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 2, 2026.
Pierce County, Washington, has about 941,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Pierce 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: Pierce County public records, Pierce County arrest records, Pierce County warrants, Pierce County inmate search, Pierce County criminal records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Pierce County
Court cases from Pierce County are filed in the Pierce 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 Pierce County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at piercecountywa.gov/789/LINX-Online-Case-Information (page title: LINX Online Case Information | Pierce County, WA), 930 Tacoma Ave S, Rm 239 Tacoma WA 98402, a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 429), so open it in a browser.
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 Pierce County
Together, the 18 agencies in Pierce County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,004 arrests to the FBI that year; the Prosecuting Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Pierce County Superior Court or the District Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at piercecountywa.gov/118/Prosecuting-Attorney (page title: Prosecuting Attorney's Office | Pierce County, WA), 930 Tacoma Ave S, Room 946 Tacoma, WA 98402, a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 429), so open it in a browser.
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 Pierce County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Pierce County criminal records, Pierce County divorce records, Pierce County traffic tickets, Pierce County DUI and Pierce County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Pierce County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Pierce County and Washington. These court pages from its Pierce County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Title Info: Pierce Frontier Justice (digitalarchives.wa.gov)
- Washington Courts (dw.courts.wa.gov)
Cities in Pierce County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Pierce 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 Pierce 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 Pierce County?
Through Washington Courts Search Case Records, the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in Pierce County?
The Pierce 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 Pierce 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 Pierce 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.