Clallam County Property Records

Clallam County property records are maintained by the Assessor, Auditor, and Treasurer offices at the county courthouse at 223 East 4th Street in Port Angeles. The county covers roughly 77,000 residents on the Olympic Peninsula and manages property data for all parcels including rural, rural residential, and coastal properties. This page explains how to access Clallam County property records online and through county offices.

Clallam County Property Records Overview

Clallam County sits on the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington. The county includes Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks, and many rural areas. Property records are public under Chapter 42.56 RCW, the Washington Public Records Act. The Assessor appraises all taxable real and personal property within Clallam County as accurately and fairly as the law allows. The values determined by the Assessor are estimates of market value, not a determination of the dollar amount of taxes owed.

Under Chapter 36.21 RCW, the Assessor must assess all property at 100% of fair market value as of January 1. This is the standard across all 39 Washington counties. The assessor role in Clallam County follows all state-mandated procedures, including physical inspections and continuous revaluation under RCW 84.41.030. Equitable assessments help ensure that property owners pay their fair share of costs for schools, libraries, police and fire protection, road maintenance, water, and other public services.

Any changes to the assessment procedure must be initiated by voters or state legislators. This limits how much individual counties can vary from state assessment standards.

Clallam County Assessor

The Clallam County Assessor's Department is responsible for the local administration of the state property tax system. The office appraises all real and personal property within Clallam County. The department's duties fall within the framework of Washington State Law. Staff regularly look for ways to improve the assessment process and to make data more accessible to property owners.

The Assessor publishes annual reports going back to 2013, which are available on the county website. These reports document valuation trends, total assessed values, and assessment activity across the county. Parcel and address search tools are accessible through the county's online portal. Senior and disabled exemption programs are also administered through the Assessor. The 2023 legislature changed income thresholds for the Senior/Disabled Exemption effective for 2024 taxes, so if you applied in prior years and were denied, it may be worth checking again.

The Clallam County Assessor at clallamcountywa.gov/Assessor provides parcel search, address search, and GIS mapping tools for all Clallam County properties, along with senior and disabled exemption information.

The Assessor's Department provides property valuation data, parcel search, and assessment history for all taxable real and personal property in Clallam County.

Recording Property in Clallam County

The Clallam County Auditor serves as the recording officer under RCW 36.22.010. The Auditor records all documents that affect title to real property in Clallam County, including warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, easements, and plats. Recording a deed with the Auditor is how ownership of real property in Clallam County becomes part of the official public record.

Under RCW 65.08.070, instruments that are not recorded may be void against subsequent bona fide purchasers and lenders who record first without notice. This means getting your deed recorded promptly after closing is not just a formality. It protects your legal interest against later competing claims. The Auditor at clallamcountywa.gov/Auditor accepts documents for recording at the courthouse in Port Angeles.

The county provides a parcel and address search tool through the Auditor/Assessor area of the website. Annual reports from the Assessor are also archived here. Access is straightforward through the county's main site at clallamcountywa.gov.

The Clallam County Auditor at clallamcountywa.gov/Auditor handles document recording and maintains the official archive of instruments affecting real property in the county.

The Auditor records all official property instruments for Clallam County, including deeds, mortgages, and liens, creating the public chain of title for all parcels.

Clallam County Treasurer

The Clallam County Treasurer acts as the bank for the county, school districts, fire districts, and other units of local government. The Treasurer's office receipts, disburses, invests, and accounts for funds from each of these entities. Property tax payments in Clallam County can be made in the office between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The office accepts cash, credit and debit cards, certified checks, money orders, and personal checks. Electronic payments through the ACI system are also available but carry a service fee from the payment company.

The Clallam County Treasurer processes Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) on property transfers under RCW 82.45. In 2025, the Treasurer's office began publishing quarterly revenue reports showing REET volumes and other tax collections. This data shows how many property transfers occurred and the total excise tax collected, which gives a useful picture of local real estate activity.

For the 2026 tax year, the Treasurer published a REET recap comparing electronic processing to walk-in customer processing. The trend across the state has been toward electronic REET processing, and Clallam County has followed that pattern. If you are involved in a property transfer, call the Treasurer's office to review your documents before scheduling your appointment.

The Clallam County Treasurer at clallamcountywa.gov/Treasurer handles property tax collection, Real Estate Excise Tax, and provides online payment options for Clallam County property owners.

The Treasurer manages all property tax collection and investment of county funds, with electronic and in-person payment options available for Clallam County taxpayers.

Searching Clallam County Property Records

The county's primary parcel search tool is accessible from the Assessor's page at clallamcountywa.gov. You can search by address or parcel number to get current ownership and assessment data. The county's Public GIS Portal also provides map-based access to parcel boundaries, zoning, and related data layers. This is useful for visualizing property locations and checking adjacent parcels.

For older or historical records, the Washington State Digital Archives provides free online access to digitized Clallam County property records. These include deeds, mortgages, and plat maps from earlier periods of the county's history. Searching by county name and date range is the most direct way to find older instruments.

The Washington Department of Revenue directory links to Clallam County's assessor and treasurer websites directly. This is a reliable starting point for any online research. The DOR also provides valuation guidelines that help explain how Clallam County properties are appraised.

Note: The county courthouse is at 223 East 4th Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362. The main county phone is 360-417-2000.

Cities in Clallam County

Clallam County includes Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks, and Port Townsend (in Jefferson County). No cities in Clallam County meet the population threshold for individual city pages on this site. Property records for all communities in Clallam County are managed by the county offices in Port Angeles.

Nearby Counties

Clallam County shares a border with Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula. For property records in adjacent areas, see below.