Walla Walla County Recorded Deeds

Walla Walla County deed records are maintained by the Walla Walla County Auditor's Recording Office in Walla Walla, Washington. Recorded land documents are searchable online by document number, name, or date range through the county's official portal. The recording office holds all real estate instruments filed in the county, including deeds, mortgages, easements, liens, plat maps, and survey records. If you need to find or obtain a deed record in Walla Walla County, the auditor's office is your primary contact for current documents, and the Washington State Digital Archives has historical land records going back many years.

Walla Walla County Auditor Recording Office

The Walla Walla County Auditor's Office serves as the official custodian of all recorded documents in the county. The recording vault processes and stores real estate instruments including deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, easements, plat maps, and survey records. As required by Washington state law under RCW 65 and RCW 36, the auditor indexes each document, keeps it as a permanent record, and makes it available for public inspection. The recording office also handles public records requests for court documents, recorded documents, and birth and death records.

The main auditor office is at 500 West Main St. in Walla Walla, while the courthouse address for recording is Room 201 at 315 West Main St. Public records requests can be submitted to 315 W Main, Room 101. If you need to submit a request by mail, send it to PO Box 1856, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Staff can be reached at the recording vault phone or the public records line for guidance on what to request and how.

Search Walla Walla County Deed Records Online

Walla Walla County provides online search access for recorded land documents through the auditor's recording page at wwcowa.gov. You can search by document number, name, or date range. The system allows you to locate deeds, easements, mortgages, and other real estate instruments recorded with the county. Election results going back to 2000 are also accessible from the same portal.

The Walla Walla County Recording page at wwcowa.gov provides access to the online document search system and information about how to submit documents for recording and request copies.

The GIS Map Library available through the county website is another useful tool for property research. It includes layers for burn control zones, commissioner districts, land use, open range areas, voting districts, roads, and school districts. While this isn't a deed search tool directly, it can help you understand property context and locate parcels before you pull the deed record. A Public Records Request Form is also available through the auditor's office for requesting specific documents by mail.

For older deed records, the Washington State Digital Archives collection for Walla Walla County holds indexes and some images of land records from 1986 to the present. That collection covers a wide range of document types including warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, fulfillment deeds, sheriff's deeds, deeds of trust, easements, mortgages, liens, and dozens of other instruments that affect real property in the county.

Deed Records and Recorded Documents in Walla Walla County

The Washington State Digital Archives holds land records for Walla Walla County from 1986 to the present, covering warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, easements, mortgages, deeds of trust, and many other recorded instrument types.

The range of documents recorded in Walla Walla County is extensive. On the deed side, you'll find warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, fulfillment deeds, trustees' deeds, sheriff's deeds, transfer on death deeds, and historical deed records going back many decades. Each type transfers ownership with different legal protections for the grantee.

A Statutory Warranty Deed under RCW 64.04.030 provides the strongest buyer protection, with the seller warranting clear title against all claims. A Quitclaim Deed under RCW 64.04.050 conveys no warranties at all. Bargain and Sale Deeds under RCW 64.04.040 are often used in foreclosure or bank-owned property sales. Fulfillment deeds are used when the seller conveys title upon completion of a real estate contract. All of these must contain a proper legal description and be signed and notarized by the grantor to be valid.

Beyond deeds, the recording office also holds mortgages, deeds of trust, assignments, releases, liens, easements, covenants, community property agreements, homestead declarations, plat maps, and many other instruments. Water rights documents, notice of foreclosure filings, and open space taxation agreements are also part of the permanent land record for Walla Walla County.

Recording Standards for Walla Walla County

Washington State requires all recorded documents to meet uniform formatting standards under RCW 65.04. These rules have applied since January 1, 1997, and they work the same in every county. When you submit a deed or other document to the Walla Walla County Auditor's recording vault, staff will check it against these requirements before accepting it. Documents that don't pass go back to the submitter for correction.

The first page of any document must have a 3-inch top margin and at least 1-inch margins on all other sides. All margins must be clear of content, including bar codes, logos, hole punches, page numbers, headers, or footers. The first page must show the return address, document title, grantor and grantee names, abbreviated legal description, and assessor's parcel number. Font must be at least 8 points. Paper must be no larger than 8.5 by 14 inches. No attachments can be taped or stapled to the document face.

Every deed submitted for recording must also be accompanied by a real estate excise tax affidavit. This form documents the sale price or the grounds for any exemption from excise tax. Property sold between family members or transferred through inheritance may qualify for an exemption. Typical home sales are subject to the combined state and local excise tax rate, which starts at about 1.60 percent for homes under $525,000 and increases for higher-value properties. The affidavit must be signed before the deed can be recorded.

Recording fees in Walla Walla County follow the statewide schedule. As of January 1, 2024, it costs $303.50 to record the first page of a deed, with $1.00 for each additional page. That fee includes the state affordable housing and Covenant Homeownership surcharges. Recording a deed of trust costs $304.50 for the first page. Certified copies of recorded documents are $3.00 for the first page and $1.00 per additional page.

Public Access to Walla Walla County Records

Deed records in Walla Walla County are public under the Washington Public Records Act, RCW 42.56. Anyone can request access to these records without explaining why. The county must respond to any public records request within five business days. That response can be the documents themselves, an estimate of when they will be ready, or a denial with a legal explanation. Property records are generally not exempt from disclosure unless they contain protected personal identifiers.

The auditor's office also maintains a GIS Map Library for the county, covering land use, commissioner districts, roads, school districts, and other geographic layers. While this tool is separate from the deed record search system, it can help you find parcel boundaries and identify the legal description you need before pulling the deed from the recording system. The county's public records request form can be used to request copies of any recorded document, including deeds, mortgages, easements, and plat maps.

The Washington State Association of County Auditors sets professional standards for recording offices across the state, ensuring that procedures in Walla Walla County stay consistent with state law and best practices. The Washington State Archives holds historical records transferred from county offices, including older Walla Walla County documents that may not be part of the current online recording system. The Eastern Regional Branch of the archives, located in Cheney, serves Walla Walla County for historical research needs.

Cities in Walla Walla County

Walla Walla County includes the city of Walla Walla along with several smaller communities in southeastern Washington. All deed records and property documents for the county are filed with the Walla Walla County Auditor.

Other communities in the county include College Place, Prescott, and Waitsburg. Deed records for all properties in these areas are maintained by the Walla Walla County Auditor's Recording Office.

Nearby Counties

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