Washington State Courts: Filing Venue for Actions Against Counties
Filing Venues for Actions by or Against Counties
RCW 36.01.050 provides that actions against a county may be commenced in the superior court of that county or in the superior court of either of the two nearest judicial districts. The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is required to make the determination based on travel time between county seats.
The original county designations were established in 2000 using data provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The designations were reviewed and revised in October 2016 based on current travel time estimates using online tools recommended by WSDOT.
Several designations were changed from the original 2000 list:
- Benton: Yakima or
Kittitas Walla Walla
- Grant: Kittitas or
Chelan Douglas
- Klickitat: Yakima or
Clark Benton
- Pierce: Thurston or
King Kitsap
- Wahkiakum: Cowlitz or
Clark Pacific
Nearest Filing Venues Listed By County
The following list was updated in 2016 to indicate the nearest two judicial districts for each county:
|
County Name
|
Filing Venues
|
| Adams |
Spokane |
Lincoln |
| Asotin |
Whitman |
Walla Walla |
| Benton |
Yakima |
Walla Walla |
| Chelan |
Douglas |
Grant |
| Clallam |
Kitsap |
Jefferson |
| Clark |
Cowlitz |
Skamania |
| Columbia |
Walla Walla |
Franklin |
| Cowlitz |
Wahkiakum |
Lewis |
| Douglas |
Grant |
Chelan |
| Ferry |
Lincoln |
Okanogan |
| Franklin |
Walla Walla |
Columbia |
| Garfield |
Walla Walla |
Whitman |
| Grant |
Kittitas |
Douglas |
| Grays Harbor |
Pacific |
Thurston |
| Island |
Snohomish |
Skagit |
| Jefferson |
Clallam |
Kitsap |
| King |
Pierce |
Snohomish |
| Kitsap |
Pierce |
Mason |
| Kittitas |
Grant |
Yakima |
| Klickitat |
Yakima |
Benton |
| Lewis |
Cowlitz |
Thurston |
| Lincoln |
Spokane |
Adams |
| Mason |
Grays Harbor |
Thurston |
| Okanogan |
Ferry |
Douglas |
| Pacific |
Lewis |
Grays Harbor |
| Pend Oreille |
Spokane |
Lincoln |
| Pierce |
Thurston |
Kitsap |
| San Juan |
Skagit |
Whatcom |
| Skagit |
Snohomish |
Whatcom |
| Skamania |
Cowlitz |
Clark |
| Snohomish |
King |
Skagit |
| Spokane |
Pend Oreille |
Lincoln |
| Stevens |
Lincoln |
Spokane |
| Thurston |
Lewis |
Mason |
| Wahkiakum |
Cowlitz |
Pacific |
| Walla Walla |
Franklin |
Columbia |
| Whatcom |
Skagit |
Snohomish |
| Whitman |
Garfield |
Spokane |
| Yakima |
Kittitas |
Benton |
|
