King County Property Records in Washington
Title Search | Lien Search | Deed Search | Excise-Tax & Covenant Check | Chain of Title
U.S. Title Records provides professional property records search and title examination for all of King County, the home of Seattle, Bellevue, and the Eastside, and one of the highest-value real estate markets in the nation. Washington’s graduated real estate excise tax climbs with the sale price and is documented on a mandatory affidavit that is the only public record of what a property sold for, King County charges some of the highest recording fees in the country, and historic Seattle chains of title still contain void racial restrictive covenants the state created a process to strike. Reports from $29.
King County Property Records Search and Title Examination
Washington’s graduated real estate excise tax makes King County one of the most expensive places in America to transfer property, and the mandatory excise affidavit is the only public record of the sale price. Washington deeds do not state the consideration; instead, state law requires a Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) Affidavit to be completed and the tax paid before any conveyance can be recorded. The state portion of REET is graduated, climbing by price tier from roughly 1% on modest sales to about 3% on the highest tiers, with a local portion added on top, so the combined rate on a high-value Seattle or Bellevue sale ranks among the steepest transfer taxes in the nation, and the seller typically pays it. The affidavit also establishes the sale price for the record, and claimed exemptions (inheritance, trust transfers, foreclosure-related conveyances) remain auditable for up to four years. To confirm what a King County property actually sold for, or whether an exemption was claimed, the excise affidavit must be located. Our Property Detail Report ($29) retrieves the most recent recorded sale and declared price where available.
Historic Seattle chains of title still contain racial restrictive covenants, void and unenforceable but present in the record, and Washington created a formal process to strike them. In the early and mid twentieth century, developers and neighborhood associations recorded covenants barring sale or occupancy by race across many Seattle and Eastside neighborhoods, and researchers have identified thousands of such instruments in King County’s records. These covenants have been unenforceable for decades and are void under federal and state law, yet they remain physically present in older chains of title and plat records, surfacing when a full chain is examined. Washington law now provides a process for an owner to record a modification document striking the unlawful provision from the property’s record. A buyer reviewing an older chain should understand what these instruments are and are not, and an owner can choose to formally strike them. Our Chain of Title ($275) identifies the recorded covenants and restrictions in a property’s full history.
King County records carry the nation’s highest recording costs, and the Recorder’s Office is separate from the Assessor that values the parcel. Washington’s legislature funds housing programs through recording surcharges, so recording a single deed in King County costs over $300 for the first page, and a 2025 change ended the old low-cost exemption for assignments of deeds of trust. The King County Recorder’s Office (within Records and Licensing Services) maintains the recorded deeds, deeds of trust, easements, plats, condominium declarations, and excise affidavits, while the separate King County Assessor maintains parcel data and assessed values, and the Treasury collects the tax. The county also offers a free Recording Activity Notification System (RANS) that alerts a registrant when a document is recorded under their name, a deed-fraud safeguard worth using. A complete title search examines the Recorder’s records, not the Assessor snapshot. For Washington’s deed-of-trust foreclosure process and statewide lien framework, see our Washington lien search page and our Washington Property Records page.
Graduated REET and the Excise Affidavit
Washington’s seller-paid excise tax climbs by price tier, from roughly 1% to about 3% state plus a local portion, among the nation’s steepest on high-value sales. The mandatory REET Affidavit must be filed before recording and is the only public record of the sale price, with exemptions auditable for up to four years. Our $29 report retrieves the recent sale and declared price where available.
Void Racial Covenants in Old Chains
Thousands of racial restrictive covenants were recorded across Seattle and Eastside neighborhoods in the early twentieth century. They are void and unenforceable, but they remain in older chains and plats, and Washington law provides a process to record a modification striking them. Our $275 Chain of Title identifies the recorded covenants in a property’s full history.
The Nation’s Highest Recording Fees + RANS
Recording a deed in King County costs over $300 for the first page under Washington’s surcharge structure, and a 2025 change ended the low-cost exemption for deed-of-trust assignments. The county’s free Recording Activity Notification System (RANS) alerts you when a document records under your name, a deed-fraud safeguard. Our reports examine the Recorder’s records directly.
