Public Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.,
Pacific Time
Phone:
Main Office:
(509) 667-6815
Fax:
(509) 667-6825
Address:
Chelan County Auditor
Recording Department
350 Orondo Avenue
P.O. Box 400
Wenatchee, WA 98807
Located on the 2nd (street) level of the courthouse
E-mail:
Recording
@co.chelan.wa.us
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Research
Records contained in the Recording Department
Title Companies
Digital Archives
Birth and Death Records - 1900-1907 only
Marriage Records
Military Discharges
Deeds & other conveyance documents
Mortgages & other financing documents
Liens
Mining Claims
Surveys, Plats, and Short Plats
Records not contained in this office:
Birth and Death records 1907-present contact Washington State Vital Records
Birth records 1936-present and death records for current year contact Chelan-Douglas Health District
Divorce records contact Chelan County Superior Court Clerk's Office for divorces granted in Chelan County
Title Companies
Local title companies have copies of all our recordings, yet unlike our 'name' index, title company records are indexed and retrievable by parcel. When searching for something that may of been recorded decades ago under the name of a property owner you can't find without research, such as an old easement, you may find it simpler to approach a one of the title companies listed below than to spend one or more afternoons digging it out of our public research area.
LandAmerica Transnation (509) 662-4721
First American Title (509) 663-8555
Pioneer Title Company (509) 663-1125
Central Washington Title (509) 665-9800
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Public Research Facilities
The Recording Department has a public research area equipped with computers, maps, and some good 'ole musty manuals to aid in your quest. Our staff is available to dispense search advice, technical assistance, moral support, and on occasion, chocolate. All recorded documents are a matter of public record, and you may view them and write down information as needed. There is a $1.00 per page fee for copies of recorded documents.
Information You Will Need NAMES !
Statutes require that records be indexed alphabetically according to the names of those who recorded the document. If you know at least one name and the instrument's approximate recording date you will probably find what you need with relative grace and ease. If you are researching your own property, bring your title report along. There are usually some Auditor File Numbers to be found among the report that you can look up without much trouble. When, Alas, Names are Not Known There are multiple answers to working around this obstacle, depending on the era of your search or the type of instrument you are looking for:
- Documents Recorded 1/27/1997 or later : Our current system implemented on this date has greater ability to perform a search on items other than names. Legislation effective January 1 of that year also requires that parcel numbers accompany legal descriptions. Between these two developments we can now offer expanded search capabilities independent of names for those documents recorded after this date.
- Documents Recorded Prior to 1/27/1997 : If you do not have a name to search under, your best bet is to first stop by the Assessor's Office where they can use the street address or like information to find the name of the current owner and the property's legal description. Continue on to the recording department where this information will become the starting place for your search.
- If you are looking for a document recorded within the era of the current owner's occupancy, then your work will be simplified now that you have a name and a date range to search within.
- You will need to trace the chain of ownership if you suspect that the document was recorded prior to the current ownership. The prior owner's name can be found by locating the deed belonging to the current owner to see who it was that they purchased from. You will then search for your document under that seller's name, or continue the backward search of ownership until you find the name of the individual who owned the property at the time you believe the document may have been recorded.
Tracing the history of a given property : See the paragraph above, and set aside a healthy amount of time to spend looking. Since the records have been indexed by name and not by property, you would have to research the ownership per above. Search and Copy Fees
- Photocopies are $1.00 per page
- Certified copies are $3.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each page thereafter
- Full size map copies are $5.00 each
- Search fees are $8.00 per hour with a one hour minimum. Copies of search results are $1.00 per page.
Payment must be made prior to service. If the number of pages to be purchased is unknown, as is often the case for searches, you may submit a check with the amount fields left blank and a notation of (not to exceed) NTE $25.00 written just below the amount line. We will complete the check for the appropriate fee and enclose the receipt with your search results.
Payment Options:
- Cash
- Check/Money Order made payable to the Chelan County Auditor
- Credit Card - made available through a third party vendor, who charges a fee for the service . Click Here for additional information and instructions regarding the use of this payment option.
This information is meant to give a general idea of the cost and requirements for searches. Please call (509) 667-6815 for further information.
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Telephone Requests
(509) 667-6815 Monday - Friday 9-5
- Legal Descriptions: Legal descriptions in Chelan County can be lengthy. Due to this fact and the possibility of error, we cannot read legal descriptions over the phone . To obtain a copy of a legal description of any document recorded in the Auditor's Office, you can either come in to our office or make a request in writing . If your legal description appears on any document recorded after 1/1/1974, you can view the document online .
- Other Telephone Requests: For those looking for a rather recent document for which the name, approximate date, or other key information is known, we can offer limited search assistance over the phone. Once we agree that the correct document has been found, you can send a written request for a copy if needed.
Please understand that there are times when the either the volume of possibilities or older document recording dates prevent us from fulfilling a quick telephone search. In this instance you must either come in and perform the search yourself with our assistance, or send us a written request including the appropriate search and copy fees.
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Written Requests
If you are unable to come in to the office, you may submit a written request for document copies. Please include as much of the following that applies:
- The document number (Auditor File Number), if known, and book/page if applicable
- Name(s) of the grantor or grantee
- Approximate time frame of the instrument's recording date
- Appropriate fee
- A daytime phone number or e-mail just in case we have questions
- An address to which the copies should be sent
Mail your request to the following address:
Chelan County Auditor
Recording Department
PO Box 400
Wenatchee , WA 98801
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Genealogy
The Recording Department has marriage and property records dating back to the Chelan County inception of 1899.
- Marriage : All marriage records are computer-indexed. Marriage certificates prior to 1990 are available on microfilm in the Recording Department, and those after are available for viewing and printing online.
- Birth & Death 1899-1907 : Only a few (less than 200) are recorded here. They are dated from county inception in 1899, to 1907 when the state took over the collection of vital records. Additional Local
- Genealogy Information : The Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society is ready and willing to share their wealth of local information and dedicated expertise. They are a nonprofit organization committed to helping people utilize available records to discover more about their heritage. Their office is located within the museum annex, and they welcome your inquiries with great enthusiasm!
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Regional Archives
For broad based records research of central Washington contact the Central Washington Regional Archives Branch in Ellensburg, WA They have records covering nine counties (Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, and Yakima) and four categories:
- County and Municipal government records
- School District records
- Central Washington University records
- Genealogical source records
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Digital Archives
http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/
Washington State is one of the first in the nation to create an archive for digital records. The collection is slated to grow to include records from the entire state, and so far offers the following:
Governor Gary Locke's Website
Top 5 Treasures
Marriage Records
Naturalization Records
Census Records
Death Records
Birth Records
Military Records
Institution Records
Miscellaneous Historical Records
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