cause number or litigant name where available.
- Review case type, docket, proceedings, charges, judgments and documents.
- Use the case page purchase option when document copies are available.
Use this for Superior Court copies, certified copies and older-document routing.
- Check whether the document was filed after Jan. 1, 2002, between Jan. 1991 and Dec. 2001, or before Jan. 1991.
- Use LINX for post-2002 available documents.
- Use scan request for 1991-2001 not-imaged documents.
- Call 253-798-7455 before mailing payment or ordering older files.
Use this to choose the correct official court-record custodian.
- Use Clerk of Superior Court for official Superior Court records.
- Use Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office for official juvenile records.
- Use District Court for official District Court records.
- Do not send court case records to the wrong administrative-record officer route.
Use this for Superior Court records, LINX access, e-filing, self-help and rules/fees links.
- Note the office location: County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 110.
- Check office hours and phone service hours before calling or visiting.
- Use Rules & Fees before ordering certified copies.
- Use LINX for available case information and documents.
Use this to understand what LINX can show.
- Review LINX features before searching.
- Use name or cause-number search for Superior Court cases.
- View attorneys, charges, proceedings and calendars where available.
- Remember jail roster information is not the same as a court disposition.
Use this for District Court services and records routing.
- Confirm the case is District Court, not Superior or Juvenile Court.
- Use the Find Case Information page for District Court case-record requests.
- Use District Court forms for civil, criminal, traffic and small-claims needs.
- Call 253-798-7487 for District Court record questions.
Use this for District Court hearing lookup and case-record request steps.
- Use Find My Court Date for a District Court hearing date.
- Use the District Court case-record request form for in-court proceeding records.
- Provide specific document names, urgency and delivery preference when requesting records.
- Do not request Superior Court divorce, dissolution or child-support records from District Court.
Use this as a statewide reference search, not as the final official record.
- Read the notice that results are reference material.
- Use the correct court record for official copies.
- Remember case-file documents are not available on this search site.
- Use LINX for Pierce County Superior Court complete docket and documents.
Use this to confirm the correct Washington court search system.
- Review the section for Pierce County Superior Court.
- Follow the LINX route for Pierce County Superior Court.
- Use Odyssey only for courts listed under Odyssey Portal.
- Contact the court of record for complete records or copies.
Use this for Auditor recorded documents, not ordinary court-case dockets.
- Search online for recorded documents.
- Use the Auditor’s copy instructions for certified copies by mail.
- Use Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department for birth/death/vital statistics.
- For name-change documents before July 1991, use Superior Court instead.
Use this for Washington appellate cases connected to Pierce County.
- Confirm the matter is an appeal, not an active trial-court case.
- Use the appellate docket and public document portal where available.
- Compare the appellate case number with the trial-court cause number.
- Contact the appellate clerk for official appellate records.
Use this for Washington Supreme Court and Court of Appeals public documents.
- Select the correct appellate court.
- Search by appellate case number when possible.
- Remember official appellate records come from the appellate court clerk.
- Do not use appellate search as a substitute for LINX trial-court records.
How to request Pierce County court record copies and certified records
Copy rules depend on the record custodian. Superior Court documents route through LINX and the Clerk of Superior Court. District Court records route through District Court. Juvenile Court records route through Juvenile Court. Recorded documents route through the Auditor. Federal documents route through PACER or the federal clerk.
| Need | Likely office | Information to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court document filed after Jan. 1, 2002 | LINX / Clerk of Superior Court | Cause number, litigant name, case type, document title, filing date if known and whether you need certified, non-certified, authenticated or exemplified copy. |
| Superior Court document from Jan. 1991 through Dec. 2001 not imaged | Clerk of Superior Court scan request route | Cause number, litigant names, document title and contact email for confirmation when the document is available in LINX. |
| Superior Court record before Jan. 1991 | Clerk of Superior Court | Cause number if available, litigant names, approximate year, case type, document title and copy purpose. |
| District Court case file, docket, calendar or order | Pierce County District Court | Case number if known, party name, date of birth if the official form requires it, date of incident if relevant and exact documents requested. |
| Juvenile Court record | Pierce County Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office | Case number if known, party relationship, proof of authority, requested document and access basis. |
| Recorded deed, lien, marriage or Auditor document | Pierce County Auditor Recording Copies | Recording number, names, document type, recording date and whether certified copy is needed. |
| Federal district or bankruptcy document | PACER, Western District of Washington clerk or bankruptcy clerk | Federal court name, federal case number, document number, docket entry and certification need. |
Listed-fee planning helper
This helper estimates selected Washington superior court clerk copy charges only. It does not include every District Court fee, municipal fee, Auditor fee, postage, handling, archive, redaction, transcript, storage-media, exhibit, federal, PACER or payment-processing cost. The official office controls the final amount.
