Pacific County Recorder Information

Land records in Pacific County are recorded by the County Auditor. The office is held by Nicole Deskins.

The Auditor's Office houses recorded deeds, oyster bed records, mortgages, etc. from 1931 to present; plat maps from 1876; survey books from 1973; and military discharges (DD214) from 1919. Records from the 1800s until 1931 are held by the Washington State Archives Southwest Branch. Documents indexed from cursive recordings may not be accurate.

Checked September 2026 against official publications. Sources: RCW Chapter 36.22 County auditor · Pacific County Auditor Home Page · Document Recording - Pacific County

These government fees are separate from any Deeds.com service fees. Confirm current charges with the recorder's office.

Added at recording

Other charges

Fee schedule effective January 1, 2024.

StatewideCertified copies: first page 8.5 x 14 inches or less, $3; each additional page, $1. Multiple transactions in one instrument: each title or transaction requiring separate indexing is charged the first-page fee; additional page fees are collected only once. Plats: 50 cents per lot (cemetery plats 25 cents per lot), plus $1 for each acknowledgment, dedication, and description, minimum $25 per plat. Searching records: $8 per hour. A cover sheet is charged as an additional page.

Surveys, plats, and condos: $423.50 for the first page and $5.00 for each additional page. Assignment of deed of trust, reappointment or appointment of trustee, and death certificate: $18 for the first page. Name change order: $203.50. Multiple titled documents: the first title is $303.50 for the first page (unless it meets one of the listed exceptions) and $1.00 for each additional page; additional titles are $303.50 per title. State, county, and cities may have a reduced rate. Documents filed with insufficient recording fees are returned to the sender unrecorded.

Paying the office

For conveyances that need a Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit, the Treasurer's Office accepts by mail a completed REETA, the conveyance document, and two separate checks (one for excise tax and one for recording fees) at PO Box 98, South Bend, WA 98586. Excise tax can only be paid by cash or check made payable to "Pacific County Treasurer".

Transfer tax

Real estate excise tax (state). 1.1 percent of the portion of the selling price that is less than or equal to five hundred thousand dollars; 1.28 percent of the portion greater than five hundred thousand dollars and equal to or less than one million five hundred thousand dollars; 2.75 percent of the portion greater than one million five hundred thousand dollars and equal to or less than three million dollars; three percent of the portion greater than three million dollars. Timberland or agricultural land: 1.28 percent of the selling price. Thresholds are adjusted every fourth year by the Department of Revenue. The tax is collected when the document is recorded. (statewide, RCW 82.45.060)

StatewideThe Department of Revenue publishes adjusted selling price thresholds for the state graduated rates: through December 31, 2026, $525,000 or less at 1.10%, $525,000.01 - $1,525,000 at 1.28%, $1,525,000.01 - $3,025,000 at 2.75%, $3,025,000.01 or more at 3%; for sales beginning January 1, 2027, $551,000, $1,551,000, and $3,051,000. REET is due and payable to the county treasurer in the county where the property is located. A $5.00 state technology fee is applied to the total due for every transfer, and an additional $5.00 affidavit processing fee is applied if an exemption is claimed. Counties and cities may add a local real estate excise tax under chapter 82.46 RCW, including a rate not exceeding 0.25 percent of the selling price (RCW 82.46.010(2)) and, in lieu of the tax in RCW 82.14.030(2), an additional rate not exceeding 0.5 percent (RCW 82.46.010(3)).

Local real estate excise tax rate of 0.25% in Pacific County unincorporated areas (location code 2500), Ilwaco (2501), Long Beach (2502), Raymond (2503), and South Bend (2504), as of May 1, 2026 (chapter 82.46 RCW). The REETA and conveyance document are processed by the Pacific County Treasurer before the conveyance is presented to the Auditor for recording.

Checked September 2026 against the sources below. Some of them are not official publications, so confirm with the recorder's office. Sources: RCW Chapter 36.22 County auditor · RCW 36.18.010 Auditor's fees · RCW 65.04.048 Additional fee for certain documents not meeting requirements · RCW 82.45.060 Tax on sale of property · Real estate excise tax | Washington Department of Revenue · Document Recording - Pacific County · Pacific County Auditor recording fees as of January 1st, 2024 · Local Real Estate Excise Tax Rates, Effective May 1, 2026 · Excise Tax — Pacific County Treasurer's Office

Confirm current requirements with the recorder's office before submitting documents.

StatewideAn instrument may be recorded if a minor portion of a notary seal, incidental writing, or minor portion of a signature extends beyond the margins. First page: one-inch margin on the bottom and sides.

Nothing is to appear within the one-inch margins except a notary stamp/seal. The return address must appear in the top-left corner of the first page and may be within the three-inch top margin.

StatewideThe first page must show, immediately below the three-inch top margin, the title or titles of the instrument; reference numbers of documents assigned or released; the names of the grantor(s) and grantee(s); and an abbreviated legal description (lot, block, plat, or section, township, range, and quarter/quarter section), each with a page reference where additional information appears. No attachments, except firmly attached bar code or address labels, may be affixed to the pages. Instruments, except those generated by governmental agencies, may not contain a social security number, a date of birth identified with a particular person, or the maiden name of a person's parent so as to be identified with a particular person. Documents that do not meet legibility requirements must not be recorded as a nonstandard recording; an emergency nonstandard recording requires a cover sheet and a signed statement.

The first page (or cover sheet) must include the Assessor's 11-digit parcel number. Documents signed prior to January 1, 1997, may be recorded without formatting, but a cover sheet is required. A cover sheet does not relieve the submitter of meeting the formatting requirements on all later pages.

Forms filed along with a transfer

• Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit Statewide Washington Department of Revenue (filed with the county treasurer)
  Generally, whenever there is a transfer of ownership or title to real property by conveyance, deed, grant, assignment, quitclaim, or any other document that results in a transfer

Submitting documents

Deeds that require an Excise Tax Affidavit, and multi-title documents, cannot be accepted through eRecording. The Treasurer's Office states that e-recording for excise tax is not currently available.

Checked September 2026 against the sources below. Some of them are not official publications, so confirm with the recorder's office. Sources: Real estate excise tax | Washington Department of Revenue · RCW 65.04.045 Recorded instruments—Requirements · RCW 65.04.047 Recorded instruments—Cover sheet · Document Recording - Pacific County · Pacific County Auditor recording fees as of January 1st, 2024 · Document Recording: Formatting Requirements · Excise Tax — Pacific County Treasurer's Office