What the Thurston County Auditor Does
The Thurston County Auditor wears two main hats for the public. The Recording Services side acts as the county recorder. It logs property and marriage documents so the chain of title and the public record stay intact. The Licensing Services side issues marriage licenses and handles other county licensing work. Both sit under the same office at the same address, but they answer different phone lines and serve different needs.
Recording is the core function people search most. When a deed, lien, or marriage certificate is recorded, it joins the permanent public record. The office also receives legal service of summons in person under RCW 4.28.080 during weekday hours. That is a narrow but real duty, and it is separate from anything a court does.
Here is the part that trips people up. The Auditor does not keep court case files. It does not hold lawsuit records, criminal files, or family law judgments. Those live with the County Clerk, who serves as Clerk of the Superior Court. If you need a divorce decree, a civil judgment, or a criminal case, start with the Thurston County Clerk of Court instead. The Auditor records land and marriage papers; the Clerk holds the cases the courts decide.
Note: The Auditor records marriage documents and issues marriage licenses, but a divorce is a court matter handled by the Clerk, not the Auditor.
Auditor Office, Hours, and Contact
The office sits in Olympia and serves walk-ins, mail requests, and phone requests. Recording and Licensing share the building but run on their own schedules and contacts. Use the right line for the task. Recording handles documents and recorded copies. Licensing handles marriage license applications. The card below lists the addresses, phones, and hours you need to plan a visit.
3000 Pacific Ave SE
Olympia, WA 98501
Recording: 360-786-5405
recording@co.thurston.wa.us
Licensing: 360-786-5406
licensing@co.thurston.wa.us
Fax: 360-786-5223
Washington Relay: 711
Recording hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
(opens 9:00 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month for staff training)
Marriage license applications: 8:00 a.m.-4:15 p.m.
Plan around those cutoffs. Recording counters close at 4:30, but marriage license work stops at 4:15 because the process can take time. The deaf and hard-of-hearing can reach the office through 711 Washington Relay. Recording stays open standard weekday hours, with that one late start each month.
Recording Documents With the Auditor
Recording is how a document gets into the public land record. The Thurston County Auditor accepts paper and electronic filings, but eRecording is described as the most efficient option. Once a document is recorded, it becomes a public record preserved in perpetuity. That permanence is the whole point. A recorded deed or lien stays on file so future buyers, lenders, and title searchers can trust the chain of ownership.
One limit to note. The Recording office does not provide notary services. If your document needs a notarized signature, get that done before you bring it in. The office records what is presented; it does not notarize on the spot. The county lists many document types that are viewable online because they carry lower privacy risk, while all public records remain viewable in person.
The most common recorded documents include the following.
- Deeds - the core property transfer documents.
- Easements - rights to use part of another's land.
- Leases and real estate contracts - longer-term property agreements.
- Liens and UCC fixture filings - claims and security interests against property.
- Covenants and restrictive covenant changes - rules tied to a parcel.
- Plats and most maps - survey and subdivision records.
The county's look up property records page describes how recorded land documents reach the public index.
Searching Auditor Records With EagleWeb
EagleWeb is the Auditor's online document search. The public can log in as a guest to browse recorded documents. You can search several ways. Use the Auditor's File Number if you have it, or a book and page, or a recording date range, or a grantor or grantee name, or a legal description. Indexed information shows online, and selected images are posted too. Some images are not online, but every public record can still be viewed in the office.
Names need care. The grantor is the party giving or granting, and the grantee is the party receiving. Each name field pairs with a search-type dropdown for exact or advanced matching. The table below lists the key fields you will use most.
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Auditor's File # | Text | Search by the recorded document number. |
| Book | Text | Paired with Page for book/page searches. |
| Page | Text | Paired with Book. |
| Recording Date Start | Date | MM/DD/YYYY start of range. |
| Recording Date End | Date | MM/DD/YYYY end of range. |
| Grantor name | Text | Party 1; dropdown for exact or advanced. |
| Grantee name | Text | Party 2; dropdown for exact or advanced. |
| Document type(s) | Multi-select | Hold Ctrl and click to pick several. |
| Search | Button | Runs the document search. |
You can open the EagleWeb guest document search to look up recorded documents by any of these fields.
Copy Fees and Requests
The Auditor sells copies of recorded documents. Fees depend on whether the copy is plain, certified, or a bulk image pull. Plain photocopies cost little per page. A certified copy carries the recorder's seal and costs more. The office also offers an annual EagleWeb subscription for users who pull records often. The schedule below covers the common charges.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Photocopy | $1.00 per page |
| Certified recorded-document copy | $3.00 first page + $1.00 each added page |
| Bulk images | $0.025 per image |
| EagleWeb annual subscription | $725 |
To order a copy by mail, send the Auditor File Number, your return address, and a check or money order payable to "Thurston County Auditor." That file number is the key. Without it, staff cannot pin down the exact document you want. Certified copies can also be ordered in person, by phone, or by email.
One caution about online images. The images you view or save through EagleWeb are standard copy images, not certified images. If a bank, a court, or another agency needs a certified copy, an online download will not meet that bar. You must order the certified version through the office. The document recording, copying, and fees page lays out the full fee schedule.
Note: Online recorded images are standard copies only, so a certified copy must be ordered from the office when an agency requires the recorder's seal.
Marriage Licenses and Records
The Thurston County Auditor issues marriage licenses through Licensing Services. The fee is $172 and it is nonrefundable. Both parties must be 18 or older, and each needs valid photo ID that shows a birth date and signature. Residency is not required, so couples from out of the area can apply here. A license is valid for 60 days after the waiting period, and it works only for ceremonies held in Washington. The marriage application itself is a public record.
The waiting period matters for timing. Under RCW 26.04.180, a three-day wait begins once the completed, signed, paid application is in the Auditor's possession. Plan ahead so the wait does not collide with your wedding date. Marriage records are public, with one key exception. People in the state Address Confidentiality Program should contact the office to arrange access. A certified marriage copy costs $3 for the first page plus $1 for each added page.
The basic application steps run like this.
- Check that both applicants meet the rules, including age and valid photo ID.
- Complete the Online Marriage Application from home or a lobby computer.
- Go to the Recording office to finish the application and start the three-day waiting period.
- Both parties appear in person, unless one signs before a notary and the other brings that signed application in.
- After the three-day wait, marry any time within the next 60 days in Washington.
For divorce and dissolution, which are Superior Court matters, see the Thurston County marriage and divorce records page. The county's marriage licenses page covers the full application process.
Historical Marriage Records and the State Archives
Older marriage records are held by the Washington State Archives, not just the local office. The Archives keeps a collection titled Thurston County Auditor, Marriage Records, covering 1891 to 1898 and 1970 to the present. Those records are open for research, which makes them a strong starting point for genealogy or older family history work.
The collection holds three record types. There is the Marriage Application, the Marriage Certificate, and the Marriage Certificate Correction. Each captures a different stage of the marriage record. Transfers into the Archives came from regional archives and the Auditor's Recording Department over time, so the holdings span more than a century.
You can search the Thurston County Auditor marriage records collection at the State Digital Archives for these historical documents.