Franklin County Deed Records

Franklin County deed records are maintained by the County Auditor's Office in Pasco, Washington. The Auditor handles recorded land documents including deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, judgments, real estate contracts, and other instruments affecting real property in the county. You can search recorded documents through the county's online portal or visit the Auditor's office in person. The Washington State Digital Archives holds a Franklin County land records collection with over 527,000 individual record entries going back to 1989. For public records requests, Franklin County provides an online GovQA portal available 24/7.

Franklin County Auditor Recording Division

The Franklin County Auditor's Office maintains recorded land records and provides public access to deed documents filed in the county. The Auditor's online portal supports a Recorded Document Search that lets you look up deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, UCC filings, marriage applications and certificates, and military discharges. The county also provides a Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit Search through the portal. Franklin County was organized in 1883 from part of Whitman County and named after Benjamin Franklin, with the county seat located in Pasco.

Franklin County is part of the Tri-Cities metro area along with Kennewick and Richland in Benton County. Pasco is one of the fastest-growing cities in Washington, so Franklin County recording activity is significant. The county seat handles all deed filings for unincorporated Franklin County as well as for Pasco and other incorporated cities within the county. The Auditor's office is the starting point for any property title research in the area.

How to Search Franklin County Deed Records

Franklin County offers several ways to search deed records. The county's online Recorded Document Search lets you look up deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property instruments by party name, document type, and date. The Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit Search is useful for identifying sale transactions and their recorded values. Both tools are available through the county website at franklincountywa.gov.

For formal public records requests, Franklin County operates a GovQA Online Public Records Request Portal that provides 24/7 access. Citizens can create an account, submit requests, and track their progress online. The Public Records Request Form and Fee Schedule are available as downloadable PDFs from the Public Records page. For court filings like Superior Court records and audio of proceedings, that portal handles those requests separately. Discovery documents should go through the Prosecuting Attorney's office at (509) 545-3543.

The Washington State Digital Archives Franklin County land records collection contains over 527,000 individual entries from 1989 to the present. This is one of the larger county collections in the Digital Archives. You can search by grantor name, grantee name, addition or year to find specific documents. Images are available for many records. Documents displaying confidential information do not have images accessible online. The collection is free to search at any time.

The Franklin County Auditor's Office page provides access to the recorded document search, real estate excise tax search, and contact information for the Pasco recording office.

Franklin County Recording Fees

Recording fees in Franklin County follow the state fee schedule under RCW 36.18 and RCW 36.22. The standard fee for recording a deed is $303.50 for the first page plus $1.00 for each additional page. A deed of trust costs $304.50 for the first page. These fees include a $183 housing affordability surcharge and a $100 Covenant Homeownership surcharge. Starting July 27, 2025, assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust increased to $301.00 for the first page, up significantly from prior rates.

Documents must comply with formatting requirements in RCW 65.04 or they will be returned for correction. Key requirements include a three-inch top margin on the first page, one-inch margins on all other sides and pages, minimum 8-point font, legible text and ink, maximum page size of 8.5 x 14 inches, and no stapled or taped items on the face of the document. The most common error is insufficient margins. Getting the formatting right the first time avoids delays and preserves your recording date.

For copies, contact the Auditor's office to confirm current rates. Copy fees for recorded documents are set by county offices within the bounds of state law. Franklin County follows the standard schedule, with certified copies costing more than uncertified copies. Always verify fees before submitting documents or requesting copies, as the fee schedule may change with legislative updates.

Types of Documents in Franklin County Records

Franklin County deed records cover a wide range of property instruments. The Digital Archives collection for this county lists the following document types: addendum, adjustment, amended covenants, amended deed of trust, amendment, appointment, assignment, certificate of homestead, covenants, deed, deed of trust, easement, federal tax lien, forfeiture, full reconveyance, homestead declaration, judgment, land corner, lease, lien, lis pendens, memorandum, mobile home documents, modification, mortgage, notice of trustee sale, open space, option, partial release, real estate contract, reconveyance, release, right of way, security agreement, subordination, substitution of trustee, transfer on death deed, trustee sale, trustee's deed, water right, and withdrawal of tax lien.

The transfer on death deed is worth noting as a modern property planning tool available in Washington. Under state law, a property owner can record a transfer on death deed that names a beneficiary to receive the property automatically at the owner's death, without going through probate. Like any deed in Washington, it must be in writing, contain a proper legal description, be signed by the grantor, and be notarized under RCW 64.04.020. It must also be recorded in Franklin County during the grantor's lifetime to be effective.

Real estate excise tax applies to most property transfers in Franklin County. Any conveyance of an interest in real property is potentially taxable under state law. The real estate excise tax affidavit must be completed before the deed can be recorded. The Franklin County Auditor's portal includes a search tool for excise tax affidavits, which can be useful for researching sale prices in addition to the deed itself.

The Washington State Digital Archives Franklin County land records collection contains over 527,000 records from 1989 forward, making it one of the largest county collections in the Digital Archives for eastern Washington.

Public Records Access in Franklin County

Washington's Public Records Act, RCW 42.56, gives any person the right to inspect and copy public records held by county agencies. The number one requirement for a public records request is that it must identify specific records, not just a general topic area. Under RCW 42.56.080, the county cannot ask why you want the records. Agencies must respond within five business days with either the records, an estimate of fulfillment time, or a denial with the statutory basis.

Franklin County provides a formal public records request process through the GovQA portal at franklincountywa.gov/PublicRecords. The portal lets you submit requests online, upload supporting documents, and track the status of your request. The Public Records Officer Gray Blair can be reached at (509) 546-5854. The Fee Schedule and Signed Public Records Ordinance 2025 are available as PDFs from the same page.

Deed records specifically do not require a formal public records request. They are part of the Auditor's index that is open for public inspection at any time. If you want to inspect recorded deeds, go directly to the Auditor's Office during business hours or use the online search tools. The formal public records request process is used for documents that are not part of the standard public index, or when a large volume of records is needed.

The Franklin County Public Records portal provides a 24/7 online system for submitting records requests, tracking progress, and downloading available documents including deed-related records.

Cities in Franklin County

Franklin County includes several cities in the Tri-Cities area of southeastern Washington. All deed recordings for property in these cities go through the Franklin County Auditor's office in Pasco.

Other communities in Franklin County include Mesa, Connell, Kahlotus, and Wahluke. Deed records for all of these areas and unincorporated Franklin County are filed with the County Auditor.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Franklin County. Each has its own recording office for deed and property documents.