King County Archives
206-296-1538
archives@kingcounty.gov   
Research by appointment only.

Please make appointments at
least one business day in
advance.
BannerStrip

How to Contact Us

All records held by the King County Archives are available for research by the public. The research room at the Archives is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, by appointment. Please call Archives staff to discuss your research needs and to schedule an appointment. We ask that appointments be made at least 1 day in advance to allow enough time for records to be identified and retrieved for your research.

Telephone: (206) 296-1538
Fax: (206) 205-1399
Mailing Address: 1215 E. Fir Street, Seattle, WA 98122
E-mail:  archives@kingcounty.gov

Directions to the King County Archives and Records Center

revised200Exterior_002

From the south end: Take I-5 north to the James Street exit and take a right turn onto James Street. Stay on James until you reach 12th Ave and take a right onto 12th. At E Fir Street, take a left. The complex is located half a block down the street on the right-hand side. The Archives and Records Center is housed in the west building. There is free parking available at the facility. 1215 E. Fir Street, Seattle.

From the north end: Take I-5 south to the James Street exit and take a left onto James Street. Stay on James until you reach 12th Ave and take a right onto 12th. At E Fir Street, take a left. The complex is located half a block down the street on the right-hand side. The Archives and Records Center is housed in the west building. There is free parking available at the facility. 1215 E. Fir Street, Seattle.

Visiting the Archives

Exterior300

Archival records are unique materials, and we have special rules for these special collections. For the security and long-term preservation of the records in the archival collection, all researchers will be asked to abide by the following research room regulations.

  • Registration: Visitors are required to sign in at the registration desk.
  • Lockers: Lockers for personal belongs are available upon registering.
  • Digital cameras, notebooks, laptop computers may be taken into the research room.
  • Personal scanners are not allowed in the research room.
  • Finding Aids – Paper copies of finding aids for record groups are available for consultation.
  • Use pencils only for handwritten notes
  • Archives staff will do all photocopying of properly flagged materials.
  • No food or drinks are permitted in the research areas.
  • The use of cell phones and pagers is prohibited in the research room. Please either turn your phone/pager off or place it on vibrate. Any phone conversations must be taken into the lobby or outside.

Please contact the Archives with questions, or to schedule a viewing appointment.