Bothell Property Records
Bothell property records require checking two counties. The city straddles the King and Snohomish county line, so your parcel may be in either jurisdiction. The King County Assessor handles parcels on the south side, and the Snohomish County Assessor covers the north side. Both offices maintain public property records online and charge no fee for basic parcel searches.
Bothell Overview
Bothell Property Records Overview
Bothell is one of the few Washington cities that sits in two counties at once. The county border runs through the middle of the city, roughly following the north-south corridor near the University of Washington Bothell campus. If you are not sure which county your Bothell parcel falls in, try the King County parcel viewer first. If nothing comes up, check the Snohomish County assessor's search tool.
Under RCW 84.40.020, all real property in Washington must be assessed each year and those records must be available for public inspection. Both the King County Assessor and the Snohomish County Assessor at snohomishcountywa.gov/2934/Assessor follow this rule. Assessment data including owner name, parcel number, legal description, assessed value, and building characteristics is freely accessible on each county's website.
The City of Bothell manages local land use, building permits, and city-level records. The Bothell official website has permit search tools, code documents, and public records request forms. These city records cover the whole city regardless of which county side a parcel is on, since the city government operates as a single unit even though the county split creates two sets of county-level records.
Washington's Public Records Act under Chapter 42.56 RCW applies to both King County and Snohomish County offices. Either county must respond to public records requests for Bothell property documents within the statutory timeframe.
Snohomish County Assessor for Bothell Parcels
The Snohomish County Assessor at snohomishcountywa.gov/2934/Assessor handles all parcels in the Snohomish County portion of Bothell. The assessor values property at 100% of true and fair market value as of January 1 each year and publishes those values as public records. The assessor's main phone number is 425-388-3433, and you can also email contact.assessor@snoco.org for help.
Snohomish County's SCOPI mapping tool and Property Summary Search are available on the assessor's website. You can look up Bothell parcels by address or parcel number and get assessed values, property characteristics, and ownership data. The Snohomish County Assessor mailing address is 3000 Rockefeller Ave, M/S 510, Everett WA 98201.
The Snohomish County Assessor also offers senior exemption programs. The Senior Exemption limit for disposable income was increased to $75,000 maximum in 2024. If you think you may qualify, check the assessor's website for the current brochure and application link. Call 425-388-3540 for questions about exemptions specifically.
The Snohomish County Auditor and Recorder at snohomishcountywa.gov/162/Auditor-Recorder handles recording of deeds, liens, and other documents for Bothell parcels on the Snohomish County side. Documents must comply with formatting standards under RCW 65.04.045 before the recorder will accept them.
The Snohomish County Assessor search portal for Bothell:
Snohomish County Assessor
This office covers all Bothell parcels that fall within the Snohomish County side of the city boundary.
King County Assessor for Bothell Property Records
For Bothell parcels south of the county line, the King County Assessor at kingcounty.gov/en/dept/assessor is the right office. The King County eReal Property search at blue.kingcounty.com lets you enter an address and instantly see whether that parcel is in King County. If it is, you get ownership data, assessed values, building details, and recent sales history.
King County also handles recording for Bothell parcels in King County. Deeds and other documents affecting King County Bothell properties must be filed with the King County Recorder. Under RCW 65.08.070, recording is required to protect ownership rights against subsequent purchasers. The county auditor serves as recording officer under RCW 36.22.010.
The King County GIS Open Data Portal at gisdata.kingcounty.com has downloadable parcel data for the King County portion of Bothell, including boundary layers and zoning information. This is useful if you are doing detailed research or planning analysis on multiple Bothell parcels.
Property Tax for Bothell Residents
Bothell residents pay property taxes through whichever county holds their parcel. King County Bothell parcels are billed through the King County Treasurer, and Snohomish County parcels are billed through the Snohomish County Treasurer. In both cases, first-half taxes are due April 30 and second-half taxes are due October 31.
Real estate excise tax under RCW 82.45 applies when Bothell property sells. The tax rate is graduated based on the sale price and is paid at closing before the deed is recorded. Both King County and Snohomish County treasurers collect REET for transactions in their respective portions of the city.
Your tax bill covers levies from the county, the City of Bothell, local school districts, fire and library districts, and other overlapping taxing authorities. The total rate depends on exactly which districts your parcel falls within. Two Bothell properties a block apart could have different rates if one is in a different fire or library district.
The Washington Department of Revenue lists all county assessor and treasurer contact information at dor.wa.gov. Use that directory to find the right county office for your specific Bothell parcel.
The Bothell city website:
City of Bothell
The city handles permit records, public records requests, and land use documents for all Bothell properties regardless of county.
How to Find Bothell Property Records
The two-county split makes Bothell property research a two-step process. Start with King County's eReal Property search. If your address doesn't appear, switch to the Snohomish County assessor's Property Summary Search. Once you know which county holds the parcel, use that county's auditor search to find recorded deeds and other documents.
For older documents, the Washington State Archives Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov holds historical property record cards for both King and Snohomish counties from the 1930s and 1940s. These records include ownership history, assessed values at the time, and sometimes photographs. They can be valuable for chain-of-title research on older Bothell parcels.
Chapter 36.21 RCW establishes the role and duties of the county assessor. Both King County and Snohomish County assessors operate under this chapter. All assessment records are public, and no special authorization is needed to view ownership data, assessed values, or parcel characteristics for Bothell properties.
County Property Records for Bothell
Bothell property records are split between King County and Snohomish County. Visit both county pages for full details on office locations, search tools, and additional resources.
Nearby Cities
These cities neighbor Bothell and use county property record systems for their parcels.