Access Richland Felony Records
Richland is a city in Benton County in eastern Washington, and all felony records for Richland are maintained by Benton County Superior Court. If you need to find a felony conviction, check the status of a criminal case, or request certified copies of court documents, this guide covers the Benton County court system, online access tools, local police records, and the statewide WSP WATCH system that aggregates conviction data from across Washington. The Tri-Cities area, which includes Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco, has its own distinct records landscape.
Richland Overview
Benton County Superior Court and Richland Felony Cases
All felony charges in Richland are handled by Benton County Superior Court. The Superior Court has general jurisdiction over all Class A, B, and C felony matters in the county. Richland cases are filed here, and the full case file including charging documents, motions, orders, and the judgment and sentence document is maintained by the Benton County Clerk's Office.
You can contact the Clerk's Office at bentonwa.gov/163 or by emailing clerk@co.benton.wa.us. Requests can be submitted in person or by email. Non-certified copies cost $0.25 per page for electronic copies sent by email, or $0.50 per page for paper copies. Certified copies are $5 for the first page plus $1 for each additional page. When staff assistance is needed to locate records, a $20 per hour research fee applies.
Superior Court records are maintained permanently. This is different from District Court records, which have varying retention schedules. District Court criminal records are generally kept for three years, with domestic violence and DUI cases retained for ten years. For complete felony case records, you always want to contact the Superior Court Clerk, not the District Court.
Benton County District Court has two locations: one in Kennewick at 7000 West Grandridge Boulevard at (509) 735-8476, and one in Prosser at (509) 786-5480. District Court handles preliminary felony hearings, misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and traffic offenses. More information is at bentonwa.gov/254.
Richland Felony Records Online Access
Benton County provides two main online tools for accessing court records. The first is the Benton County Court Records page at co.benton.wa.us/Court_Records.html, which explains the types of records available, fees, and procedures for both Superior Court and District Court. This page is a good starting point if you're unsure which court handled a specific case or what the access process looks like.
The second tool is the statewide Washington Courts case search, which is free and searches across multiple counties at once. This is useful when you're not certain a case was filed in Benton County. The statewide portal links back to county systems for complete case details once a result is found.
For online public records requests to the county (excluding judicial case records), Benton County uses the NextRequest portal at bentoncountywa.nextrequest.com. This covers Sheriff's Office records and certain county administrative documents. Court records are accessed directly through the Clerk's Office, not through NextRequest.
Note: Audio recordings from court proceedings cost $25 per hearing for regular processing, or $45 to $50 per hearing for expedited requests. Requests for audio should be submitted in writing to the appropriate court.
Richland Police and Law Enforcement Records
The Richland Police Department handles law enforcement within the city and maintains arrest records and incident reports. Police records are separate from court records. A police record covers what happened at the arrest or during the incident. A court record at Benton County Superior Court covers what happened once the case entered the legal system.
For traffic collision reports involving Richland residents or incidents on state highways, the Washington State Patrol maintains collision records. The image below shows the WSP collision report order page. Visit wrecr.wsp.wa.gov to order WSP collision reports connected to Richland incidents on state roads.
The WSP handles traffic collision reports when the incident occurred on a state highway or when a WSP trooper responded. City police handle reports for incidents within Richland's jurisdiction. Both sets of records are separate from felony case records at the court level.
The Benton County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement in unincorporated Benton County. The 24-hour line is (509) 628-0333, and the Corrections Division can be reached at (509) 783-1451. You can find the Sheriff's Office at co.benton.wa.us. Public records requests for Sheriff's records can be directed to the appropriate division at the office.
Statewide Conviction Search for Richland Records
The WSP WATCH system at watch.wsp.wa.gov is the official state source for conviction records in Washington. Each name-based search costs $11 and results are available right away online. Enter a name and date of birth, and the system returns conviction data from Washington courts statewide, including Benton County cases tied to Richland.
WATCH covers felony and misdemeanor convictions but not non-conviction data. Under RCW 10.97, the Criminal Records Privacy Act, dismissed charges, acquittals, and arrests without conviction are restricted from public view. WATCH will not return that type of data. The same applies to records that have been vacated under RCW 9.94A.640.
For cases where a simple name-based search is not enough, fingerprint-based searches through WSP run $58 and cover both state and FBI federal records. These take 7 to 10 business days and are typically used for licensing, immigration, or other purposes requiring a thorough background check.
DOC Offender Search and Additional Resources
The Washington Department of Corrections maintains two public tools. The DOC Offender Search shows people currently serving felony sentences in Washington state prisons. If someone from Richland is currently incarcerated, this tool locates them by name or DOC number. The DOC Warrant Search lists active Secretary's Warrants for people under DOC supervision who have violated community custody conditions or absconded.
VINE at vinelink.com or (800) 284-3463 provides automatic notifications when an offender's custody status changes. This covers state prison facilities and participating county jails across Washington.
For older Richland and Benton County felony records, the Washington State Digital Archives may have historical court records predating current electronic systems. The archives are free to search and allow you to look by name, case number, county, and date range. For cases not yet digitized, the archives will direct you to the appropriate county source.
Benton County Felony Records
Richland is in Benton County, and all felony filings go through the Benton County court system. For more on the county's courts, fees, online tools, and contact information, visit the Benton County felony records page.
Nearby Cities
These cities are near Richland in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington. Each has its own felony records page.