Find Washington County Circuit Court Records

Washington County Circuit Court Overview

Oregon runs a unified state court system. That means the Circuit Court is a state court that operates locally, not a county-run court. There is no Oregon district court. The Circuit Court is the general trial court, and it handles nearly every kind of case a person can file at the county level. That list covers felonies, misdemeanors, civil suits, small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, family law, probate, juvenile matters, protective orders, violations, and most traffic cases. A municipal court may take a city-code or citation matter, but the bulk of trial work runs through the Circuit Court.

Washington County is the 20th Judicial District of the Oregon Judicial Department. The court's Trial Court Administrator is Richard E. Moellmer, and the main court phone is 503-846-8888. Because the court is part of the state system, its records, calendars, fees, eFiling, and forms are shared with statewide OJD tools, while local pages handle hours, buildings, and county notices.

The official home of the local court is the Washington County Circuit Court page, which lists current hours, addresses, and links to records and programs.

Washington County Circuit Court Buildings

The court is clustered in downtown Hillsboro across three buildings. The main courthouse handles most filings and public counters. The Juvenile Services Building handles juvenile matters, which carry strong confidentiality rules under state law. The Law Enforcement Center is used for some criminal and custody-related proceedings. A person may have business in more than one building on the same day, so it helps to plan extra time for parking and screening.

Contact details and a map link for each building are posted on the court's contact and locations page. Use the street address for navigation, not the mailing address, which uses a different number.

Note: The court mailing address uses 150 N 1st Avenue, MS 37, so reserve 145 NE 2nd Avenue for navigation and in-person visits.

Washington County Circuit Court Programs and Locations

The Circuit Court groups its work into program areas rather than numbered courts. Each program covers a kind of case, and most sit at the main courthouse. Juvenile work uses the Juvenile Services Building, and some criminal custody appearances use the Law Enforcement Center. The table below lists the main court and program areas with their addresses and the central court phone.

The Family Law Assistance Program runs on its own schedule, with full services Monday through Thursday in the morning and limited services on weekday afternoons. Call ahead before a visit.

Program Areas of the Circuit Court

Each program area handles its own kind of file, and each produces its own records. Civil covers lawsuits, small claims, evictions, and money judgments. Criminal covers felony and misdemeanor charges, pleas, judgments, and sentencing. Family covers divorce, custody, support, and protective orders. Probate covers estates, wills, guardianships, and conservatorships. Juvenile covers dependency and delinquency cases, which stay confidential. Traffic covers citations, pleas, fines, and case outcomes filed in the Circuit Court.

Access is broad for most civil and criminal files, but several categories are closed by law. Juvenile records are the clearest example, and adoption, mental health, and protected cases are also restricted.

• Civil - lawsuits, small claims, landlord-tenant, and judgments.
• Criminal - charges, pleas, convictions, and sentencing in adult cases.
• Family - divorce, custody, support, and parenting time.
• Probate - estates, wills, guardianships, and conservatorships.
• Juvenile - dependency and delinquency, with strong confidentiality.
• Traffic - citations, pleas, fines, and dispositions.

For full case lookup and the search-field tables, the Washington County court records page walks through each step.

Circuit Court vs Municipal Court vs Appellate Court

It helps to see how the three court levels line up. The Circuit Court is the trial court where most cases start and finish. A municipal court is a city court that handles city-code violations and some traffic or parking citations in cities that run one. The appellate courts, the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court, do not hold trials. They review what the trial court did. The table below compares the three by role, what they hear, and where they sit.

A ticket or notice names the court that has the case. If it reads Washington County Circuit Court, use the state and circuit court tools. If it names a city court, use that city's court instead.

How a Case Moves Through the System

Most cases start in a trial court and only move up if a party appeals. A city-code or citation matter may begin in a municipal court, while a state crime, civil suit, or family case begins in the Circuit Court. After a final judgment, a party can ask the Oregon Court of Appeals to review the ruling. The Oregon Supreme Court is the court of last resort, and it takes select cases on discretionary review. Many cases never leave the trial court.

Case flow: Municipal Court › Circuit Court › Oregon Court of Appeals › Oregon Supreme Court

Federal questions do not make a county case federal at filing. They can be raised in state court and reviewed through state and, in narrow situations, federal routes under specific rules.

Appeals to the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court

A final judgment or appealable order from the Washington County Circuit Court generally goes to the Oregon Court of Appeals first. That court is the intermediate appellate court for most appeals from circuit courts and state agencies. From there, a party may ask the Oregon Supreme Court for discretionary review, but the high court takes only some of those requests. A few matters go straight to the Supreme Court when a statute or rule directs it.

Appellate records are searched through a separate OJD tool, not the circuit court portal. Federal appeals from the District of Oregon follow a different track to the Ninth Circuit.

The federal appeals court for this region is the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which hears appeals from Oregon's federal courts.

That court sits outside the state system, so a Washington County case reaches it only through federal proceedings, not a normal state appeal.

Municipal Courts in Washington County

Washington County contains many cities, including Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, Forest Grove, Sherwood, Cornelius, North Plains, Banks, Gaston, King City, and Durham, plus part of Tualatin. Some of these cities run a municipal court. A municipal court can handle city-code violations and certain traffic or parking citations issued within the city. These courts are separate from the Circuit Court and keep their own records.

The controlling source is the citation or notice. It names the court that has the case, the date to appear, and where to pay. A person who is unsure which court holds a ticket should read the ticket first, then contact that court.

Specialty and Treatment Courts

The Circuit Court runs problem-solving programs that work differently from a standard criminal case. These are not walk-in alternatives. Each one requires screening, a referral, judicial approval, supervision, and steady compliance with treatment and court terms. Common categories statewide include adult drug or treatment court, mental health treatment court, veterans treatment court, and family treatment court. Records in these programs can include program contracts, review notes, sanctions, and graduation or termination orders, and treatment details are often restricted.

The court describes its options on the Washington County Specialty Court page.

Because these dockets sit inside the Circuit Court, their cases are not stored in a separate public-record system, though sensitive treatment material stays closed.

Jury Service and Federal Courts

Jury service supports the trial work of the Circuit Court. People who get a summons should follow the instructions on the notice and confirm dates before they appear. The county also publishes a jury duty resource that explains what to expect for those called to serve.

The county's jury duty resource is posted through the Washington County jury duty page.

Federal cases are separate from the Circuit Court and are not held by the county. Bankruptcy matters in Oregon run through the federal bankruptcy court.

Bankruptcy filings go through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon, which keeps its own records apart from the state system.

A Washington County case never becomes a federal case by itself; federal matters start in federal court under federal jurisdiction.

Related Washington County Resources

For case lookup and the search portals, see court records and court dockets. For records office contact and copy requests, see Clerk of Court. For arrest and booking records, which are sheriff records, see arrest records.