Bremerton Deed Records

Bremerton deed records are maintained by the Kitsap County Auditor's Office, which serves as the official custodian of all real property documents in Kitsap County. When property in Bremerton is sold or transferred, the deed is recorded there and enters the public record. You can search those records online going back to the 1800s through the Kitsap County public records search system. This page explains how to find Bremerton deed records, what types of documents exist, and how to get copies.

Kitsap County Auditor's Office for Bremerton

The Kitsap County Auditor's Office, with its Recording Division, maintains all deed records for Bremerton properties. The Recorder of Deeds is located at 614 Division Street in Port Orchard, the Kitsap County seat, and can be reached at (360) 337-4935. Washington law designates county auditors as the custodians of recorded documents, meaning they receive, review, index, store, and make available all real property instruments for public inspection. This includes deeds, deeds of trust, liens, easements, plats, surveys, and all other recorded documents affecting title to Bremerton real estate.

Kitsap County offers one of the more accessible online property search systems in Washington. The online portal at psearch.kitsapgov.com provides free search access to deeds, mortgages, liens, and other recorded documents. What makes this system stand out is the depth of records available: the database includes documents dating back to the 1800s. For a city like Bremerton with deep ties to naval history and early Washington settlement, this long record coverage is valuable for title research and historical property investigations.

The Bremerton Municipal Court at 550 Park Avenue handles court records, not deed records. For property title and ownership documents, the Kitsap County Auditor's Recording Division in Port Orchard is the correct office.

How to Search Bremerton Deed Records

The primary search tool for Bremerton deed records is the Kitsap County property search portal at psearch.kitsapgov.com. The system is free and open to the public. You can search by owner name, parcel number, address, or document type. The integrated GIS maps let you search by location and pull up property details and recorded document history for any parcel in the city. Property tax assessment information is also available through this portal.

The Bremerton city website provides contact information for city departments and links to county resources for property records and deed searches.

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is another resource for older Bremerton property records. The Digital Archives holds collections covering Washington land records, plats and surveys, and property record cards with photographs from the 1930s and 1940s. Since Kitsap County's online system already covers back to the 1800s, the Digital Archives is more useful for records from the territorial period or those that may have been transferred to the state repository.

For city-level records like building permits, code enforcement actions, or zoning decisions, contact the Bremerton city government directly. The city's website at bremertonwa.gov provides department contacts. Those records are separate from the county deed recording system and are not part of the property title record.

Types of Deed Records in Bremerton

Kitsap County records a wide range of property documents affecting Bremerton real estate. The three main deed types under Washington law are the Statutory Warranty Deed under RCW 64.04.030, the Bargain and Sale Deed under RCW 64.04.040, and the Quitclaim Deed under RCW 64.04.050. Warranty deeds carry full title guarantees and are common in standard home sales. Bargain and sale deeds limit warranties to the seller's ownership period and often appear in foreclosure-related sales. Quitclaim deeds make no guarantees and are used for family transfers, divorce settlements, or clearing up old title questions.

Deeds of trust are the primary mortgage instrument in Washington. Lenders record a deed of trust when they finance a property purchase, and a Full Reconveyance is recorded when the loan is repaid. Both documents are indexed and searchable through the county system. Other recorded documents in Bremerton property searches include easements, liens, notices of trustee's sale, lis pendens filings, plats, boundary surveys, and transfer-on-death deeds. Any of these can appear in a standard title search and may affect the value or marketability of the property.

Note: Washington requires a real estate excise tax affidavit to accompany every deed before recording. The affidavit states the sale price or grounds for exemption. These affidavits are part of the public record and can provide useful information about historical sales prices when researching Bremerton property ownership history.

Recording Fees in Kitsap County

Washington State recording fees are set by the Legislature and apply uniformly across all counties under RCW Chapters 36.18 and 36.22. Recording a deed in Kitsap County costs $303.50 for the first page plus $1.00 for each additional page. A deed of trust costs $304.50 for the first page. The standard fee includes a $183 housing affordability surcharge and a $100 Covenant Homeownership surcharge that fund state housing programs.

Documents that fail to meet the formatting requirements of RCW 65.04 may be assessed a $50 non-standard fee when submitted with an emergency cover sheet. The most common compliance issues involve margins. The first page must have a three-inch top margin. All other pages require a one-inch margin on all sides. Nothing should be placed in the margins, including notary seals, stamps, or tracking numbers. Get this right before submitting, as fixing it after the fact adds cost and delays recording.

Online Resources for Bremerton Property Records

The Kitsap County property search at psearch.kitsapgov.com is the most comprehensive online tool for Bremerton deed research. Property tax assessments, GIS maps, and recorded documents are all accessible through this unified portal. You can search by name, parcel, or address and view a full property report that links to deed history and recorded instruments. The search is free and open to the public with no login required.

The Washington State Archives maintains the Washington State Archives system with multiple regional branches. The Puget Sound Regional Branch covers Kitsap County and holds older records that may predate the county's digital system. For deep historical research on Bremerton properties, the state archives can fill gaps in the county's records. The Washington State Digital Archives also provides searchable access to its historical land record collections online.

Property tax records and current assessed values are available through the Kitsap County Assessor-Treasurer's office, which maintains a separate information portal from the recording office. If you want to understand what a property is currently valued at for tax purposes or to see recent assessment history, the Assessor-Treasurer is the right resource. Both systems link to each other and can be used together for a complete property profile.

Public Access to Bremerton Deed Records

Kitsap County deed records are public under RCW Chapter 42.56, Washington's Public Records Act. Anyone can search and view recorded documents without providing a reason. The county must respond to records requests within five business days. No identification is required to use the online search portal, and no account is needed to view document images.

Walk-in access to the Recording Division in Port Orchard is available during business hours. Public computers are available on-site for searching the document index and viewing recorded documents. Copies cost $1.00 per page for standard copies and more for certified copies. The office accepts mail-in requests; include the document number and instrument type with your request, along with payment. Online payments and copy requests are also available through the county's system for many document types.

Kitsap County Deed Records

Bremerton is the largest city in Kitsap County, and all deed records for Bremerton properties are maintained by the Kitsap County Auditor's Office. The county page covers the full recording system, document search, and resources available across Kitsap County.

View Kitsap County Deed Records

Nearby Cities

These nearby Washington cities also file deed records through their county recording offices.