Confidential Information

Anyone filing documents with a court should not include sensitive information in any document filed with the court, unless such inclusion is necessary and relevant to the case or is otherwise ordered by the court. Any personal information not otherwise protected by statute or court rule will be made available at the courthouse and may also be available in a local court's website.

Family Law Cases

Access to Family Law Case documents is governed by the general court rule GR22 Access to Family Law Cases.

Types of Cases Covered Under GR 22

Type of CaseChapter Reference

Dissolutions/Legal Separations

Chapter 26.09 RCW

Nonparental Actions for Child Custody

Chapter 26.10 RCW

Family Court

Chapter 26.12 RCW

Child Support Enforcement

Chapter 26.18 RCW

Uniform Interstate Family Support Act

Chapter 26.21 RCW

State Support Registry

Chapter 26.23 RCW

Uniform Parentage Act

Chapter 26.26 RCW

Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act

Chapter 26.27 RCW

Domestic Violence Prevention

Chapter 26.50 RCW

Foreign Protection Order Full Faith And Credit Act

Chapter 26.52 RCW


Financial Disclosures

In Family Law Cases, income tax returns, W-2s and schedules, wage stubs, credit card statements, financial institution statements, check registers, and other financial information sealed by court order should be filed under the Sealed Financial Source Documents Cover Sheet. Anyone filing a document should remove or omit (leave out) social security numbers, financial account numbers, and driver’s license numbers on all other documents, except the Confidential Information Form and Addendums, Notice of Intent to Relocate, Vital Statistics Form, Law Enforcement Information Form, Foreign Protection Order Information Form, unless otherwise ordered by the court.

Closed Case Records

By statute, the following types of case records are not open to the public:

Type of CaseReference

Adoptions

RCW 26.33.330

Chemical Dependency Commitment

RCW 70.96A.150

Confidential Name Changes

RCW 4.24.130(5)

Grand Jury and Special Inquiry Judge

RCW 10.27.160

Juvenile Non-Offense

RCW 13.50.100

Juvenile Offender Records (other than official court file)

RCW 13.50.050

Mental Illness Commitment

RCW 71.05.620

Mental Illness Commitment of Minors

RCW 71.34.210

Paternity

RCW 26.26.610(2)


Submitting Confidential Information

For all other types of cases, unless otherwise necessary or otherwise ordered by the court, persons filing documents with the court should not include, and if present shall remove or omit (leave out), the following personal identifiers from all documents:

  • Driver's License Numbers: Driver's license numbers are necessary on Notice of Infractions and Uniform Citations.
  • Financial Account Numbers: If financial account numbers are relevant, only the last four digits shall be included in the document.
  • Names of Minor Children: If the involvement of a minor child must be mentioned, only that child's initials shall be used, unless otherwise necessary. The full names of minor children on documents are necessary when they are a party to the action, subject of the action, and changing a name.
  • Social Security Number: If the Social Security Number of an individual must be included in a document, only the last four digits of that number shall be used.

Legal Responsibility

Attorneys are strongly urged to share this notice with all clients so that an informed decision about the inclusion of certain materials may be made.

It is the sole responsibility of the filer to be sure that all documents filed comply with the rules of the court requiring removal or omission of personal identifiers. The clerk will not review each document for compliance with these requirements.