Steep-Slope and Landslide Critical Areas
Seattle’s hillsides (Queen Anne, Magnolia, West Seattle, the Issaquah Alps fringe) include designated landslide and steep-slope critical areas where development is regulated and geotechnical covenants or notices may be recorded against a parcel. The buildable envelope can be far smaller than the lot. Our $375 Expanded reviews recorded notices, covenants, and easements.
King County Title Search Reports
Professional examination for Seattle, the Eastside, and every King County city
Property Detail Report ($29)
King County ownership verification and Assessor data.
- Current vested owner (entity or individual)
- Parcel number and legal description
- Assessed and appraised value
- Open deeds of trust
- Most recent recorded sale and declared price
- Excise affidavit retrieval where available
- Tax payment status
Full Owner Lien Report ($195)
Comprehensive King County property AND owner lien search.
- Everything in the $29 report
- All recorded liens (deeds of trust, mechanic liens under RCW Title 60)
- Notice of trustee’s sale and foreclosure status
- Judgment lien search (RCW 4.56.200)
- HOA and condominium association liens
- Washington DOR and IRS tax liens
- UCC financing statement search
- Federal bankruptcy records
Expanded Title Search ($375)
The most comprehensive King County examination.
- Everything in the $195 report
- Complete chain of conveyance
- Historic covenant and restriction identification
- Critical-area notice and geotechnical covenant review
- Easement, plat, and condominium declaration research
- Recorder’s number for every instrument
Additional: Deed Copy $45 | Title Search by Name $75 | Lien Report $95 | Chain of Title $275 | Full schedule of fees
King County Property Records by Area
Direct Recorder access across Seattle and the Eastside
Seattle
The region’s core. Historic neighborhoods with century-old chains, void covenants, and steep-slope parcels, plus heavy condo and investor activity. $195 minimum.
Bellevue & Medina
The Eastside’s highest-value markets, including waterfront estates with trust and entity vesting. Top-tier excise rates apply on sale. $375 Expanded for luxury and trust-held property.
Kirkland & Redmond
Tech-corridor cities with strong appreciation, new construction, and condominium declarations. Mechanic lien exposure on builds. $195 recommended.
Mercer Island
Island waterfront and view estates with shoreline regulation, recorded easements, and steep-slope considerations. Trust ownership common. $375 Expanded recommended.
Renton, Kent & Federal Way
South King County’s largest cities with active resale, investor flipping, and HOA communities. Confirm liens and association status. $195 recommended.
Sammamish & Issaquah
Plateau and foothill communities with critical-area overlays, geotechnical notices, and HOA covenants. Buildable-envelope questions on slopes. $375 for land and hillside parcels.
Vashon Island & Rural King
Island and rural parcels with well, septic, access easements, and older chains. Easement research is essential. $195 recommended; $375 for acreage.
All of King County
Same pricing across Seattle, the Eastside, South County, and rural King, from Shoreline to Enumclaw. Recorder and Assessor records everywhere. Search by address. BBB A+ since 2009.
Three King County Risks That Require Professional Examination
1. Budgeting a sale without the graduated excise tax can erase six figures of expected proceeds. Because Washington’s REET climbs by price tier to roughly 3% at the state level plus a local portion, the seller of a high-value King County property can owe one of the largest transfer-tax bills in the country, and the tax must be paid before the deed will record. Buyers and sellers negotiating price, and investors modeling returns, need the actual tiered rates in the math, and anyone claiming an exemption (inheritance, trust transfer, foreclosure-related conveyance) should know the affidavit is auditable for up to four years with documentation required. Our Property Detail Report ($29) retrieves the recorded sale and declared values that anchor the analysis.
2. A steep-slope or landslide designation can shrink the buildable envelope of a lot. Seattle and King County designate landslide-prone hillsides and steep slopes as critical areas, where development is regulated and a parcel may carry recorded geotechnical notices or covenants from prior permitting. A buyer of a view lot on Queen Anne, Magnolia, West Seattle, or the Issaquah foothills who assumes the whole lot is buildable can discover the regulated area and recorded conditions sharply limit expansion or rebuilding. These recorded instruments and overlays must be checked before purchase. Our $375 Expanded reviews recorded notices, covenants, and easements affecting development.
