Public Records

The Snohomish County Health Department manages and maintains a variety of public records. Records are available for inspection and duplication unless specifically exempted by law.

You are entitled to either inspect the records yourself at our offices or you may receive copies of them after paying a copying fee. The more precisely you can identify the record you seek, the more responsive we can be.

Property Records

For records related to septic systems, view our As-Built Records page. We also have property records related to wells. Information such as street address, Property Tax Account number, or property ownership is needed to locate property records.

Records Request Process

  1. Use the Public Records Request Portal.
  2. Complete a Request for Public Records form (PDF). You can mail, fax, or deliver the form in person to the Snohomish County Health Department.
  3. Within 5 business days of receiving your request, we will respond in one or more of the following ways:
  • Make the records available for your review
  • Provide a link to a website for the specific records requested
  • Copy the records for mailing or pick up
  • Provide a reasonable estimate of when the records will be available
  • Ask for clarification, if necessary
  • Deny the request and provide an explanation

Public Record Fees

There are no fees for inspecting public records on-site. Additional costs are as follows:

  • $0.15 per page for black and white letter or legal size copies
  • Charges at actual cost may apply for postage and shipping supplies, oversized or special copies (such as blueprints), color copies, special media (such as CDs, DVDs, tapes, etc).
  • A deposit in an amount not to exceed 10% of the estimated cost of providing photocopies for a request

Payment of the total charges is required before we give you the requested records.

If your request is for a large number of records, we may make the records available for inspection and copying on an installment basis and charge for each part of the request as it is provided. If it is not claimed or reviewed within 30 days, or unless other arrangements have been made, the request will be closed.

Availability of Records

The law requires that we provide access to existing public records in our possession, but we are not required to collect information or organize data to create a new record, one that didn’t exist at the time of your request.

Due to the burdensome nature and impact of maintaining a comprehensive public record index, Snohomish County Health Department does not maintain such an index as per resolution of the Board of Health.

Information on exemptions and the public records disclosure laws in Washington State (RCW 42.56) is available from the Office of the Attorney General.

Snohomish County Records

Records maintained by Snohomish County Auditor's Office include marriage and divorce records, property assessments and other property records.

Contact Snohomish County to obtain copies of recorded documents such as real estate deeds, mortgage papers, plat maps or other documents.