Adams County Background Information
Washington is home to Adams County. The current county seat in Adams County is Ritzville. Back in 2020, Adams County had a total population of 20,613.
The county was founded in 1883.
It is named after the second President of the United States, John Adams.
Adams County Arrest Records
Arrest records are kept on all crimes within the Adams County area. Crimes in Adams County are broken into two primary categories; violent crime and property crime. Property crimes include things such as burglary, vehicle theft, and larceny. Robbery, aggravated assault, murder, and forcible rape make up the violent crime categorizations. Adams County had 26 violent and 258 property crimes back in 2021. Adams County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted at:
Adams County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff: Dale J. Wagner
2069 WA-26
Othello, WA 99344
Phone: (509) 488-2061
Adams County Criminal Records
Adams County documents its criminal activities in the form of criminal records. These records cover murders, rapes, burglaries, arson, motor vehicle theft, assaults, and crimes of sexual nature. All records of criminals in Adams County are always updated. In Adams County, inhabitants can use a search tool to get access to the records. Any person on release or in jail can be searched for using the tool. Adams County sex offender register is updated constantly. These include any offender living, attending school, working, or jailed in the Adams County area. This up-to-date register is then made available to the public, as is the fundamental right of anyone living in Adams County.
Local offenders are found by inhabitants of Adams County by using online searches. Occupants of Adams County simply enter a zip code, which serves as the focal point of the search. All Adams County offenders within the given coordinates will then be revealed. Specific offenders can also be found using the search tools in Adams County. Results reveal all offenders, even those jailed or non-compliant.
Adams County Court Records
The county courthouse is in charge of the courts in Adams County. Court records in Adams County are compiled and looked after by the court clerk. The Court of Appeals of Washington holds the power to assess all contested cases across the state. The 39 superior and trial courts across the 39 counties, including Adams County, are managed by the Court of Appeals. Adams County residents can obtain court records at:
Adams County Clerk’s Office
Catherine R. Sloan, Clerk
210 West Broadway
Suite 303
P.O. Box 187
Ritzville, WA 99169
Phone: (509) 659-3257
Email: clerk@co.adams.wa.us
NOTE - Common records can be delivered to the requester by fax, email, or mail, but official Adams County records may only be delivered via mail.
Adams County Public Records
Every Adams County resident, and Washington resident for that matter, has vital records kept on them. These reports record a person's most pivotal life events. These records could encompass marriages, divorces, deaths, births, and more. These document files are sometimes obtained by the individual counties, such as Adams County. The state requires some counties to collect and send copies of the files.
In Washington, marriage records are currently collected by individual county clerks. These records are located at the Washington Department of Health. The primary vital records are birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, marriage licenses, divorce certificates, marriage certificates, etc. In Washington, all of these vital records are kept together in one central registry, including those from Adams County. They can then be used in the future for statistical analysis.
Adams County locals can access and copy all public records. The state of Washington passed the Public Records Act (PRA) back in 1973, meaning that members of the public now have the fundamental right to access any public records. Adams County occupants can access public records in person at:
Adams County Clerk’s Office
Catherine R. Sloan, Clerk
210 West Broadway
Suite 303
P.O. Box 187
Ritzville, WA 99169
Office Hours:
8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Phone: (509) 659-3257
Email: clerk@co.adams.wa.us
Every record comes at a cost, as it takes time to source the records and resources to print them. By way of example, birth certificates in Adams County cost $20. Adams County Death records cost $20. The marriage License Application fee costs $52, and marriage certificates cost $20 per copy. Finally, the first copies of divorce records cost $20.
NOTE - To acquire records, Adams County occupants must adhere to some guidelines. The office is only open between 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. PST from Monday to Friday. In Adams County, some form of photo ID is needed to acquire records. A photo ID could be a driver's license or state ID. Only applications for access to records put in writing will be accepted in Adams County.
