Spokane County Recorder Information

Land records in Spokane County are recorded by the County Auditor. The office is held by Vicky Dalton.

The index of recorded documents and images of maps, plats and surveys are available online; other document images are not viewable online but can be searched and viewed at the public computers in the office. Documents recorded prior to June 3, 1996 have a ten digit recording number with volume and page; later documents have 7 digit numbers.

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 · Recording | Spokane County, WA · After 7 terms, voters will choose a new Spokane County auditor (Spokesman-Review)

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 July 27, 2025.

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.

Exceptions to first page normal fee: Federal Liens and Releases $16.00; Assignment of Deed of Trust $301.00; Resignation & Appointment of Successor Trustee $301.00; Appointment of Trustee and Substitution of Trustee $301.00; Wage Liens & Releases $18.00; Water-Sewer District Liens & Releases $18.00; Employment Security Liens & Releases $15.00; State, County & City Liens & Releases $18.00; Name Change Orders Issued by District Court $203.50; each additional page to any of these documents $1.00. Plat 24x36 first page $423.50; Surveys 18x24 first page $408.50; Short Plat first page $423.50; Binding Site Plan first page $408.50; each additional page $5.00. Search of records $8.00 per hour, 1 hour minimum.

Paying the office

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 rates published by the Department of Revenue (effective May 1, 2026): Spokane County Unincorp. 0.50%; Airway Heights 0.50%; Cheney 0.50%; Deer Park 0.50%; Fairfield 0.25%; Latah 0.25%; Medical Lake 0.25%; Millwood 0.50%; Rockford 0.25%; Spangle 0.25%; Spokane (City) 0.50%; Waverly 0.00%; Liberty Lake 0.50%; Spokane Valley 0.50% (chapter 82.46 RCW). A Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit, along with a deed, is presented to the Spokane County Treasurer's office for processing and collection of tax or fees due before the deed is presented to the Auditor for recording; excise tax is paid in cash or check payable to Spokane County Treasurer.

Checked September 2026 against official publications. Sources: RCW Chapter 36.22 County auditor · RCW 36.18.010 Auditor's fees · RCW 82.45.060 Tax on sale of property · Real estate excise tax | Washington Department of Revenue · Filing & Fee Schedule | Spokane County, WA · Frequently Asked Questions - Recording · Local Real Estate Excise Tax Rates, Effective May 1, 2026 (DOR 84-0013)

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.

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.

No taped or stapled attachments are allowed. The best ink color is black. The only images allowed into the margins are signatures or notary seals. Stamps or seals over text make a document illegible, and illegible documents cannot be recorded.

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

Documents are reviewed for formatting standards; if they meet the standards and correct fees are paid, they are assigned an Auditor File Number and a bar code label with the number and the date and time of recording. Documents are indexed the day after recording.

Checked September 2026 against official publications. Sources: Real estate excise tax | Washington Department of Revenue · RCW 65.04.045 Recorded instruments—Requirements · RCW 65.04.047 Recorded instruments—Cover sheet · Recording | Spokane County, WA · Frequently Asked Questions - Recording · Recording Format and Requirement Example (PDF) · e-Recording | Spokane County, WA