Mountlake Terrace Arrest Records Search
Mountlake Terrace arrest records are public documents under Washington's Public Records Act, RCW 42.56, and are held by the Mountlake Terrace Police Department's Records Division in Snohomish County. Requests can be submitted online, by mail, in person, or by phone, and the city must respond within five business days.
Mountlake Terrace Overview
Mountlake Terrace Police Records Division
The Records Division of the Mountlake Terrace Police Department is the primary office for arrest and police report requests. The division is located at 23250 58th Avenue W, Mountlake Terrace WA 98043. Staff are available Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. You can reach them by phone at 425-670-8260, by fax at 425-776-5788, or through the non-emergency line at 425-407-3999.
The Records Division page covers all the main request types the department handles. This includes police reports, accident reports, and general public records tied to incidents that took place within Mountlake Terrace city limits. If an incident happened outside city limits, the Records Division will direct you to the correct agency.
The Public Records request page covers how the city processes all records requests under RCW 42.56. You can submit a request through the online portal, in person, by mail, or even verbally to the Public Records Officer. The city is not required to create new records or answer general questions. Requests must be for an identifiable record or class of records.
Once a request is submitted, the city has five business days to respond. It can make records available, send a written acknowledgment with a time estimate, ask for clarification, or issue a denial. If the city notifies you that records are ready, you have 30 days to claim them before the request is closed.
| Address | 23250 58th Avenue W, Mountlake Terrace WA 98043 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 425-670-8260 |
| Fax | 425-776-5788 |
| Non-Emergency | 425-407-3999 |
| Hours | Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM |
| Governing Law | RCW 42.56 |
Accident Reports and Collision Records
Accident reports from Mountlake Terrace are available through a few different channels depending on when the crash happened and how much you want to pay. Prices vary by service. The police department itself charges $10.00 for a copy of an accident report. CrashDocs offers the same records for $10.00 for collisions that occurred on or after May 16, 2018. Crashlogic charges $16.00 and may have records outside that date range.
If you need a report for a crash you were involved in, you can request it directly from the Records Division during business hours. Bring identification. If the report is not yet complete, staff will let you know when it will be ready. Third-party services like CrashDocs let you search online and download the report without visiting in person, which is useful if you are not local.
Collision reports handled by the Washington State Patrol for state highway incidents are not available from the city. You would need to contact WSP directly for those. The city only processes reports for incidents investigated by Mountlake Terrace officers.
Criminal History and Warrant Information
The Mountlake Terrace Police Department does not provide criminal history records directly to the public. If you need to look up someone's criminal history, including conviction records, you must go through the Washington State Patrol WATCH program. The WATCH portal lets you search by name for a fee of $11.00. Results include conviction records from courts across Washington State.
Warrant information is also not provided by the police department. If you need to know whether a warrant exists, you must contact the court that issued it. The city police do not confirm or deny whether a warrant is active. This is standard practice across Washington to protect law enforcement operations and avoid tipping off subjects of active warrants.
For criminal history tied to arrests made by Mountlake Terrace officers, the underlying police report may be available through the Records Division, but the department's role ends at the investigation. Charges, convictions, and court outcomes are tracked by the courts themselves, not the police department. You can search Washington court records through the Washington Courts public search portal.
Victim notification after release is handled by VINELink, a free statewide service. You can register to receive alerts when someone held in a Washington jail or correctional facility is released or transferred. This is separate from records access and does not require a formal request.
What the Public Records Act Covers
Washington's Public Records Act, RCW 42.56, sets the baseline rules for records access across all Washington cities and counties, including Mountlake Terrace. The law creates a strong presumption of openness. All government records are public unless a specific exemption applies. Exemptions do exist for things like ongoing investigations, personal identifiers, juvenile records, and certain victim information.
The city is not required to do research on your behalf. It cannot be asked to compile information or answer general questions about a topic. A valid request must point to a specific record or a defined class of records. For example, you can ask for "all police reports for an incident at [address] on [date]" but not "all information the city has about this person."
If a request is denied, the city must give a written explanation citing the specific exemption. You can appeal a denial to the Public Records Officer or seek review in court. There is no filing fee to challenge a denial. Washington courts have broad authority to order disclosure if an agency wrongfully withholds records.
Most arrest records, booking information, and police reports are releasable once an investigation is complete. Active investigations may be withheld temporarily. Juvenile arrest records are generally not public. Some records involving domestic violence cases may have victim information redacted before release.
Snohomish County Jail Records
Arrests made by Mountlake Terrace police that result in booking send individuals to the Snohomish County Jail. The county maintains booking and inmate records separately from the city police department. Jail records are governed by RCW 70.48.100, which makes basic booking information public while keeping most jail operational records confidential.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office operates the jail. To check whether someone is currently in custody, you can contact the jail directly or look up the inmate roster online. The roster typically shows name, booking date, charges listed at booking, and current custody status. These records are separate from conviction records and do not prove guilt.
Snohomish County Arrest Records
Mountlake Terrace is located in Snohomish County. For county-level records, Sheriff's Office information, and Snohomish County Jail records, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
Other cities in Snohomish County with their own arrest records resources include Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Bothell.