Franklin County Court Docket Records

Franklin County court docket records are maintained by the County Clerk in Pasco, Washington. The county shares a Superior Court with Benton County, known as the Benton-Franklin Superior Court. Search court docket filings through the Odyssey Portal, request audio recordings online, or e-file new cases through eFileWA. This page covers all the main access paths, copy fees, and court resources available for Franklin County cases.

Benton-Franklin Superior Court

Franklin County is part of the Benton-Franklin Superior Court system, a shared court that handles felony criminal cases, civil matters, family law, probate, juvenile proceedings, and civil commitment cases for both Franklin and Benton counties. The Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center operates as a separate facility. The Pasco Municipal Court handles city-level offenses and traffic matters within Pasco city limits.

The Franklin County Clerk is Michael J. Killian. The Clerk is a duly elected Constitutional officer, established in Article 11, Section 5 of the Washington State Constitution. The Clerk's Office is the official record keeper and is responsible for processing and managing all Superior Court records and financial transactions. Support staff serve seven Superior Court Judges and five Court Commissioners in the combined Benton-Franklin court system.

In addition to record-keeping, the Franklin County Clerk serves as the Jury Commissioner and as an agent of the Federal Government for accepting passport applications. That dual role means the Clerk's office handles a range of services beyond court filings, so office traffic can vary.

The Franklin County homepage banner below is from the county's official document repository and identifies the government resources available for court and civic matters in Pasco.

The Franklin County government website provides direct links to the Clerk's Office, eFileWA, Odyssey Portal, and audio recording request tools for all court docket matters.

Searching Franklin County Court Docket Records

The Odyssey Portal is the primary tool for searching Franklin County Superior Court docket entries. You can look up cases by case number, party name, or attorney information. The portal covers municipal, district, superior, and appellate court filings across Washington, including Franklin County. It functions as both a search tool and, for subscribers, a document access platform.

Franklin County also publishes daily new case and judgment audit reports. These daily audit reports are archived on the county's Court Records page and provide a chronological view of filings and judgments entered each day in Franklin County Superior Court. They are useful for tracking new filings or confirming when a judgment was entered without having to search the portal.

For District Court and Pasco Municipal Court cases, the statewide Washington Courts Case Search covers those records. It updates daily and does not require registration for basic case searches.

eFileWA and Records Requests

Franklin County accepts electronic filings through eFileWA, the Tyler Technologies e-filing platform used for Superior Court case filings only. There is no fee to use eFileWA, though applicable filing fees and e-commerce transaction fees still apply. Ex-parte filings must still follow the court's existing ex-parte process and cannot be submitted through eFileWA.

Tyler Technologies provides free online training videos, webinars, and written documentation for eFileWA users. For support, contact efiling.support@tylertech.com or call 800-297-5377, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CST. If you encounter an issue that is specific to Franklin County, the Clerk's Office can also assist.

The Franklin County Clerk office image shown below comes from the county's official image repository and represents the workspace where all Superior Court records requests are handled.

The Clerk's Office in Pasco processes copy requests, audio recording requests, adoption filings, and passport applications in addition to maintaining all Franklin County court docket records.

Audio Recordings and Transcript Requests

Franklin County Superior Court proceedings are digitally recorded. You can request audio recordings through the Court Records page on the county website. The page also links to an audio recording request form. Benton and Franklin Counties' Superior Court strives to adjudicate all cases in a timely, fair, and impartial manner, and part of that commitment includes making hearing records available to parties and the public on request.

If you need a typed transcript, you first need the audio recording. The Clerk's Office can direct you to approved transcriptionists who work with Franklin County court recordings. Transcript preparation takes time, so plan accordingly if you need a transcript for an appeal or other legal purpose. All copies will be 8.5 by 11 inches in size, per the Superior Court Clerk Records Request Form requirements.

The courthouse photo below is from the Franklin County official image repository and shows the building in Pasco that houses both the Clerk's Office and the Superior Court for Franklin County.

All Superior Court hearings for Franklin County are held at this location in Pasco, and the Clerk's Office on site is your first contact for any court records or filing questions.

The county services section of the Franklin County website provides links to the Clerk's Office, District Court, Benton-Franklin Superior Court, Pasco Municipal Court, and the Juvenile Justice Center.

Cities in Franklin County

Franklin County includes Pasco, a qualifying city with its own court docket page. Pasco cases are handled at the Benton-Franklin Superior Court shared system.

Court Access Rules in Franklin County

Franklin County court records are governed by GR 31, the Washington State General Rule on court record access. The Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 does not apply to court documents. If you submit a public records request to the county auditor or commissioners, you will be directed to the Clerk's office or the Odyssey Portal for court filings. The Clerk at franklincountywa.gov/177/Clerk is the correct contact for certified copies, copy requests, and audio recordings of Superior Court proceedings.

Franklin County cases that are sealed or in a confidential case type will not appear in Odyssey searches. If you believe a case exists but cannot locate it online, contact the Clerk's office directly. The Clerk can confirm whether a record exists and advise on access procedures. For cases filed before digital records began, paper files may be stored at the courthouse and require an in-person or written request to access.

The Benton-Franklin Superior Court system means that some Franklin County residents will need to travel to Kennewick in Benton County for certain hearings, depending on assignment. The two-county shared court structure serves residents of both counties, with cases assigned based on filing county and subject matter. When in doubt about which courthouse handles your case, the Franklin County Clerk at (509) or the Washington Courts website can confirm the correct venue.

Nearby Counties

Franklin County shares its Superior Court with neighboring Benton County and borders several other eastern Washington counties with their own docket systems.