City and County Court Services
Contents
- About Court Services
- Court Related Statutes
- Court Reform
- Interlocal Agreements for Court Services
- Municipal vs District Court Studies
- Public Defense Services
- Specialized Courts
- Administrative Innovations
- Probation Programs
- Volunteer Programs
- Related MRSC Pages
About Court Services
Each county, city, and town is responsible for the prosecution, adjudication, sentencing, and incarceration of misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses committed by adults in their respective jurisdictions, and referred from their respective law enforcement agencies, whether filed under state law or city ordinance, and must carry out these responsibilities through the use of their own courts, staff, and facilities, or by entering into contracts or interlocal agreements under this chapter to provide these services. (RCW 39.34.180.)
The courts administered by local governments include the county superior court (See description in New Commissioners Handbook) and the courts of limited jurisdiction: district courts; municipal departments in district courts; and municipal courts. (See description in Citizens Guide to Courts).
Because of the recent significant decrease in revenues for local jurisdictions and the continuing increase in costs related to courts, county and city governments are exploring other options for providing court services to their citizens. This page is intended to provide information related to various court services, including interlocal contracting, and to highlight some of the court service programs, with Web descriptions. If you have information to add to this page, please contact the page editor.
For more information about courts:
- Court Overview - MRSC
- Washington State Courts - Administrative Office Of The Courts
- Courts - National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Court Related Statutes
- Title 2 RCW - Courts of Record
- Ch. 2.08 RCW - Superior Court
- Title 3 RCW - District Courts - Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
- Ch. 3.46 RCW - Municipal Department in District Court - Repealed, see RCW 3.46.015 Operation of municipal department in existence prior to July 1, 2008.
- Ch. 3.50 RCW - Municipal Court
- RCW 3.30.090 - Violations Bureau
- RCW 2.28.170 - Drug courts.
- Ch 26.12 RCW - Family Court
- Ch. 13.04 RCW - Basic Juvenile Court Act
- RCW 13.40.580 - .640 - Youth Court Diversion Programs
- Ch. 3.72 RCW - Youth Court - alternative method of handling traffic violations
- Ch 7.75 RCW - Dispute Resolution Centers
- RCW 39.34.180 - Criminal justice responsibilities -- Interlocal agreements -- Termination
Court Reform
- Washington Court Funding Task Force - Created to study the funding of Washington’s trial courts
- Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Work Group (CLJWG) - Charged with responsibility to study the structural and court funding issues in the courts of limited jurisdiction, to propose efficient and effective methods of delivering judicial services, including the possibility of consolidation of these courts, and to recommend appropriate legislation.
Interlocal Agreements for Court Services
Cities Contracting with Counties
- Clallam County
- Sequim and Clallam County Interlocal Agreement (
) for court filing fees for 2011, 12/21/10
- Sequim and Clallam County Interlocal Agreement (
- King County
- County Terminates Local District Court Services Due to Budget Constraints, Move to Regional Mandates and Services, King County Executive News Release, February 14, 2003
- King County and Cities Reach Accord Over New District Court Contract, King County Executive News Release, October 27, 2003
- Redmond Interlocal Agreement (
) with King County for court services for 2005-2006; includes agreement and background information to King County's termination of court services
- Redmond Interlocal Agreement (
MB) with King County for court services; term 2007-2016
- Kittitas County
- Ellensburg and Kittitas County Interlocal Agreement (
) for municipal department in district court, 11-2003; provides automatic 1-year renewals; current 2011
- Kittitas and Kittitas County Interlocal Agreement (
) for court services; term is January 1, 2009 until terminated
- Ellensburg and Kittitas County Interlocal Agreement (
- Grand Coulee and Grant County Interlocal Agreement (
) to provide Grand Coulee with jail and district court services, including probation, prosecution, and public defense, term is 01/1998 to 12/2008, funding is through the city's share of county-wide sales and use tax for criminal justice.
- Othello and Adams County Interlocal Agreement (
) for provision of prosecution, adjudication, indigent defense, sentencing, and incarceration services for misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses, 1-04, with automatic renewal; current in 2011
- Spokane County
- Spokane and Spokane County District Court Interlocal Agreement (
) for municipal court services, 01/01/2006
- Spokane and Spokane County District Court Interlocal Agreement (
) for costs incident to adjudication of misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses, 1-1-09
- Spokane and Spokane County District Court Interlocal Agreement (
- Walla Walla and Walla Walla County District Court Interlocal Agreement (
) for municipal court services; term is 2007-2015
Cities Contracting with Other Cities
- RCW 3.15. 850
- In City of Medina v. Primm, 160 Wn.2d 268 (2007) - The Washington Supreme Court upheld the use of interlocal agreements to share municipal court facilities, and it determined that cities had the authority to enter into intercity agreements for the provision of court services outside the geographical limits of the contracting cities. In 2008 the statutes were amended to incorporate this decision.
