Skamania County Family Court Records

Skamania County family court records are filed with the County Clerk at the Superior Court in Stevenson, covering dissolution cases, custody and parenting plan matters, protection orders, paternity filings, guardianships, and adoptions for all county residents. You can access case records online through the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal, view files in person at the clerk's counter in Stevenson, or purchase copies by cash, check, or credit card from the clerk's office.

Skamania County Superior Court and Clerk

The Skamania County Superior Court hears both criminal and civil cases, including all family law matters. The court shares its judge with Klickitat County. By legislative authority, the two counties share one Superior Court judge, who alternates weekly between the county seats of Stevenson and Goldendale. The Presiding Judge is Randall C. Krog, and the Court Commissioner is Vernon McCray. The Court Administrator is Pamela Bell.

The County Clerk is an independent elected official established by the Washington State Constitution, Article IV, Section 26. The clerk's role is to preserve the integrity of the judiciary by maintaining an independent record of court proceedings. Superior Court records are viewable by public access terminal at the clerk's front counter. Copies can be purchased by cash, check, or credit card.

For full details on clerk duties and constitutional role, see the Skamania County Clerk page. The clerk does not dispense legal advice, and information on the site may change without notice.

The Washington State central case search page shown below is the starting point for finding Skamania County Superior Court family court records online.

The Odyssey Portal provides access to Skamania County Superior Court case indexes and dockets for non-confidential cases.

Search Skamania County Family Court Records

Online searches for Skamania County family court records are done through the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal. You can search by party name or case number. The Smart Search function helps find matches even with name variations. Results include case type, filing date, party names, and docket entries. Confidential records are not accessible through the portal.

The Washington State Courts central search engine links to court tools at all levels. The county's own records request page at skamaniacounty.org confirms that court records can be accessed at the public terminal in the clerk's office or through the Odyssey Portal for a basic case index without images.

An additional option for ordering records is through the Washington State Digital Archives. This is useful for older and historical case research that may not appear in the current portal.

Below is an image of the Washington State central search engine, which serves as the primary gateway for accessing Skamania County case records online.

For the most complete and up-to-date records, contact the Skamania County Superior Court Clerk directly.

Skamania County Family Court Fees and Filing

Domestic form packets are available for purchase at the Skamania County Superior Court Clerk's office for $25 each. These packets cover common family law filings including dissolution, parenting plan modifications, and custody actions. For dissolution cases, the standard Washington State filing fee of $364.00 applies.

Superior Court fine payments can be made in person to the Skamania County Clerk, by phone at (844) 400-8874, or online at skamaniafinepay.com. You need your case number to pay by phone or online. Ex parte orders may be submitted to the clerk's office with a $30.00 fee. Contact the court administrator if you have a deadline for signatures to confirm a judge will be available.

Electronic bench copies may be submitted up to 24 hours in advance of a hearing, with a limit of 10 pages total. If you are within 24 hours of your hearing or have more than 10 pages, hard bench copies must be delivered to the court. Most Superior Court proceedings are electronically recorded. To purchase a copy of a recording, complete the Request Form and send it with payment to the Superior Court Administrator. You will need to provide the hearing date, party names, and case number.

Fee waivers for those who cannot pay are handled through the court. Forms are available at courts.wa.gov/forms.

Family Court Records and Case Types

Skamania County Superior Court handles all family law cases for the county. This includes dissolution and legal separation under RCW Chapter 26.09, child custody and parenting plan cases, child support modifications, paternity actions, adoption petitions, guardianship matters, and domestic violence protection orders. Each case type generates court records that are permanently stored by the County Clerk.

Washington uses a no-fault dissolution standard. The only ground for dissolution is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. Either spouse may petition. The other spouse cannot block the dissolution. A mandatory 90-day waiting period applies from the date of service before a final decree can be entered. Property is divided under community property rules.

Under RCW Chapter 26.12, family court jurisdiction covers proceedings involving children, including custody, dependency, and parenting plan matters. Guardians ad litem may be appointed in cases involving children or vulnerable adults. The parenting seminar requirement applies to cases with minor children.

The Skamania County Superior Court mission is to actively manage the business of the court to provide fair, prompt, and efficient resolution of disputes and to provide due process and individual justice in each case. More information about court procedures, local rules, and scheduling is at skamaniacounty.org/superior-court.

Note: The Skamania/Klickitat judicial district shares one judge who alternates weekly between the two county seats.

Legal Help for Skamania County Family Cases

Skamania County residents have access to several resources for family law help. The clerk's office can direct you to the correct forms and explain the filing process. For self-represented parties, the courthouse facilitator program, authorized under RCW Chapter 26.12, provides assistance with procedures and forms.

Washington Law Help has free guides on divorce, custody, child support, protection orders, parenting plans, and more. The site offers multilingual resources and links to local legal aid providers. It also covers how to use the courthouse facilitator and how to request a fee waiver.

All official Washington State court forms are at courts.wa.gov/forms. This covers dissolution packets, parenting plan forms, protection order applications, adoption petitions, and guardianship forms. The Guide and File interactive system helps you fill out forms step by step.

For certified divorce records from 1968 to the present, the Washington State Department of Health processes orders at doh.wa.gov. The base fee is $25 per copy. For older pre-1968 records, contact the county clerk or search the Washington State Digital Archives.

Subscription-based access to Skamania County court records is also available through JIS-Link at courts.wa.gov/jislink, which provides display-only access at $0.145 per transaction with a $13 monthly minimum.

Cities in Skamania County

Skamania County is a rural county in southwestern Washington. All family court cases are filed at the Superior Court in Stevenson. No cities in Skamania County currently meet the population threshold for individual city pages.

Communities in the county include Stevenson, White Salmon, and North Bonneville. All family law filings for these areas go through Skamania County Superior Court.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Skamania County. File in the county where you reside to use the correct court.