Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Franklin County, Washington, has about 101,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Franklin County Superior Court and the District Court, and the file of each case, kept by the County Clerk, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Franklin County public records, Franklin County arrest records, Franklin County warrants, Franklin County inmate search, Franklin County criminal records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Franklin County
Court cases from Franklin County are filed in the Franklin County Superior Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $100,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters.
Below it, the District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims and civil cases up to $100,000.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Superior Court, and the file stays with the County Clerk.
The County Clerk keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Public Records Act (RCW 42.56).
Looking Up a Case from Franklin County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/271.html (page title: Washington State Courts | Court Directory), phone 509-736-3071, 1016 N 4th Ave Pasco, WA 99301-3706, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, Washington Courts Search Case Records is the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
The Washington court page SearchSystems verified is at courts.wa.gov/index.cfm.
What Reaches the Court from Franklin County
Together, the three agencies in Franklin County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,536 arrests to the FBI that year; the Prosecuting Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Franklin County Superior Court or the District Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at franklincountywa.gov/prosecutor (page title: Prosecutor | Franklin County, WA), phone 509-545-3543, 1016 N 4th Avenue Pasco, WA 99301, Monday through Friday 8 am to Noon 1 to 4 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Washington State Department of Licensing, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Franklin County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Franklin County criminal records, Franklin County divorce records, Franklin County traffic tickets, Franklin County DUI and Franklin County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Franklin County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Franklin County and Washington. These court pages from its Franklin County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Courts, Franklin County, WA (franklincountywa.gov)
- Washington Courts (dw.courts.wa.gov)
Cities in Franklin County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Franklin County Superior Court or the District Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Franklin County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Franklin County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/271.html, phone 509-736-3071. Statewide, Washington Courts Search Case Records is the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in Franklin County?
The Franklin County Superior Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $100,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters. The District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims and civil cases up to $100,000.
Who keeps the court records in Franklin County?
The County Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Washington?
Yes: Washington Courts Search Case Records, the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
Is this the official Franklin County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.