Where to Find the Legal Description for a Washington Property
Filling out a Washington quitclaim deed means locating the property's legal description — the abbreviated lot/block/plat or section-township-range description RCW § 65.04.045 requires on the first page. It's easy to confuse with a street address, but it's a different thing entirely, and it's usually the part of the form people get stuck on.
Check a document you already have first — a closing statement, title insurance policy, or a prior deed will typically have it printed word-for-word.
No paperwork on hand? You don't have to drive to the county seat to get it. Most Washington county Auditor offices publish an online records search, and many counties also run a separate property lookup tool through the assessor's office — usually an interactive map where you click on a parcel to see its details. Either one will usually pull up the recorded legal description once you search by owner name, address, or parcel number.
Find Your County's Property Search
Each county page in our directory links to that office's own official website — from there, look for a "property search," "records search," or "parcel map" link (a number of our county pages already link straight to a search tool). Find your county below:
Browse All 39 Washington Counties →
FAQs About Legal Descriptions
What is a Legal Description?
A Legal Description is the formal, surveyed description of a property's exact boundaries and location — such as a lot, block, and subdivision name, or a metes-and-bounds description — used to uniquely identify the parcel on recorded documents like a quitclaim deed. It is not the same as the property's mailing address.
Can I retrieve the legal description online?
Usually, yes. Most Washington county Auditor or assessor offices run a free online property search by owner name, address, or parcel number, and the results include the recorded legal description.
What if my county does not provide online records?
Pull out any prior recorded document you have — closing papers, a title policy, a settlement statement — the legal description is typically printed right on it. If that's not an option, call or visit the county Auditor's or assessor's office directly and ask them to look it up.