Guide to filing a mechanics lien in Kittitas County

Where is the Kittitas County Recorder's Office that files mechanic liens?

You can file your mechanic liens in person at the Kittitas County Auditor’s Office located at:

205 W 5th AVE Suite 105
Ellensburg WA 98926

Phone: 509-962-7504
Fax: 509-962-7687
E-mail: auditor@co.kittitas.wa.us

What is Kittitas County's Recording Backlog?

The Kittitas County Auditor’s Office does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog.

Should I file my mechanics lien in Kittitas County?

If your construction project is located in Kittitas County, then yes, you should file your lien here.

What are Kittitas County's requirements for recording a mechanics lien?

The Kittitas County’s recording requirements are as follows:

All Pages

1, MARGINS
1st page requires a three inch margin at the top and a one inch margin at left, right, and bottom. Subsequent pages require a one inch margin on all sides. The purpose of the margins is to allow application of recording information and to assure proper scanning of all portions of a document.

2. EACH page of the document shall be no larger than 14 inches long and 8 1/2 inches wide.

3. TEXT shall be typed, printed or written in 8 point type or larger.

4. SEALS must be capable of being scanned or microfilmed by being stamped or darkened and they may NOT be in the 1 inch margin. Seals that bleed-through and obscure the document will be rejected.

5. ATTACHMENTS affixed to pages will not be allowed. This includes any page or portions of a page that are taped or stapled to another page.

6. ALL pages which contain printing will be considered a page of the document and recorded as such. If a printed page should not be recorded with the document, it should not be included with the document.

7. All text, seals, drawings, signatures or other content within the document must be legible and capable of producing a readable image, regardless of what process is used for recording.

1st Page or Cover Page
Recorder’s Indexing Form

1. COVER PAGES may be used if the 1st page of a document does not conform to state standards but an additional page fee will be collected. The cover sheet must be completed by the person or firm recording the document.

2. RETURN ADDRESS Person or firm and address to which the document is to be returned.

3. DOCUMENT TITLE Indicate the document title. This includes any titles for multiple transaction documents. Indexing criteria will rely on information provided by the person or firm recording the document as indicated on the 1st or cover page.

4. REFERENCE NUMBERS TO OTHER DOCUMENTS Indicate document numbers to which the document is referring.

5. GRANTORS AND GRANTEES Names of grantors and grantees for each type of document. Indexing criteria will rely on information provided by the person or firm recording the document as indicated on the 1st or cover page.

6. LEGAL DESCRIPTION Abbreviated legal description. Section/township/range and quarter/quarter section or Lot, block and subdivision.

7. COUNTY ASSESSOR’S TAX PARCEL NUMBER

IF ANY PAGE OF A DOCUMENT DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE STATE STANDARDS, THE DOCUMENT WILL BE REJECTED FOR NON-COMPLIANCE AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNTIL ALL PAGES COMPLY WITH STATE STANDARDS OR IF THE DOCUMENT MUST BE RECORDED IMMEDIATELY AND DOES NOT MEET STATE REQUIREMENTS, IT MAY BE RECORDED FOR AN ADDITIONAL $50.00. DOCUMENTS WHICH DO NOT MEET LEGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS MUST NOT BE RECORDED AS A NONSTANDARD RECORDING. IN ADDITION TO PREPARING A PROPERLY COMPLETED COVER SHEET, (RCW 65.04.047), THE PERSON PREPARING THE DOCUMENT FOR RECORDING MUST SIGN A STATEMENT WHICH MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE DOCUMENT AND WHICH MUST READ SUBSTANTIALLY AS FOLLOWS: “I AM REQUESTING AN EMERGENCY NONSTANDARD RECORDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE AS PROVIDED IN RCW 36.18.010. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE RECORDING PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS MAY COVER UP OR OTHERWISE OBSCURE SOME PART OF THE TEXT OF THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT.” (RCW 65.04.048)

What are the margin & page size requirements to file a lien in Kittitas County?

Each page of the document must be no larger than 14 inches long and 8 1/2 inches wide.

The 1st page requires a three inch margin at the top and a one inch margin at left, right, and bottom. Subsequent pages require a one inch margin on all sides.

What are the filing fees to record a mechanics lien in Kittitas County?

The Kittitas County Auditor’s standard recording fee is $103.50 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page.

Additional Recording Fees

Non Standard Documents: $50.00 fee in addition to normal recording fees

Additional References/Multiple Transaction Documents

1st Transaction (except above listed exceptions): $103.50
Each additional Reference/Transaction Title: $103.50
Each additional Page: $1.00

Lien Fees

State, County & City Liens & Releases: $39.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page

Copy Fees

Certified Copy: $3.00 for the first page
Regular Copy: $1.00 for the first page
Each Additional Page: $1.00

How do I get a recorded copy of my lien from the Kittitas County Recorder's Office?

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien at the Kittitas County Auditor’s Office located at:

205 W 5th AVE Suite 105
Ellensburg WA 98926

Phone: 509-962-7504
Fax: 509-962-7687
E-mail: auditor@co.kittitas.wa.us

Regular copies cost $1.00 per page, additional $2.00 to certify any copies of documents.

You can also make a request in writing. If you would like them to do a search, there is an $8.00 per hour/per name search fee, with a minimum one hour.

You can contact the office at recording@co.kittitas.wa.us