3. The Assessor’s parcel page is not a title search, and Washington’s process traps hide in the details. Many buyers check the King County Assessor’s parcel data, see an owner and value, and stop, but the recorded deeds of trust, easements, condominium declarations, covenants, and excise affidavits that define title live in the Recorder’s records. Washington’s deed-of-trust system forecloses non-judicially through a trustee’s sale, so a default can move to auction without any court case appearing, and a mechanic lien or judgment lien can attach quietly. A complete examination reads the Recorder’s records together with the Assessor, the courts, and tax data. Our $195 report does exactly that, and our Washington lien search page covers the statewide framework.
King County Property Records and Title Examination
King County property records are recorded by the King County Recorder’s Office (within Records and Licensing Services, Seattle), which maintains deeds, deeds of trust, easements, plats, condominium declarations, covenants, and Real Estate Excise Tax affidavits. Washington deeds must satisfy RCW 64.04.020 (written, legal description, notarized grantor signature), the excise tax must be paid and the affidavit filed before recording, and recording a deed costs over $300 for the first page under the state’s surcharge structure. The separate King County Assessor maintains parcel data and assessed values, and the Treasury collects the tax. Washington is a community property, deed-of-trust state with non-judicial trustee’s-sale foreclosure.
Four characteristics distinguish King County property records: (1) the graduated seller-paid excise tax with its mandatory affidavit as the sole sale-price record, (2) void racial restrictive covenants persisting in historic chains, with a statutory process to strike them, (3) the nation’s highest recording fees plus the county’s free RANS deed-fraud alert system, and (4) steep-slope and landslide critical areas with recorded geotechnical instruments. For Washington’s statewide lien and foreclosure framework, see our Washington lien search page and the Washington Property Records page covering all 39 counties.
How King County Property Records Search Works
Professional examination for Seattle and the largest county in Washington
Enter the Address
Provide the address through the order portal. We resolve the parcel number, the city, and any critical-area overlay first.
Select Report Scope
$29 (ownership + declared sale) to $375 (full chain, covenant and critical-area review). $195 recommended; $375 for historic, hillside, and luxury property.
Multi-Source Examination
Recorder’s records and excise affidavits, Assessor parcel data, notices of trustee’s sale, judgment liens, Washington DOR and IRS liens, UCC filings, and federal bankruptcy.
Report Compiled
Recording numbers, deed of trust and lien priority, declared sale values, covenant and restriction findings, and critical-area instruments.
PDF Delivered
Report emailed. Email office@ustitlerecords.com with questions. Asset investigation through U.S. Asset Records.
No Office Visit
No trip to the Recorder, Assessor, or Archives. Full examination without in-person access. One property, one fee. BBB A+ since 2009.
King County Property Records Questions
Authoritative answers for Seattle, the Eastside, and all of King County
How Do I Search King County Property Records Online?
Use the King County Recorder’s online records search for deeds, deeds of trust, and covenants, and the Assessor’s parcel viewer (eRealProperty) for ownership, the parcel number, and values. Older instruments sit in the County Archives. Free tools do not analyze covenant history, judgments, UCC filings, or bankruptcy. For multi-source examination, submit the address to U.S. Title Records. From $29.
How Do I Find What a Seattle Property Sold For?
Through the Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit. Washington deeds do not state the price; the mandatory REET affidavit filed before recording is generally the only public record of the consideration, and it also shows any exemption claimed. The Assessor’s sale records derive from it. To confirm a true arm’s-length price or an exemption, the affidavit must be located. Our $29 report retrieves the recent recorded sale and declared price where available.
What Is the Excise Tax When I Sell in King County?
Washington’s REET is graduated: the state portion climbs by price tier from roughly 1% to about 3%, plus a local portion, and the seller typically pays it before the deed can record. On a high-value Seattle or Eastside sale, the combined bill ranks among the steepest transfer taxes in the nation. Exemptions exist (inheritance, certain trust and foreclosure transfers) but are auditable for up to four years. Our $29 report anchors the analysis with the recorded values.
