Search Klickitat County Deed Records

Klickitat County deed records are filed and maintained by the County Auditor in Goldendale. The Auditor's Recording Division keeps all real property documents in the county as permanent public records, including deeds, liens, easements, and land contracts. Online access is available through the Washington State Digital Archives for land records from 1988 to the present. Anyone can search or copy deed records under the Washington Public Records Act. This page explains how the Klickitat County deed records system works and where to find the records you need.

Klickitat County Auditor Recording Division

The Klickitat County Auditor's Office covers a broad range of duties including elections, voter registration, finance, vehicle and vessel licensing, recording, and veteran services. As the county recorder, the Auditor maintains the county's permanent historic records in perpetuity. Real property records such as deeds, real estate contracts, and liens are presented to the Auditor to be placed in the official public record. The date, time, and a unique auditor's file number are assigned to each document. An index is created and an image is captured so that current and future generations can access and retrieve each recorded document.

Klickitat County was founded in 1859 from part of Skamania County. Goldendale is the county seat. The county lies along the Columbia River in south-central Washington, bordering Oregon. Many properties here involve agricultural land, timber, and rural parcels along the river corridor. All deed recordings, regardless of the community or unincorporated area, are filed at the Auditor's office in Goldendale.

The Klickitat County official website provides access to the Auditor's Recording Division, county services, and contact information for deed record research in Goldendale.

How to Search Klickitat County Deed Records

The Klickitat County Land Records collection at the Washington State Digital Archives is the best starting point for online deed research. It includes indexes and some images of land records recorded with the Klickitat County Auditor from 1988 to the present. You can search by grantor name, grantee name, or document type for free. Images are not available for records that contain personal identifiers. The collection is extensive, covering dozens of document types from standard deeds to oil and gas leases and homestead patents.

The Klickitat County Recording Department provides public access to recorded documents and assists with searches. Staff can answer basic questions about finding documents and searching records. They do not interpret documents or provide legal advice. The office records land records including deeds, deeds of trust, easements, reconveyances, maps, surveys, and plats. Other recorded document types include agreements, community property agreements, judgments, liens, marriage certificates, oaths, and name change orders.

In-person searches are available at the Auditor's office in Goldendale. For records you cannot find online, visiting in person or calling the office is the best approach. Staff can pull older records from storage or direct you to the Washington State Archives Southwest Regional Branch for historical documents that have been transferred.

The Klickitat County Auditor's office in Goldendale serves as the official custodian of all deed records and real property instruments filed in Klickitat County.

Klickitat County Deed Recording Fees

Klickitat County follows the Washington State recording fee schedule established under RCW 36.18 and RCW 36.22. The current standard recording fee is $303.50 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page. Deeds of trust carry a first-page fee of $304.50 due to an archive surcharge. These fees include a housing affordability surcharge added by the state legislature that funds affordable housing programs statewide. Non-standard documents with formatting problems carry a $50 emergency non-standard fee on top of regular recording costs.

Copies of recorded documents are $1.00 per page for regular copies. Certified copies are $3.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page. The office does not give legal advice. Responsibility for properly preparing documents rests entirely with whoever submits them. The Auditor only checks that required fees are paid, the document title is present, indexing information is complete, the document is legible, and formatting meets state standards.

Note: Confirm the current Klickitat County recording fees before submitting any documents, as the legislature may update the fee schedule at any time.

Types of Deed Records Filed in Klickitat County

The Klickitat County land records collection covers a wide range of document types. Standard deed types include warranty deeds, bargain and sale deeds, and quitclaim deeds, corresponding to the three main conveyance instruments recognized under Washington law in RCW 64.04. Deeds must contain a valid legal description, be signed by the grantor, and have the signature notarized. An address alone is not sufficient as a legal description under Washington case law. The deed must reference either a metes and bounds survey or a lot, block, and plat designation from a prior recorded plat.

Beyond standard deeds, Klickitat County's digital archive records include: bargain and sale deeds, exchange deeds, gift transfer and conveyance deeds, partial fulfillment deeds, and county treasurer's deeds from tax foreclosures. The collection also includes oil and gas leases, mineral rights documents, timber documents, homestead patents, water right certificates, and well reports, reflecting the county's natural resource heritage. Transfer on death deeds, real estate contracts, reconveyances, subordination agreements, deeds of trust, and UCC security agreements round out the full range of recorded instruments.

The recording system assigns each document a unique auditor's file number when received. Documents recorded before June 3, 1996 have a ten-digit recording number with volume and page references. Documents recorded after that date use a seven-digit recording number without volume and page references.

The Washington State Digital Archives holds indexed and imaged Klickitat County land records from 1988 to the present, covering dozens of document types from standard deeds to oil and gas leases.

Online Resources for Klickitat County Deed Records

The Washington State Digital Archives is the primary online resource for Klickitat County deed research. The platform is free to use and maintained by the Washington Secretary of State's office. It covers records from 1988 forward for Klickitat County. Searches can be done by name or document type. For older records, contact the Washington State Archives Southwest Regional Branch.

The Klickitat County Recording Department page gives an overview of what the office records and how to access documents. The Recording Division also handles community property agreements, judgments, and liens alongside real property deeds. For questions about specific recordings, contacting the office directly is the most reliable approach.

The Washington State Association of County Auditors sets professional standards for recording across all 39 counties in Washington. Klickitat County's Auditor is a member and follows the WSACA's recording guidelines. These guidelines govern everything from document formatting requirements to indexing procedures and fee structures, ensuring that deed records in Klickitat County are consistent with statewide standards.

Cities in Klickitat County

Klickitat County includes Goldendale, White Salmon, Bingen, Lyle, Klickitat, and other communities. All deed records for properties in these towns and surrounding unincorporated areas are filed with the Klickitat County Auditor in Goldendale.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Klickitat County in south-central Washington along the Columbia River.