Spokane County Bankruptcy Records

Spokane County bankruptcy records are filed through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Washington, and unlike most counties in the state, the main courthouse for that entire district sits right in Spokane. If you need to search for a case, visit the clerk's office, or attend a hearing, you likely do not need to travel far. This page covers the federal court, the Superior Court clerk, how to search records online and by phone, filing fees, Washington exemptions, and where to get legal help in the Spokane area.

Federal Bankruptcy Court for Spokane County

Spokane County is served by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Washington, and the main clerk's office for the entire Eastern District is located in Spokane at 904 W. Riverside Avenue, Suite 304. This is a significant advantage for Spokane County residents and businesses. Most county filers across eastern Washington travel to Spokane for hearings and filings. If you live in Spokane County, the courthouse is likely nearby.

The Eastern District court handles all chapter types: Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, and Chapter 12. The court's website at waeb.uscourts.gov is the main resource for local rules, approved credit counseling providers, required forms, and the fee schedule. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Public terminals are available at the Spokane office if you want to search PACER in person without a computer at home. A second Eastern District location in Yakima is open by appointment only for filers in the southern part of the district.

Copy requests for Eastern District case documents can be submitted through the court's online form at waeb.uscourts.gov/copy-request. Court copies cost $0.50 per page, and prepayment is required. You can pay via Pay.gov, by phone, or by cashier's check made out to Clerk of Court and mailed to P.O. Box 2164, Spokane, WA 99210-2164. The court does not accept personal checks for copy requests.

Spokane County Superior Court Clerk

The Spokane County Superior Court Clerk manages state court records, which are separate from federal bankruptcy filings. The clerk's office is located at 1116 W. Broadway Avenue, Room 300, Spokane, WA 99260. County Clerk Timothy W. Fitzgerald oversees the office. You can reach the clerk at 509-477-2211. Office hours are 8:30 AM to Noon and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Note the midday closure, which differs from some other county clerk offices in Washington.

For information about a specific state court case, the county provides a guide at spokanecounty.org. Public and non-confidential cases can be discussed by phone, but staff cannot provide information about sealed cases. Mail requests should include the party names, the filing date, and a list of documents you need. There is a $30 search fee for mail requests plus copy charges: $5.00 for the first certified page plus $1.00 per additional page, or $0.25 per page for non-certified copies. The clerk's records cover a range of case types including civil, criminal, domestic relations, probate, judgments, and juvenile matters.

The Spokane County District Court at spokanecounty.org/179/District-Court handles misdemeanor and traffic cases plus civil matters under $100,000. District Court records are separate from both Superior Court records and federal bankruptcy filings. If a creditor has filed a small claims action against you, that record would be at the District Court. Certified copies of state court records sometimes get attached to bankruptcy petitions to document existing judgments or pending cases.

How to Search Spokane County Bankruptcy Records

Spokane County filers and researchers have several options for searching bankruptcy records. PACER is the primary online system. VCIS is the free phone option. The Eastern District also has public terminals in the Spokane clerk's office for anyone who wants to search in person. For state court records, the Washington Courts statewide search and the Spokane County clerk's portal both serve different needs.

PACER, Public Access to Court Electronic Records, is available at pacer.uscourts.gov. Register online for free or call 800-676-6856. After logging in, navigate to the Eastern District of Washington. Search by debtor name, case number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Each page viewed costs $0.10, capped at $3.00 per document. Quarterly fees under $30 are waived entirely, so most individual lookups cost nothing. PACER gives you full docket sheets, all filed documents, meeting of creditors notices, discharge orders, and closed case records going back many years. Public access terminals at the Spokane courthouse at 904 W. Riverside Avenue let you use PACER for free during business hours if you visit in person.

VCIS, the Voice Case Information System, is a free 24/7 phone line at 866-222-8029. No account is required. Give the automated system a debtor name or case number and it reads back the case number, chapter, filing date, trustee name, and current case status. Most status checks take under two minutes. For a quick check on whether a case is open, closed, or discharged, VCIS is the easiest tool available.

The Washington Courts statewide name search at dw.courts.wa.gov pulls state court records from Superior Court, District Court, and Municipal Court across Washington. Use it to find civil judgments or liens entered in Spokane County Superior Court. These are state records, not federal bankruptcy filings, but they often come up during bankruptcy proceedings. The Washington Courts directory can help you locate other courts or offices across the state.

The Washington State Digital Archives covers some historical Spokane County records. The Eastern Regional Branch of the State Archives is located in Cheney, WA, and can be reached at (509) 235-4250. For older documents that predate electronic systems, the Cheney archive is worth contacting. These are state records, not federal bankruptcy files, but they can help establish historical property ownership or identity records in certain cases.

The screenshot below shows the Washington State Bar Association's legal help finder, which helps Spokane County residents find bankruptcy attorneys and legal aid programs in the area.

WSBA Legal Help Finder at wsba.org lets you search for licensed Washington attorneys by practice area and location, including Spokane.

Use the WSBA directory to find a licensed attorney in the Spokane area who handles bankruptcy and debt matters for individuals and businesses.

Bankruptcy Chapters and Filing Fees

Federal bankruptcy law covers four main chapter types available to Spokane County filers. All are filed at the Eastern District courthouse on W. Riverside Avenue in Spokane. Filing fees are set by federal law and are uniform across all districts. The fee is due at the time you submit your petition, though payment plans and fee waivers are available in some cases.

