Find Washington County Clerk Records

Washington County Clerk and Recorder

The elected Washington County Clerk and Recorder is Annie Kuntz. Her office is at the county administrative building in Akron, not at the Highway 34 court and jail campus. The official department page says the office administers election procedures and voter registration, acts as agent for Colorado Department of Revenue motor vehicle and driver license transactions, issues marriage and civil union licenses, handles liquor licensing, records real estate and legal documents, and serves as clerk of the Board of County Commissioners.

The Recording Department processes and preserves documents presented for recording as public record. The county page says permanent record is kept on microfilm and optical images, that some records date back to 1865, and that all records are open to the public. Certified copies of documents of record are available for a fee, although the research did not locate a county-specific certified-copy amount for recorded documents.

For Washington County residents, the main practical split is between the courthouse record and the county record. A person who needs a divorce decree, case disposition, traffic file, probate order, or civil judgment should use Washington Combined Court. A person who needs a marriage license record, recorded deed, plat, school-record reference, military discharge, or Board of County Commissioners clerk record starts with the Clerk and Recorder. Those offices are close by county scale but not interchangeable.

Washington County Clerk Record Types

The county clerk office is the right place for records tied to county administration and recording. That includes the records people often confuse with court files, especially marriage licenses and recorded legal documents. Divorce decrees, criminal case dispositions, probate case orders, and traffic files are court records and should go to Washington Combined Court instead.

The county's recording function is especially different from the state court clerk function. The Clerk and Recorder accepts documents for recording, preserves public-record images, and can provide certified copies of documents of record when available. The court clerk maintains pleadings, orders, decrees, judgments, and docket-related case material. If a land, estate, or family matter involves both offices, request each record from the office that created or recorded it.

• Marriage and civil union licenses: issued locally by the Clerk and Recorder during regular business hours.
• Recorded documents: real estate records and other legal documents kept for posterity and reference.
• Maps and plats: recorded materials handled through the recording side of the office.
• Military discharges: listed by the county as part of the records held by the office.
• County administrative records: routed by office or through the county CORA request channel when applicable.

Washington County Marriage Licenses

Marriage and civil union licenses are issued by the Washington County Clerk and Recorder. The official county page says a Colorado marriage license is valid upon issue, must be used in Colorado within 35 days, and costs $30. Applicants do not have to live in Colorado, and blood tests are not required. The legal age of consent is 18, while applicants age 16 or 17 need juvenile court permission and must present the court order.

The county page also gives detailed return rules. The person who solemnizes the marriage must complete the certificate and return it to the Clerk and Recorder within 63 days. The completed certificate should state the county and location of marriage, the date, the officiating party's signature and title, and the signatures of the parties. Late return fees begin after the 63-day period, so couples should not treat the ceremony as the last record step.

Washington County Clerk Form Fields

The research captured the official marriage and civil union license requirements from the county page. It also confirmed that CORA request information is linked from the Clerk page, but the full county CORA form text was not retrievable. For records outside marriage and recording, contact the county office that maintains the record or use the county CORA route rather than guessing a form field set.

Marriage applications require more than names and signatures. The county instructions say both parties need valid identification, both parties need to know their Social Security numbers if issued, and a previously divorced applicant must provide the date, location, and type of court for the divorce. If one party cannot appear, the absent party affidavit must be signed and notarized and paired with valid identification showing proof of age.

Washington County Clerk Public Access

The county clerk page states that all records in the office are open to the public and that certified copies are available for a fee. Public access still depends on the record type. A recorded document is not the same as a court filing, and a county administrative record is not the same as a sheriff criminal justice record. Colorado's CORA information page provides the statewide public-records frame for general county records.

For court case records, use Washington Combined Court clerk. For sheriff or jail records, contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office under criminal justice records rules. For marriage, civil unions, recorded documents, and county clerk services, start with Annie Kuntz's office at 150 Ash Avenue.

CORA does not make every record instant or unrestricted. The county CORA link was identified in the research, but the full local form text was not retrievable. For that reason, requesters should describe the record, date range, department, and preferred copy format, then let the county route the request to the custodian. Criminal justice records, court case records, and public court administrative records may follow different Colorado rules.