- The following cities are providing municipal court services for other cities: Auburn (Algona); Battle Ground (Ridgefield, La Center); Buckley (Carbonado); Enumclaw (Maple Valley); Kirkland (Clyde Hill, Yarrow Point, Medina, Hunts Point); Marysville (Lake Stevens, Arlington); Mercer Island (Newcastle); Napavine (Vader); Nooksack (Everson); Pateros (Brewster); Sunnyside (Mabton); Tenino (Rainier); and Wilkeson (South Prairie).
Examples of Intercity Contracts for Court Services
- Des Moines and Normandy Park Interlocal Agreement (
) - Des Moines provides municipal court services to Normandy Park, term 01/09 to 12/13.
- Kirkland Interlocal Agreement (
) provides municipal court services to Clyde Hill, Yarrow Point, Medina, and Hunts Point; beginning 01/2000 for a term of 10 years.
- Mercer Island and Newcastle Interlocal Agreement (
) - Mercer Island provides court services to Newcastle; initial termination 12/31/2005, with annual renewals.
- Issaquah and Snoqualmie Interlocal Agreement (
)- Issaquah provides court services to Snoqualmie; term ends 12/31/09 may be renewed an additional two years.
Municipal vs District Court Studies
- Issaquah Feasibility Study (
), Independent Municipal Court for the City of Issaquah, presented by Jackie Roberts, Consultant
- Sequim 2008 Strategic Plan - Municipal Court Services (
), October 2008
- Sequim Agenda Item September 22, 2008 Subject/Issue: End the Current Contract for Municipal Court Services with Clallam County and Re-establish the Sequim Municipal Court (
)
- Sequim Agenda Item September 22, 2008 Subject/Issue: End the Current Contract for Municipal Court Services with Clallam County and Re-establish the Sequim Municipal Court (
Public Defense Services
- Ch 10.101 RCW - Indigent Defense Services
- RCW 10.101.030 - Standards
- Proposed Standards for Indigent Defense Services
- AWC Legislative Advocacy Public Defense Rules - Adoption of the proposed indigent defense standards
- Washington State Court Rules - Suggested Standards for Indigent Defense Services - Comment period expires on October 31, 2011
- Washington State Bar Association Standards for Indigent Defense Services (
) - Approved by the Board of Governors June 3, 2011
- Washington Defender Association Standards for Public Defense Services - Sets out the objectives and minimum requirements for providing legal representation to poor persons accused of crimes facing juvenile, dependency, or civil commitment proceedings in Washington State.
- Ordinances Adopting Standards for Public Defense
- Kirkland Resolution No. 4894 - Adopts public defense standards, 10/04/2011
- Lynnwood Ordinance No. 2668 - Adopts standards for delivery of public defense services, 02/2007
- Woodland Resolution No. 544 (
) - Adopts standards for the delivery of public defense services to indigent persons, 11/2006.
- Interlocal Agreements, Contracts and Request for Proposals - See MRSC Document Index - Right to counsel, defense of indigents, public defense, defense services application fee, assigned counsel
Specialized Courts
- Specialized Courts, Issues and Options, National League of Cities, January/February 2000 MRSC Library Loan
- Courts - Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
- Current Trends in Problem-Solving Courts Resource Guide - National Center for State Courts
- Directory of Problem Solving Courts in Washington State
Community Courts
- Courts and Community Collaboration - National Center for State Courts
- Court-Community Initiatives Resource Guide - National Center for State Courts
- Responding to the Community: Principles for Planning and Creating a Community Court (
), by John Feinblatt and Greg Berman, Bureau of Justice Bulletin, 2001 Update
- Community Justice Exchange - National Institute of Corrections
- San Francisco County Superior Court Collaborative Courts
- Washington Examples
- Clark County District Court Specialized Courts
- Seattle Municipal Court Community Court
Drug Courts
- RCW 2.28.170 - Drug courts
- What are Drug Courts? - National Association of Drug Court Professionals
- Substance Abuse & Crime - Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - See Drug Court references
- Drug Courts - National Criminal Justice Reference Service
- Drug Courts - MFiles, Meth and Marijuana Resource Tool maintained by Washington State Lt. Governor
- List of Washington Drug Courts - Includes descriptions
- Can Drug Courts Save Money for Washington State Taxpayers? Washington Institute for Public Policy, #99-01-1201, 1999
- Washington State's Drug Courts for Adult Defendants: Outcome Evaluation and Cost-Benefit Analysis, Washington Institute for Public Policy, #03-03-1201, 2003
- National Association of Drug Court Professionals
- Washington Local Drug Court Examples - See also MFiles list noted above
- Kitsap County District Court Drug Court
- Snohomish County District Court Drug Treatment Court
- Spokane County District Court Adult Felony Drug Court
- Whatcom County District Court Community Treatment Drug Court
- Yakima County District Court Drug Court Program
Youth Courts
- Ch. 3.72 RCW, RCW 13.40.580- .640 (Laws of 2002, Ch. 237) - Youth Courts
- The Impact of Teen Court on Young Offenders (
), Jeffrey A. Butts, Janeen Buck, Mark B. Coggeshall, Urban Institute Research Report, Urban Institute, April 2002.