Chapter 7 is a liquidation bankruptcy and the most common type filed by individuals. A trustee reviews your assets. Non-exempt property, if any exists above the exemption thresholds, may be sold to pay creditors. Most remaining unsecured debts, including credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans, are discharged at the end of the process. The filing fee is $338. Most Chapter 7 cases for individuals take four to six months to complete. A means test is required to qualify. The test compares your income to the Washington state median and looks at your allowable monthly expenses to determine whether you have enough disposable income to fund a repayment plan.

Chapter 13 lets individuals with regular income propose a three-to-five-year repayment plan to catch up on debts while keeping their property. The filing fee is $313. This chapter is commonly used by homeowners facing foreclosure. As long as you have regular income and your debts fall within the legal limits, you can propose a plan and stop collection activity immediately. Chapter 12 is structured similarly to Chapter 13 but is specifically available to family farmers and commercial fishermen. The Chapter 12 filing fee is $278. Chapter 11 is a reorganization chapter used primarily by businesses, though individuals with very large debts sometimes use it as well. The Chapter 11 filing fee is $1,738.

Every individual filer must complete a credit counseling course from a provider approved by the Eastern District before filing. A debtor education course is also required after filing and before discharge. The Eastern District's website lists all approved providers for both courses. Both are typically available online or by phone and take about two hours each. Fee waivers are available from many providers for people with limited income.

Washington Bankruptcy Exemptions

Washington law lets you protect certain property from creditors when you file for bankruptcy. These protections are called exemptions. Spokane County filers choose between the state exemption system and the federal one. Most people choose Washington's state exemptions because the amounts tend to be higher, especially for motor vehicles and tools.

Under RCW 6.15, you can protect up to $3,500 in household goods and furnishings, up to $15,000 in one motor vehicle, up to $15,000 in tools of your trade or profession, and up to $10,000 as a wildcard that applies to any property you choose. Since July 2023, each spouse in a married couple gets their own full set of exemptions. That means a couple filing jointly can protect up to $30,000 in vehicles, $30,000 in tools, and $20,000 via the wildcard. For Spokane area filers who may own work trucks, equipment, or professional tools, the tools-of-trade and vehicle exemptions can be particularly valuable.

The homestead exemption under RCW 6.13 protects equity in your primary residence. The amount equals the median sale price of a single-family home in Spokane County at the time you file. Spokane County home values are lower on average than the Seattle metro area, so the homestead figure here may be lower, but it still provides significant protection for most homeowners. You must live in the home as your primary residence for the exemption to apply. Rental properties and vacation homes do not qualify.

Exemption strategy matters before you file. If you own a vehicle worth more than $15,000 or have significant equity in tools or professional equipment, talking with an attorney about how to protect those assets is worth the time. The Washington Legislature's page for RCW 6.15 is the authoritative source for current exemption amounts. Amounts can change, so always check the current statute rather than relying on older guides or general estimates.

The screenshot below shows the Office of Civil Legal Aid's legal help finder, which connects Spokane County residents with free and low-cost legal services, including bankruptcy assistance.

Office of Civil Legal Aid at ocla.wa.gov helps Washington residents find civil legal aid, including bankruptcy and debt help, in their area.

Low-income Spokane County residents can use the OCLA portal to find free legal help for bankruptcy and debt-related matters from qualified legal aid providers.

Legal Help for Spokane County Residents

Spokane County has more legal resources than most eastern Washington counties, including several organizations that specifically handle consumer debt and bankruptcy matters. Getting help early, before you file, can make a real difference in the outcome of your case.

The Center for Justice in Spokane provides consumer and debt advocacy services. Their website at centerforjustice.net covers their service areas and how to get help. Legal Services of Eastern Washington at lsew.org offers free civil legal aid to low-income residents across eastern Washington, including Spokane County. Their services include bankruptcy and debt matters. The Spokane County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Program at spokanebar.com connects low-income clients with volunteer attorneys in the area.

Statewide, CLEAR provides free civil legal help to low-income Washington residents. Call 888-201-1014 for Spokane County callers (outside King County). The Washington State Bar Association's help finder at wsba.org/for-the-public/find-legal-help lets you search for licensed attorneys by practice area. The Northwest Justice Project at nwjustice.org and the Office of Civil Legal Aid at ocla.wa.gov are both statewide programs that serve Spokane County.

The U.S. Trustee Program's Spokane office is at 920 W. Riverside Avenue, Suite 593, Spokane, WA 99201. The bankruptcy fraud hotline for the Spokane office is (509) 353-2999. The Trustee does not give legal advice but oversees case administration and takes complaints about misconduct or fraud in bankruptcy cases. Washington's Attorney General Consumer Protection Division at atg.wa.gov/consumer-protection handles predatory lending and debt collection complaints and can be reached at 800-551-4636.

Cities in Spokane County

Spokane County includes two cities with dedicated pages on this site. Both cities file through the Eastern District of Washington court located in Spokane.

• Spokane - County seat and largest city
• Spokane Valley

Other communities in the county, including Cheney, Airway Heights, and Medical Lake, do not currently have dedicated pages on this site but are served by the same Eastern District court in Spokane.

Nearby Counties

Spokane County shares borders with several other eastern Washington counties. If you need records from a neighboring county or are looking up a case in a different jurisdiction, the pages below cover those counties.