Pierce County courthouse locations and visit tips
County-City Building
930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 110
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253-798-7455
Office hours listed: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Phone service hours listed: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
County-City Building, 2nd Floor
930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 239
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253-798-7487
Use for District Court case-record requests, limited-jurisdiction case questions and District Court public-record routing.
5501 6th Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98406
Phone: 253-798-7973
Use for juvenile court records and diversion-record questions, subject to confidentiality and access limits.
Pierce County appeals, federal district cases and bankruptcy records
Not every case connected to Pierce County stays in LINX or District Court. Washington appellate cases and federal cases have separate official systems.
- Use this for state appeals connected to Pierce County trial-court cases.
- Note the Division II location: 909 A Street, Suite 200, Tacoma, WA 98402.
- Use appellate dockets and document portals for appellate records.
- Compare the appellate case number with the Pierce County cause number.
- Use this for Washington Supreme Court and Court of Appeals public documents.
- Select the correct appellate court before searching.
- Contact the appellate clerk for official appellate records.
- Do not expect this portal to replace trial-court LINX records.
- Use this for federal civil and criminal cases in the Western District of Washington.
- The Tacoma federal clerk’s office is at 1717 Pacific Avenue, Room 3100.
- Use PACER for federal docket and document access.
- Do not use Pierce County LINX for federal district records.
- Confirm Pierce County is listed under the Western District of Washington.
- Use the federal case number when available.
- Search the specific court before broad party-name searches when possible.
- Review PACER billing rules before opening documents.
- Use this for bankruptcy cases connected to Pierce County.
- The Western District Bankruptcy Court has Seattle and Tacoma courthouse routes.
- Use PACER and bankruptcy court case-information pages for docket access.
- Do not search LINX or District Court for bankruptcy filings.
- Confirm the bankruptcy case belongs to Washington Western Bankruptcy Court.
- Use the bankruptcy case number when available.
- Check public terminal or copy-request options for restricted or older bankruptcy documents.
- Contact the bankruptcy clerk for certified-copy questions.
Court records vs administrative records, recorded documents, jail records and vital records
Pierce County record categories are easy to mix up. Use the correct custodian before assuming a record is missing.
| Record type | What it usually means | Correct route |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court case record | Cause number, pleadings, docket, proceedings, orders, judgments and case documents. | LINX and Clerk of Superior Court. |
| District Court case record | District Court case files, dockets, calendars and orders from in-court proceedings. | Pierce County District Court case-record request route. |
| Court administrative record | Records about court management, supervision or administration, not a case file. | Court public records officer under GR 31.1 procedures. |
| Recorded document | Recorded deeds, liens, marriage records and certain name-change records. | Pierce County Auditor recorded-documents search and copy process. |
| Jail roster | Current custody or jail status information. | Pierce County jail roster or corrections route; use court records separately for case filings and dispositions. |
| Birth or death record | Vital statistics, not court case records. | Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. |
How to read Pierce County WA court records responsibly
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, protected person, restrained person, decedent, guardian, ward and judgment debtor mean different things. A listed party is not automatically accused of wrongdoing.
Washington court systems often use cause numbers. Use the exact cause number whenever possible because common-name searches can return unrelated matches.
Complaint, petition, summons, motion, notice, hearing, order, judgment, continuance, plea, sentence and dismissal entries must be read in sequence and context.
Arrest, charge, warrant, complaint, information, plea, conviction, acquittal, dismissal and sentence are different stages. Jail records and court records are separate systems.
Family-law, guardianship, juvenile, adoption, mental-health and personal-health documents may include privacy-sensitive or restricted information.
A screen print, reference search result or downloaded docket is not the same as a certified court record. Use the official clerk for certified copies.
What to do if your Pierce County court-record search fails
- Confirm you are searching Pierce County, Washington.
- Use LINX for Pierce County Superior Court, not Odyssey.
