King County, Washington Public Records

To begin, add a county public record or view a list of county record locations and resources for King county records and the state of Washington.

One of the most well-known Washington city, Seattle, is located in King County. The county itself was created by the Oregon Territory legislature and was named after Vice President William R. King, who served directly under President Franklin Pierce. The area was originally large enough to extend to the Olympic Peninsula, but interestingly enough it was shortened to the area that it is now thanks to prohibitionists who wanted to shut down the saloons that were in Seattle. It was then that Kitsap County was taken away from King County in order for the area to keep it’s saloons.

In more recent history, the area was actually “renamed” to honor Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was in 1986 that this change was decided upon by the council of the city, but it was not put into law until 2005 when the Governor signed the bill into law. Less than a year later the county logo was changed to show a picture of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as well. Those who are looking for King County public records will be able to find what they are searching for at the recorder’s office, but new online interfaces may prove easier and more accessible.