Jefferson County, WA Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

Three county offices have what you need if you're researching property in Jefferson County. The County Auditor keeps records of deeds, deeds of trust, and plats. The County Assessor appraises all parcels, and the County Treasurer issues the tax bill and collects taxes. Their books cover the period before the formation of the Washington Territory, namely the Oregon Territory, when the legislature founded the county in 1852.

The county covers much of the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula, from the Victorian seaport of Port Townsend, the only incorporated city, to Hood Canal's Quilcene and Brinnon, and all the way to the rainforest-covered West End. Historic Victorians dot the neighborhoods, and cottages along the canal and forest acreage make up much of the housing market; in the west of the county, Olympic National Park covers a portion of it.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $362,900 and median rent of $1,147, alongside a median household income of $62,206 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.71 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Jefferson County Property Records

Most property questions can be addressed in three free county resources. The Property Search function includes a sales search, conducted jointly by the Assessor and Treasurer, and displays ownership, values, and tax details. The Auditor's EagleWeb document search shows the recorded index, and the Parcel Search and Maps hub collects the mapping tools.

Who Keeps Jefferson County Property Records

The three county offices below maintain records of Washington properties within Jefferson County, and the Public Records Act requires them to be open to the public.

• The Jefferson County Auditor records deeds, deeds of trust, reconveyances, liens, easements, and plat maps as the county recording officer under RCW 36.22.010. Recording gives constructive notice to later purchasers and lenders under RCW 65.08.

• The Jefferson County Assessor values every parcel, allocates value to the taxing districts, calculates levy rates, and certifies the tax roll to the Treasurer.

• The Jefferson County Treasurer bills and collects property taxes, processes the state Real Estate Excise Tax, and publishes an online excise affidavit search that doubles as a sale-price research tool.

How to Search Jefferson County Property Records Online

• Start with the Property Search portal. Find the parcel by owner name, address, or parcel number, then select the current year for the owner's most recent change in ownership. The sales search includes recent sales.

• Take the owner name to the Auditor’s EagleWeb document search located through the Auditor’s page. Search by name, document type, or date range.

• Check the Treasurer’s excise affidavit search for processed sale affidavits, the state’s official record of what changed hands and for how much.

• Record the current owner's name on the most recent deed and trace back through previous deeds, making sure each grantor matches the one before. Do the same index search for deeds of trust, liens, and easements.

• Complete your search with the Treasurer at (360) 385-9150 to verify the tax status. Unpaid taxes incur interest and penalties, and the longer a tax is delinquent, the quicker the county can foreclose.

County Auditor: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, and Plats

Elected by the public, the Auditor records all community activities, including those in Port Townsend. Most financed purchases will have a deed of trust, not a mortgage.

Document types recorded with the County Auditor include:

• Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and real estate contracts

• Deeds of trust, reconveyances, and assignments

• Liens, lis pendens, and easements

• Surveys, plats, and boundary line adjustments

• Military discharges and marriage records

Records span the county's history, from 1852 when the Oregon Territory legislature established it, before the formation of Washington Territory. Title companies rarely use the ferry, as most documents can be recorded electronically in the office. EagleWeb allows searching and viewing; order official copies in the office.

County Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor's valuation of each parcel is based on the 100 percent true and fair market value mandated by Title 84 RCW. The office updates valuations every year and physically reinspects parcels every six years, most recently in Port Townsend. The county sends a notice of value changes later in the year, postmarked with the new values.

Use the Property Search or contact the office to find:

• The current legal owner of any parcel

• The parcel number that links county record systems

• Assessed land, improvement, and total values

• Property characteristics, sales history, and tax detail

• Current-use enrollment and exemption status

Values move with the market, and the levy rate is adjusted to ensure value collections align with approved levy budgets.

County Treasurer: Taxes, Bills, and Payments

The Treasurer prepares bills and collects taxes for the county and each district. Washington has a two-part tax system: Half of the taxes are due on April 30, and the other half are due on October 31, after which any unpaid taxes incur interest and penalties as specified in RCW 84.56.

The Treasurer is an elected official who collects the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) and performs other functions, such as processing the affidavit for each sale and making the affidavit archive searchable. A transfer cannot be recorded until this office signs off, and it refers to various state sources for blank deed forms because it cannot recommend which one to use.

Property Tax in Jefferson County: Levies, Exemptions, and Appeals

The 1 Percent Levy Limit and How Bills are Set

Voters in Washington pay a maximum of 1 percent of their assessed value (or $10 per $1,000), and voters authorize any levies that exceed that amount. The 101 percent limit restricts growth in each district's annual revenue to 1 percent plus new construction compared to the previous year.

Senior, Disabled, and Veteran Relief

Washington has one of the most liberal relief programs, administered by the Assessor. Individuals who are 61 years of age or disabled and have income below the county limits are exempt from excess levies, and their taxable value may be frozen.

Qualifying veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability may defer taxes as a lien until the end of the year, with interest. Refer to the Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Assessor (RCW 84.36).

Appealing Your Value

First, contact the Assessor at (360) 385-9105 to discuss the valuation basis. Formal appeals go to the county Board of Equalization, a different entity than the assessor's office: (360) 385-9100. Appeals must be filed by either July 1 or the cut-off date shown in the valuation notice, whichever comes first. A taxpayer may file an additional appeal with the State Board of Tax Appeals; this is the taxpayer's responsibility and requires evidence of comparable sales.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The county gathers its mapping on the Parcel Search and Maps hub, tied to the Property Search data. For historical records, the Washington State Digital Archives serves the county, and the Department of Revenue’s directory links every county’s portals.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Assessment data tied to the Property Search records

• Shoreline and canal-front reference layers

• The national park and forest boundaries to the west end

• Digitized historical county records in the State

Take special care with waterfront or forest-edge boundaries; double-check any line against recorded plats, surveys, and a licensed survey.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Washington handles the two kinds of foreclosure very differently, and both matter for property research.

Trustee Foreclosure on Deeds of Trust

The vast majority of real estate foreclosures in Washington are nonjudicial, as the state relies on deeds of trust. A foreclosure sale is conducted under the Deed of Trust Act (RCW 61.24) without a court order after the trustee named in the deed of trust forecloses on a default. The Auditor records notices, and the sale takes place at a public auction.

Judicial Tax Foreclosure by the Treasurer

Property taxes three or more years delinquent lead to foreclosure by the County Treasurer through the Superior Court under RCW 84.64, ending in a public auction of the property itself. Washington is not a tax-lien-certificate state, so the county sells the land, not liens, to investors.

Costs to Access Property Records

Searching online is free. The Auditor posts simple copy fees, and recording carries Washington’s substantial statutory surcharges.

RCW 82.45 sets the excise tax, and the affidavit filed with each sale is the reliable sale-price proxy, searchable through the Treasurer’s archive.

How to Record a Document

Recording follows RCW 65.08, and a Washington deed must meet RCW 64.04.020: in writing, signed by the grantor, notarized, with a full legal description.

• The format should be as follows: 3” top margin on the 1st page; 1” margins on other pages; the parcel number should be listed separately from the legal description.

• Complete the REET affidavit through the Treasurer; the Auditor must receive a statement certifying the excise tax before accepting the conveyance. You can find blank forms on state websites.

• Submit at the courthouse, by mail, or via an e-recording vendor (most title companies use this).

• After recording, the image is added to the permanent indexed record, and the original counteracts the address on the instrument.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Jefferson County Property Records Checklist

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Key Contacts and Official Portals