Washington, county records

Cowlitz County, Washington Public Records

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Find the right office in Cowlitz County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Cowlitz County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 12 official sources

Official

Police & jail

Cowlitz County Sheriff's Department

The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office in Kelso: concealed pistol licenses, fingerprinting, civil process, records, sheriff's sales, public records requests, a local sex offender search, animal control and emergency management.

co.cowlitz.wa.us
Open official site Cowlitz County Sheriff's Department
Official

Property records

Cowlitz County Property Search

The Cowlitz County property search gives the owner, the parcel number, the legal description and the assessed value of each parcel in the county.

cowlitzinfo.net
Open official site Cowlitz County Property Search
Official

Police & jail

Cowlitz County Sex Offender Search

Cowlitz County publishes the registered sex offender information kept by the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office for offenders living in the county.

co.cowlitz.wa.us
Open official site Cowlitz County Sex Offender Search
Official

Court records

Juvenile Court

Juvenile Court, with the court location, contacts and the case records it keeps for Cowlitz County, Washington.

cowlitzsuperiorcourt.us
Open official site Juvenile Court
Official

State records

Cowlitz County Voter Registration

The Cowlitz County Auditor's elections office holds the county's voter roll, takes new registrations and address changes, and runs the elections held in the county.

co.cowlitz.wa.us
Open official site Cowlitz County Voter Registration

Everything else, organized

More official Cowlitz County record sources

6 more Cowlitz County sources not listed above.

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Local record guide

About public records in Cowlitz County

County profile

Cowlitz County at a glance

State
Washington
County seat
Kelso
Population
110,730
Area
1,166 sq mi
Founded
1854
Cities and towns
11

Cowlitz County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of Cowlitz County.

Police Departments. Cowlitz County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Longview Police Department, Kelso Police Department, and Woodland Police Department. Each department has jurisdiction over its respective city, while the Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated areas.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Law enforcement in Cowlitz County is primarily provided by Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 312 SW First Avenue, Kelso, WA 98626. The Sheriff can be contacted through the office’s website, and the office maintains a website at co.cowlitz.wa.us. Inmate lookup services are available through the Sheriff's Office website, where the public can search current inmates by name or booking number, view booking dates, charges, and bond information. Municipal law enforcement is provided by the Longview Police Department (1350 Commerce Avenue, Longview, WA 98632) and the Kelso Police Department (312 SW Second Avenue, Kelso, WA 98626), which handle law enforcement within their respective city limits. Smaller communities such as Castle Rock and Kalama contract with the Sheriff's Office or maintain their own small departments. Arrest records in Cowlitz County are public records subject to disclosure under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56), though certain exemptions apply for ongoing investigations or juvenile records.

Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

You can access the inmate search online through the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office website, which provides up-to-date information on current inmates, including booking details and charges. For further assistance, you may contact the jail directly at (360) 577-3094.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Cowlitz County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Cowlitz County

Old mine sites
96
Sites with no status in the records
2
Still producing
3
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel; crushed stone; Aluminum
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
548
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
borrow pit, quarry, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated, gravel pit
Maps surveyed
1954 to 1998
Records behind them
650 records for 649 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 101 named mine sites inside the county, 96 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 548 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; crushed stone; Aluminum.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. Washington has no state abandoned mine land program page; the survey's coal mine maps are the record.

600 of 645 shown
Cowlitz County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. Purple is a shaft or a tunnel. Hover a dot for its name.
Washington mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Cowlitz County (101 shown, 548 unnamed on the map)

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Cowlitz County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Cowlitz County, Washington?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Cowlitz County Sheriff or a city police department in Cowlitz County. Ask that agency for its record. Under RCW 70.48.100 the jail register (name, date, time and cause of confinement, and release) is open to the public, but other records of a person confined in jail are confidential and go only to criminal justice agencies and the others the law lists. Law enforcement may use booking photographs to investigate crimes, and photographs of people convicted of a sex offense may be released under the sex offender notification laws.

How do I get a criminal background check in Cowlitz County, Washington?

The Washington criminal history record comes from the Washington State Patrol, Identification and Background Check Section. Run a name and date of birth search online through WATCH (Washington Access to Criminal History), or send the Request for Conviction Criminal History form or a fingerprint card to PO Box 42633, Olympia WA 98504-2633. Fee: $11.00 for a WATCH name search online; $32.00 for the Request for Conviction Criminal History form; $58.00 for a fingerprint card.

How can I look up sex offenders in Cowlitz County, Washington?

Search the Washington Sex Offender Public Registry (Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Cowlitz County, Washington?

Register with the county auditor (the county elections office; King County Elections in King County) or through the Washington Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. Online and mail registrations must be received 8 days before Election Day; you can register in person at a county elections office until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

How do I look up property records in Cowlitz County, Washington?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Cowlitz County are kept by the Cowlitz County auditor. Property values are set by the county assessor, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Cowlitz County, Washington?

Certified birth and death certificates for Washington come from the Washington State Department of Health Vital Records. Local health departments in Washington also issue certificates; check with your local health department for the certificates it offers and whether it serves people in person. By mail with check or money order to PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507, online or by phone through VitalChek, or in person by appointment at the Tumwater office. Fee: $25 for each certified or informational birth certificate.

How do I find business license records in Cowlitz County, Washington?

Business entity filings are searched with the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division. More than 200 cities and towns, and some counties for their unincorporated areas, issue their business license endorsements through the state Business Licensing Service at the Department of Revenue; a city or county not on its lists must be contacted directly.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.

LongviewKelsoWoodlandKalamaCastle RockRyderwoodCougarArielCarrollsSilverlakeToutleClark CountyLewis CountySkamania CountyWahkiakum CountyColumbia County, Oregon