- A Guide for Implementing Teen Court Programs (
), Fact Sheet #45, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), August 1996
- Teen Court: A National Movement Steps for Implementing a Teen Court, American Bar Association Technical Bulletin No. 17, American Bar Association, 2000.
- National Youth Court Center - American Probation and Parole Association (APPA)
- Washington Local Program Examples
- Cheney Youth Court
- Cheney Ordinance No. U-68 (
), passed 02/08
- Cheney Ordinance No. U-68 (
- Kitsap County Youth Court
- Lake Forest Park Municipal Court Teen Court
- Lincoln County Student Traffic Court
- Whatcom County Teen Court
- Cheney Youth Court
Mental Health Courts
- Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project - Coordinated by Council of State Governments
- Mental Health Courts Program - Bureau of Justice Assistance, in coordination with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Mental Health Courts Resource Guide - National Center for State Courts
- Justice, Treatment, and Cost: An Evaluation of the Fiscal Impact of Allegheny County Mental Health Court, by M. Susan Ridgely, John Engberg, Michael D. Greenberg, Susan Turner, Christine DeMartini, Jacob W. Dembosky, Rand Technical Report, Safety and Justice Program, 2007 - Sponsored by the Council of State Governments
- Rethinking the Revolving Door: A Look at Mental Illness in the Courts (
), by Derek Denckla and Greg Berman, Center for Court Innovations, 2001
- Local Programs
- Clark County Innovative Programs
- King County District Court Mental Health Court
- Seattle Municipal Court Mental Health Court
- Spokane County District Court Mental Health Therapeutic Court (MHTC)
- Thurston County District Court Mental Health Court
Veterans Court
- Veterans Court Resource Guide - National Center for State Courts
- Clark County Veterans Therapeutic Court
- Pierce County Veteran's Drug Court Program, Pierce County News, November 2009
- Thurston County District Court Veterans Court
Court Administration - Service Illustrations
Adjudication by Mail/Internet
- Lake Forest Park Municipal Court Electronic Mitigation
- Lincoln County District Court Online Mitigation /Contested Form
- Seattle Municipal Court Hearings by Mail (Parking and Traffic Tickets)
- Shelton Municipal Court Infraction Hearing Response Form
- Spokane County District Court Electronic Mitigation (See E-Mitigations and E-Deferrals)
- Yakima County District Court Public Infraction Response for Mitigation
Court Services
- Dog Puts Victims at East in Courtroom (
), County News, February 14, 2011
Probation Programs
See also Alternatives to Incarceration
- Bellevue Probation (District Court)
- Chelan County District Court Probation Policies Manual
- Grant County District Court Monthly Probation Report Form (
)
- Jefferson County District Court Probation Department
- Klickitat County District Court Adult Probation Home
- Lincoln County District Court Probation
- Seattle Municipal Court Probation Services
- Whatcom County District Court Probation (includes contracting cities)
Volunteer Programs
- Misdemeanor Courts, Hope for Crime Weary America: Volunteer Mentoring in Misdemeanor Courts, by Judge Keith J.Leenhouts, NCJ 184762, 01/2000, via Mississippi Judicial College, University of Mississippi
- Court-Community Volunteers Resource Guide - National Center for State Courts
- Bellevue Probation Volunteers
- King County Volunteer with the Superior Court
- Seattle Municipal Court Volunteer Opportunities

