WA Criminal Records

Criminal records are important to many people, not only you – which is why it is always a good idea to know just where and how to get your criminal records in Washington without the trouble of searching and contacting all the wrong people. There are several reasons why you should check your criminal record report as well as that of others that you may be interested in hiring or those that may enter your home at some point – or even that of a family member or spouse as long as there is a legitimate reason.

Getting Washington criminal history records isn’t very difficult, as there are several resources available, which can be found easily on the web or through the local courts or even a lawyer’s office or police station as well.

Criminal History Checks in Washington

An unrestricted CHRI, or Washington background check, is offered to all criminal justice agencies, which can be obtained for criminal justice purposes from the ICHS, or Identification and Criminal History Section of the Washington State Patrol. The public is also offered access to CHRI records; however, the records are limited to information concerning convictions only.

In order to obtain these records, there are two methods available from the Washington State Patrol, which include online or by mail.

  • To request online, visit the WATCH system online. You must have a credit card or charge account ready for your $10 fee, which is charged to each name searched whether there are results or not.
  • To request by mail, obtain the form from the same WATCH system site, complete fully, and return to the address provided on the form through U.S. Postal Mail. If you wish to start an account, there is an application packet on the same website that must be completed and submitted by mail or fax.
Getting your Washington criminal report online provides you with instant access, while there will be a 7 to 14 day wait for your reports by mail.

To contact the Washington State Patrol, call:

  • 1-360-534-2000 and choose option #2; fax forms to 1-360-534-2073
  • email watch.help@wsp.wa.go
  •  or mail forms to the following address:
Washington State Patrol

Identification and Criminal History Section

P.O. Box 42633

Olympia, WA 98504-2633

Other WA Criminal Check Resources

There are other resources available for employee criminal checks and personal criminal checks online that can be found through third party companies such as:

Always ensure that you aren’t giving information away online to sources that are faulty or could be misleading you in some way. There are several sources online such as the BBB to ensure a company is the real deal.