Recorded Documents (before Aug. 1991)

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King County Archives does not hold documents that were recorded after July 31, 1991. Please order a copy from the King County Recorder's Office.

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Plat Maps: All recorded plat maps are available on the King County Recorder’s Office app Landmark.

Surveys: Recorded surveys do not exist for every parcel. The County doesn’t conduct property surveys on behalf of property owners; property owners must hire someone to do that work.

Additionally:

• Before 1973, private surveys weren’t recorded in King County, so any private surveys between 1853 and 1972 wouldn’t be a county government record and wouldn’t be available at the Archives.
• Until the 1990s, private surveys weren’t required to be recorded with the County Recorder’s Office. So many surveys conducted between 1973 and 1990 aren’t available at the County Archives because they weren’t recorded, and therefore, not a county government record.

Recorded surveys are scanned and available online through the King County Recorder’s Office app Landmark.

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Permitting records, including building / construction plans, floor plans, and architectural drawings, aren't typically recorded, and the County Archives holds very few permitting records for residential or commercial structures. The bulk of our collection focuses on county government-owned buildings.

If the building was constructed in a city, please contact that city’s permitting / construction office. They can tell you how far back their permitting files go.

If the building was constructed in unincorporated King County, contact the King County Permitting Division. Their collection of permitting records starts around the 1980s, so depending on when the structure was built, they may have something.

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Septic and on-site sewage records typically aren't recorded, and they are maintained by Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. You can use their online search tool to locate digitized septic permitting records and as-builts from the early 1960s through the present.

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Thanks for contacting King County Archives. For historical information on your property, including names of former owners and photos, the best place to start is the King County Assessor’s real property record cards. Puget Sound Regional Archives in Bellevue holds the cards. You may request that they scan and email you a copy, or you may make an appointment to visit in person.

Property Record Cards date from 1937 to 1972, and capture information through time necessary to value land and buildings for the assessment and collection of real property taxes. This series of records was established through a survey funded by a contract between the Assessor and the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). Property Record Cards contain information such as legal descriptions, building types, number of rooms. They also include at least one photograph of each building on the parcel and often list the names of former owners back to 1937.

To request multiple documents, click the "Add More" button.

If you're requesting more than one document all associated with the same address / parcel number, type "SAME" into the subsequent address fields.

Proof of ownership / title: Request a warranty deed or quit claim deed. A warranty deed is a legal document that transfers title of real estate and includes a legal description of said property.

Proof the loan was paid off: Request a reconveyance.