- Try cause number before a broad name search.
- Try District Court, municipal court or juvenile court routes if the case is not Superior Court.
- Check whether the file is older than LINX document coverage.
- Contact the correct court if the record may be sealed, confidential, juvenile-related or archived.
- Narrow by court, cause number, case type, filing year or party role.
- Compare attorneys, charges, proceedings, calendars and judgments where available.
- Check whether the person is a party, attorney, witness or other participant.
- Do not rely on a common-name match alone.
- Use the official clerk copy process for verified records.
- Do not use public case search as a background-check product.
Use Pierce County court records carefully
- A filing does not prove an allegation is true.
- A charge does not prove guilt.
- A warrant, citation or complaint is not the same as a conviction.
- A jail listing is not a final court disposition.
- A reference search result is not the official court record.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame or retaliate.
- Do not publish unnecessary personal details.
- Do not bypass sealed, juvenile, adoption, mental-health or confidential restrictions.
- Do not use this page as a background-check product.
- Do not treat this article as legal advice.
Frequently asked questions about Pierce County WA court records
How do I search Pierce County WA court records by name?
For Pierce County Superior Court, use LINX and search by name or cause number where available. For District Court hearing dates, use Washington Find My Court Date and choose District and Municipal Courts, then Pierce Co District. A name match alone does not prove identity, so compare cause number, court, case type, filing date, party role and docket activity.
Is LINX the same as Washington Odyssey Portal?
No. Washington Courts directs Pierce County Superior Court users to LINX, while many other Washington Superior Courts use Odyssey Portal. LINX is Pierce County’s case-management and public-access system for Superior Court case information and documents.
Which office keeps official Pierce County Superior Court records?
The Pierce County Clerk of the Superior Court maintains official Superior Court records. The Clerk is located in the County-City Building at 930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 110, Tacoma, WA 98402, and the main phone number is 253-798-7455.
Which cases are handled by Pierce County District Court?
Pierce County District Court is a limited-jurisdiction court for matters such as traffic infractions, criminal and traffic misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors, civil disputes within the District Court limit, small claims, name changes, and anti-harassment or stalking protection orders.
How do I get copies of Pierce County Superior Court documents?
For Superior Court documents filed after January 1, 2002, use LINX, open the case, and use the purchase-copies option where available. For January 1991 through December 2001 documents that are not imaged, use the scan request route. For records filed before January 1991, call the Clerk’s Office at 253-798-7455.
How much do Pierce County Superior Court copies cost?
Washington superior court clerk fees include $5 for the first page of a certified copy and $1 for each additional page, $2 for each additional seal for authentication or exemplification, and $0.50 per page for non-certified copies. Pierce County fee notices can change, so verify the current Rules and Fees page before ordering.
Are Pierce County court records public records under the Public Records Act?
Pierce County states that court records are not subject to Washington’s Public Records Act. Court case records are accessed under court-record rules such as GR 31, while court administrative records use GR 31.1 and separate public-record officer procedures.
Are Pierce County recorded documents the same as court records?
No. Court records are case records maintained by courts and clerks. Recorded documents such as deeds, liens, marriage records and some name-change records are handled through the Pierce County Auditor’s recorded-documents route. Birth, death and other vital records route to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Where do I search Pierce County federal or bankruptcy cases?
Federal civil and criminal cases connected to Pierce County use the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and PACER. Bankruptcy cases use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington and PACER. Do not use Pierce County LINX or District Court search for federal district or bankruptcy records.
Can I use this page for employment, housing, credit or tenant screening?
No. Public-Court-Records.us is not a Consumer Reporting Agency and this page is not an FCRA-regulated screening product. Do not use it to decide employment, housing, credit, insurance or tenant-screening eligibility.
Official-source review checklist
Information reviewed for this guide included Pierce County Court Records, LINX Search, LINX Online Case Information, LINX FAQ and help pages, Pierce County Request Court Records, Clerk of Superior Court, Superior Court, Rules & Fees, District Court, District Court Find Case Information, District Court case-type pages, Washington Courts Name and Case Search, Washington Find Court Records, Washington GR 31 and GR 31.1 guidance, Pierce County Recorded Documents, Washington Court of Appeals Division II, Washington Appellate Courts Public Document Search, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington and PACER pricing/court lookup pages. Review date: September 2, 2026.