Washington Court Summary

The Washington trial court system consists of Superior Courts, District Courts, Municipal Courts, and Traffic Violations Bureaus.

Superior Courts have general jurisdiction over all cases that are not within the exclusive jurisdiction of another court. District Courts have limited jurisdiction over certain types of civil, criminal and traffic cases. All District Courts have a Small Claims department and some may have a Municipal department or a Violations Bureau. Municipal Courts have limited jurisdiction over certain criminal cases and most ordinance violation cases. Traffic Violations Bureaus are specialized municipal courts with limited jurisdiction over city ordinance violations.


First Name	MI	Last Name	State

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Where to find court cases in Washington

The chart below gives general information on the types of cases heard in each type of court in Washington.

= Most or all cases.

= Some cases.

Case Type	Court Type
Civil	Superior Courts	District Courts	Municipal Courts	Traffic Violations Bureaus
General Civil - Unlimited
General Civil - Limited
Small Claims
Civil Equity
Complex Commercial
Foreclosures and Liens
Real Estate Title and Boundary
Landlord / Tenant
Ordinance Violations
Protection, No Contact, and Restraining Orders
Administrative Agency Appeals
Criminal	Superior Courts	District Courts	Municipal Courts	Traffic Violations Bureaus
Felony
Felony Preliminary Hearings
Misdemeanors
Ordinance Violations
Juvenile
Traffic and Infractions		$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the District Courts$	$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Municipal Courts$	$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Traffic Violations Bureaus$
Domestic Relations	Superior Courts	District Courts	Municipal Courts	Traffic Violations Bureaus
Divorce
Child Custody and Visitation
Child Support
Paternity
Domestic Violence Protection Order
Juvenile	Superior Courts	District Courts	Municipal Courts	Traffic Violations Bureaus
Adoptions
Juvenile Delinquency
Child Abuse and Neglect
Termination of Parental Rights
Children in Need of Supervision
Mental Health	Superior Courts	District Courts	Municipal Courts	Traffic Violations Bureaus
Involuntary Commitments
Other Mental Health Cases
Probate	Superior Courts	District Courts	Municipal Courts	Traffic Violations Bureaus
Wills & Estates
Name Changes
Trusts
Guardianships and Conservatorships

Washington Courts Summary