My Old Seattle Deed Contains a Racial Covenant. Is It Enforceable?
No. Racial restrictive covenants are void and unenforceable under federal and state law, though thousands remain physically present in historic King County chains and plats. Washington law provides a process for an owner to record a modification document striking the unlawful provision from the property’s record. Knowing the covenant exists, and formally striking it if you choose, starts with the recorded history. Our $275 Chain of Title identifies the recorded covenants in the full chain.
What Is RANS and Should I Register?
The Recording Activity Notification System is King County’s free service that alerts a registrant whenever a document is recorded under their name, an early-warning safeguard against deed fraud, which targets owners with significant equity. Registration is worthwhile for any King County owner. Monitoring alerts you after the fact; confirming a clean recorded chain before a purchase remains the core protection. Our $375 Expanded traces the full conveyance history.
How Much Does a King County Title Search Cost?
Property Detail $29, Deed Copy $45, Name Search $75, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien $195, Chain of Title $275, Expanded $375. Same pricing as all Washington counties. Schedule of fees.
King County Property Records FAQ
Why doesn’t my King County deed show the purchase price?
Because Washington documents the price on the Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit, not the deed. State law requires the affidavit to be completed and the excise tax paid before any conveyance can record, and the affidavit is generally the only public record of the consideration, also showing any exemption claimed (inheritance, trust transfer, foreclosure-related conveyance). Exemptions are auditable for up to four years with documentation required. To confirm what a property sold for, the affidavit must be located. Our $29 report retrieves the recent recorded sale and declared price where available.
How much will the excise tax be when I sell my Seattle home?
It depends on the price tier. Washington’s state REET is graduated, rising from roughly 1% on modest sales to about 3% on the highest tiers, and a local portion is added on top, so a high-value Seattle or Eastside sale can face a combined rate among the steepest transfer taxes in the nation. The seller typically pays, and the tax must be paid before the deed records. Because the tiers change with legislation and the local portion varies, confirm the current rates for your price before listing. Our $29 report provides the recorded values that anchor the calculation.
Can I remove a racial covenant from my property’s record?
Yes. Although racial restrictive covenants have been void and unenforceable for decades, thousands remain physically present in historic King County chains and plat records. Washington law provides a process for a property owner to record a modification document that formally strikes the unlawful provision from the property’s record, and the county recorder’s office handles these filings. The first step is identifying exactly which recorded instrument contains the covenant. Our $275 Chain of Title identifies the recorded covenants and restrictions across the full history.
Where are King County deeds recorded?
With the King County Recorder’s Office, part of Records and Licensing Services in Seattle, which maintains deeds, deeds of trust, easements, plats, condominium declarations, covenants, and excise affidavits, with older instruments held in the County Archives. Washington deeds must meet RCW 64.04.020 (written, legal description, notarized signature), the excise affidavit must accompany a transfer, and recording a deed costs over $300 for the first page under the state’s surcharge structure. The Assessor and Treasury are separate offices. Our reports examine all of them.
How does foreclosure work in King County?
Non-judicially. Washington lenders hold deeds of trust, and under RCW 61.24 the trustee can foreclose through a trustee’s sale without a court case, so a default can proceed to auction with only recorded notices marking the process. Judgment liens attach to property in the county where the judgment is filed and run ten years under RCW 4.56.200, and three years of delinquent taxes can lead to tax-deed foreclosure. An auction buyer must confirm lien priority before bidding. Our $195 report identifies recorded notices and priority, and our Washington lien search page covers the framework.
What do I need to order a King County property records report?
Only the property address. Submit through the order portal. The Assessor parcel number also works. We resolve the parcel and city, examine the Recorder’s records and excise affidavits, the Assessor, and tax data, and flag covenant, critical-area, deed-of-trust, and lien issues. No account, subscription, or commitment. One fee per property. PDF via email. Same pricing as all Washington counties. BBB A+ since 2009.
Search King County Property Records
Professional title examination for any property in King County, from Seattle to the Eastside. Direct Recorder access, excise-affidavit and declared-price retrieval, covenant and critical-area review, trustee-sale and lien identification, and comprehensive lien examination. Reports from $29.