The Snohomish County Superior Court
Superior Court is Washington's trial court of general jurisdiction. That means it can hear almost any kind of case the law allows. Snohomish County Superior Court sits in Everett, the county seat. It handles the cases that other local courts cannot, and it also reviews some rulings made by the lower courts.
The court does not keep its own public files in a separate records room. Instead, the elected County Clerk acts as the record custodian for Superior Court. The Clerk files every document, marks each one with a case number, and stores the case file. When a person wants a Snohomish County Superior Court record, they go to the Clerk, not to a judge or a courtroom. This split matters. The judges decide cases. The Clerk keeps the paper and the digital files that prove what the court did.
The court works with several state systems too. The Washington Courts directory lists the court's main contact details and links to related state offices.
Snohomish County Superior Court
3000 Rockefeller Avenue, MS 502
Everett, WA 98201-4046
Phone: 425-388-3421
Fax: 425-388-3498
TDD: 425-388-3700
You can confirm these details on the state's official listing for this court at the Washington Courts directory page for Snohomish County Superior Court. The directory is a good first stop when contact details change.
Where the Superior Court Sits
The court is part of the main Snohomish County government campus in downtown Everett. The campus is built around 3000 Rockefeller Avenue. Many court offices share this one site, which keeps things close together for the public.
The County Clerk, the Superior Court itself, the District Court Everett Division, protection-order services, and the family law facilitators are all clustered on or near the main campus. The Clerk's main office is at 3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 605, Room M206. Protection-order help is offered at Room 1-530, and family law facilitators work out of Room 1-525. Having these services in one place means a person filing for divorce or seeking a protection order does not have to drive across town.
Street parking and a parking garage serve the campus. The county garage has an Oakes Avenue entrance and offers a short free-parking window. The juvenile side of the court runs from a separate building at 2801 10th Street in Everett, so check the address before you go for a juvenile matter.
Note: Confirm office hours and room numbers with the Clerk before visiting, since campus services and lobby hours can shift without much warning.
Cases Heard in Snohomish County Superior Court
Because it is a general jurisdiction court, the Superior Court hears a broad mix of cases. The list below shows the main types. Each one creates a case file that the County Clerk keeps and, in most cases, makes open to the public.
- Felony criminal cases. Serious crimes such as assault, robbery, and other felonies are filed and tried here.
- Major civil cases. Lawsuits over money, contracts, and property above the limits of the lower courts.
- Family law and divorce. Dissolution, custody, child support, and parenting plans. See marriage and divorce records for how to find these files.
- Probate. Wills, estates, and the affairs of people who have died. More detail is on the probate records page.
- Guardianship and conservatorship. Cases that protect minors or adults who cannot care for themselves.
- Juvenile. Youth offender cases and dependency matters, handled at the juvenile site.
- Protection orders. Orders that shield a person from harm or harassment.
For a wider view of every record type the county holds, the court records page ties these categories together. Many people start there, then narrow down to the court that fits their case.
Superior Court vs Lower Courts
Washington runs more than one trial court, and each one has its own job. Knowing the difference saves time. The Superior Court takes the big cases. District Court and the municipal courts take smaller, local matters. The table below lays out the key splits so you can tell where a case belongs.
| Court | Jurisdiction | Common case types | eFiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Court | General jurisdiction; statewide trial court | Felonies, major civil, divorce, probate, guardianship, juvenile, protection orders | Yes, through the statewide Odyssey system |
| District Court | Limited jurisdiction; county level | Infractions, criminal traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, name changes, anti-harassment orders | No eFiling portal yet; file by mail, fax, or in person |
| Municipal Court | Limited jurisdiction; city level | City ordinance violations, city misdemeanors, traffic and parking | Varies by city court |
If your matter is a misdemeanor, a small claim, or a traffic ticket, it likely sits with the District Court rather than the Superior Court. The District Court Clerk page explains how those limited-jurisdiction files work and how to reach the right division.
How a Case Moves Through the System
A case does not always stay in one court. Some matters start low and rise on appeal. Others start in Superior Court and may climb to the state appeals courts. The path below shows the basic flow for most Snohomish County cases.
District Court / Municipal Court
↓
Snohomish County Superior Court
↓
Washington Court of Appeals, Division I
↓
Washington Supreme Court
A person who loses in District or Municipal Court may, where the rules allow, appeal up to Superior Court. From Superior Court, an appeal generally goes to the Court of Appeals, Division I, which covers Snohomish County. The Supreme Court is the last stop. Its review is often discretionary, so it picks many of the cases it takes. A few case types get direct review and skip a step. Each move up creates a new file and a new case number, though the County Clerk keeps the Superior Court layer of that record.
Superior Court Judges
The Snohomish County Superior Court bench includes many elected judges plus court commissioners who handle motions and other matters. Judges run for office and serve set terms. Commissioners help carry the caseload. Together they cover the full range of felony, civil, family, probate, and juvenile work.
Judges who have appeared on the Snohomish County Superior Court roster include Anna G. Alexander, Marybeth Dingledy, Millie M. Judge, Edirin O. Okoloko, Whitney M. Rivera, and Paul W. Thompson, among others. The full current bench, with each judge listed, is kept by the state. The most accurate and up-to-date roster is the Washington Courts directory listing for the court. Names and assignments change after elections and retirements, so the directory is the source to trust.
Note: Court assignments shift over time, so verify which judge is hearing a given case through the Clerk or the official court calendar.
Searching Superior Court Records
Most Snohomish County Superior Court records are public. You can search them in two main ways. One is online, through the statewide portal. The other is in person or by request through the County Clerk, who keeps the official files and issues certified copies.
For online case lookups, the state runs the Odyssey Portal. You can search Superior Court case information at the Snohomish County Odyssey Portal. The portal shows case index data, parties, and the list of filings. To get an actual copy of a document, you go to the Clerk. The Clerk of the Superior Court page walks through copy requests, fees, and certified records.
If you want to see the day-by-day schedule of hearings, the court dockets page explains how calendars and docket entries work. A docket lists what happened in a case and when, which helps you track a matter as it moves.
Note: Some records, such as juvenile, sealed, and certain family files, are restricted, so not every case will show full detail in a public search.
History and Technology
Everett has served as the county seat for a long time, and the court campus now centers on 3000 Rockefeller Avenue. The historic Snohomish County Courthouse was built in 1910 in a Spanish Mission style. It replaced an earlier courthouse that fire destroyed in 1909. The 1910 building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Later additions and a 1960s structure grew the court complex into the campus people use today.
The court has modernized its records too. On May 2, 2016, the County Clerk and Superior Court went live with Odyssey, the statewide Electronic Court Records Management System. Since then the Clerk has used the Odyssey Portal and the Washington State Digital Archives for public electronic access. This is why so much Superior Court case data can now be found online rather than only at the courthouse counter.