May 2000

Washington State Adjacent Counties Pursuant to RCW 36.01.050

Updated 6/2/98

[Note: RCW 36.01.050 as posted on the State of Washington website reads as follows:

"Venue of actions by or against counties. (1) All actions against any county may be commenced in the superior court of such county, or in the superior court of either of the two nearest counties. All actions by any county shall be commenced in the superior court of the county in which the defendant resides, or in either of the two counties nearest to the county bringing the action.

(2) The determination of the nearest counties is measured by the travel time between county seats using major surface routes, as determined by the office of the administrator for the courts."]

County        Two Nearest Counties

Adams                Spokane/Lincoln
Asotin                 Columbia/Garfield
Benton                Franklin/Yakima
Chelan                Douglas/Grant
Clallam               Jefferson/Kitsap
Clark                  Cowlitz/Skamania
Columbia            Whitman/Benton
Cowlitz               Wahkiakum/Lewis
Douglas              Chelan/Grant
Ferry                   Stevens/Okanogan
Franklin               Benton/Walla Walla
Garfield               Columbia/Asotin
Grant                  Chelan/Kittitas
Grays Harbor      Pacific/Thurston
Island                 Skagit/Snohomish
Jefferson            Clallam/Kitsap
King                    Snohomish/Pierce
Kitsap                 Pierce/Mason
Kittitas               Yakima/Grant
Klickitat               Skamania/Yakima
Lewis                  Thurston/Cowlitz
Lincoln                Spokane/Adams
Mason                Thurston/Grays Harbor
Okanogan          Ferry/Douglas
Pacific                Grays Harbor/Lewis
Pend                  Oreille Spokane/Lincoln
Pierce                Thurston/King
San Juan            Skagit/Island
Skagit                Snohomish/Whatcom
Skamania           Clark/Klickitat
Snohomish         King/Skagit
Spokane             Lincoln/Pend Oreille
Stevens              Ferry/Spokane
Thurston             Mason/Lewis
Wahkiakum        Cowlitz/Pacific
Walla Walla        Columbia/Franklin
Whatcom           Skagit/Island
Whitman            Spokane/Garfield
Yakima               Kittitas/Benton

Back to table of contents >>