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Direct answer
For Clark County WA public records, choose among the general GovQA route, Auditor-recorded documents and Clerk court records before searching. Treat the five-business-day language as an initial-response rule and keep confidential court records distinct from a true no-result.
Clark County publishes the handoff rules between records offices
Clark County uses GovQA for general public-record requests, but the county overview explicitly sends liens, deeds and other recorded documents to the Auditor. Court records are different again: the Clerk maintains court files and provides case-search access through Odyssey. Those handoffs are more important than the convenience of starting from one county website.
The county also describes a five-business-day initial response window. That should not be rewritten as “records arrive in five days.” The initial response may provide the records, acknowledge receipt with an estimate, or otherwise respond under the listed process. Keeping that distinction prevents an official timing rule from becoming an inaccurate turnaround promise.
Clark County record family determines the office
General county request
Administrative material held by a county department
Use GovQA and select the department or record type as precisely as the portal allows.
Recorded document
Lien, deed or other instrument assigned to the Auditor
Use the Auditor route instead of sending it through the general request portal.
Superior Court record
Court case or filed court document
Use Clerk access and Odyssey to identify the case, while respecting confidential-file limits.
A Clark County trail should preserve both custodian and timing context
1
Select the office before submitting anythingSeparate general county administration, Auditor-recorded documents and Superior Court files.2
Use the direct case or recorded-document toolWhen the record family has its own official system, capture the identifier there before creating another request.3
Read the first response for what it actually saysAn acknowledgement with an estimate is different from a completed production even when it arrives inside five business days.4
Record confidentiality separately from no-resultA court file can exist while a document remains unavailable to the public.Interpret Clark County outcomes by source and access status
| Outcome | Reasonable interpretation | Do not convert it into |
|---|---|---|
| GovQA acknowledgement | The county received the request and may provide an estimate | A promise that all records will be produced within five business days |
| Auditor-recorded document hit | The recorded-document system contains the indexed instrument | A search of court or general administrative files |
| Clerk/Odyssey case result | A court case exists in the judicial system | Proof that every document in the case is publicly viewable |