Guide to filing a mechanics lien in Spokane County

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

You can file your mechanic liens in person or by e-Recording.

In Person

You can bring your documents to the Spokane County Auditor’s office located at:

1116 W Broadway Avenue
Spokane, WA 99260

Hours
Monday – Thursday
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday
8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Excluding Holidays

By e-Recording

The Spokane County Auditor’s Office accepts electronic documents from four commercial submitters. If you are interested in e-Recording, you can contact the companies listed below:

eRecording Partners Network

Home


sales@erecordingpartners.net
Phone: 888-325-3365

Simplifile
https://www.erecording.com/
Phone: 800-460-5657

Indecomm Global Services
http://dmg.indecomm.net/
Phone: 651-415-9361

What is Spokane County's Recording Backlog?

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

Should I file my mechanic's lien in Spokane County?

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

What are Spokane County's requirements for recording a mechanic's lien?

The Spokane County Auditor’s recording requirements are as follows:

(1) When any instrument is presented to a county auditor or recording officer for recording, the first page of the instrument shall contain:
(a) A top margin of at least three inches and a one-inch margin on the bottom and sides, except that an instrument may be recorded if a minor portion of a notary seal, incidental writing, or minor portion of a signature extends beyond the margins;
(b) The top left-hand side of the page shall contain the name and address to whom the instrument will be returned;
(c) The title or titles, or type or types, of the instrument to be recorded indicating the kind or kinds of documents or transactions contained therein immediately below the three-inch margin at the top of the page. The auditor or recording officer shall be required to index only the title or titles captioned on the document;
(d) Reference numbers of documents assigned or released with reference to the document page number where additional references can be found, if applicable;
(e) The names of the grantor(s) and grantee(s), as defined under RCW 65.04.015, with reference to the document page number where additional names are located, if applicable;
(f) An abbreviated legal description of the property, and for purposes of this subsection, “abbreviated legal description of the property” means lot, block, plat, or section, township, range, and quarter/quarter section, and reference to the document page number where the full legal description is included, if applicable;
(g) The assessor’s property tax parcel or account number set forth separately from the legal description or other text.

(2) All pages of the document shall be on sheets of paper of a weight and color capable of producing a legible image that are not larger than fourteen inches long and eight and one-half inches wide with text printed or written in eight point type or larger. All text within the document must be of sufficient color and clarity to ensure that when the text is imaged all text is readable. Further, all pages presented for recording must have at minimum a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides for all pages except page one, except that an instrument may be recorded if a minor portion of a notary seal, incidental writing, or minor portion of a signature extends beyond the margins, be prepared in ink color capable of being imaged, and have all seals legible and capable of being imaged. No attachments, except firmly attached bar code or address labels, may be affixed to the pages.

(3) When any instrument, except those generated by governmental agencies, is presented to a county auditor or recording officer for recording, the document may not contain the following information: (a) A social security number; (b) a date of birth identified with a particular person; or (c) the maiden name of a person’s parent so as to be identified with a particular person.

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

All pages of the document shall be on sheets of paper of a weight and color capable of producing a legible image that are not larger than fourteen inches long and eight and one-half inches wide with text printed or written in eight point type or larger.

All pages presented for recording must have at minimum a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides for all pages except page one, except that an instrument may be recorded if a minor portion of a notary seal, incidental writing, or minor portion of a signature extends beyond the margins, be prepared in ink color capable of being imaged, and have all seals legible and capable of being imaged. No attachments, except firmly attached bar code or address labels, may be affixed to the pages.

The first page of the instrument must have a top margin of at least three inches and a one-inch margin on the bottom and sides, except that an instrument may be recorded if a minor portion of a notary seal, incidental writing, or minor portion of a signature extends beyond the margins.

How can I make payment to the Spokane County Recorder's Office?

The Spokane County Auditor’s Office accepts cash, check, money orders, and debit and credit cards. Make checks payable to Spokane County Auditor.

Note that when choosing to pay using a debit or credit card, a vendor’s convenience fee will be added to the total. The fee for debit transactions is $2. The fees for credit card transactions is 2.49%, with a minimum fee of $2.

What are the filing fees to record a mechanic's lien in Spokane County?

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

Additional Recording Fees

Emergency Non-Standard Fee: $50.00
Emergency Non-Standard Cover Sheet: $1.00

Indexing Fee:
Documents which contain two or more titles and/or two or more transactions requiring multiple indexing will be charged individually per action.

First Page: Multiply appropriate first page rate of the document by the number of transactions or titles.

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

Regular Copy: $1.00
Certified Copy: $3.00 Each Additional Page: $1.00

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

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien in person at the Spokane County Auditor’s office located at:

1116 W Broadway Avenue
Spokane, WA 99260

Hours
Monday – Thursday
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday
8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Excluding Holidays

Public access to search and view all documents is available at the public computers in the office. Copies of any recorded document can also be obtained through the Auditor’s Office Recording Division for a fee.

You can search the Spokane County’s index of recorded documents online at: https://recording.spokanecounty.org/recorder/web/

You can also obtain copies through the mail or by calling the Recording Department at (509) 477-2270. Copies are $1.00 per page. For certified copies, add $2.00 per document.

If you would like to order copies, send a written request to:

Spokane County Auditor
ATTN: Recording
PO Box 2353
Spokane WA 99210-2353

Include in your request the document number, a return address, and a check payable to Spokane County Auditor.