Cowlitz County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person at the Cowlitz County Auditor’s Office located at:

207 N. 4th Ave.
Kelso, WA 98626

Phone: 360-577-3006
Fax: 360-414-5552
E-mail: recording@co.cowlitz.wa.us

Hours
Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m

You can also submit your documents electronically.

Cowlitz County Auditor’s Office contracts with various vendors (submitters) to receive electronic documents for recording.

For more information, you can contact one of the following submitters:

Simplifile
https://simplifile.com/services/e-recording/e-recording-for-submitters/

eRecording Partners Network

Home

Corporation Service Company
https://www.cscglobal.com/service/cls/real-estate-recording-services/

Indecomm Global Services
http://inteledocdirect.net/

The Cowlitz County Auditor’s Office does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog.

If your construction project is located in Cowlitz County, then yes, you should file your lien here.

The Cowlitz County Auditor’s recording requirements are as follows:

Information Required on First Page

1. Name and address of who the document should be returned to on the upper left

2. Title(s) of document, immediately below the three inch margin

3. Reference number(s) of documents assigned or released, with reference to the page number where additional references can be found, if applicable

4. Grantor(s) and grantee(s), with reference to the page number where additional grantors or grantees can be found, if applicable

5. Abbreviated legal description of the property (lot, block, plat, or section township, range, and quarter/quarter section) and reference to the document page where the full legal description can be found, if applicable

6. Assessor’s parcel number

The first page must include a three-inch top margin and one-inch bottom and sidemargins. Subsequent pages must have one-inch margins on all sides.

Additional Requirements

1. No attachments (taped, stapled, or glued) are allowed on any pages

2. Font size must be at least 8 point or larger

3. Font must be of sufficient color and clarity, capable of being imaged and producing legible copies

4. All pages must be legible and capable of being imaged

5. Paper size must be 8 1/2″ x 14″ or smaller

6. Paper must be of a weight and color capable of producing legible copies

7. All seals must be legible and capable of being imaged (pressure seals must be darkened)

Cover Sheets
A standard cover sheetmay be used as the first page of the document, to fulfill the three-inch top margin and indexing requirements. When using a cover sheet, the requirements listed above must still be met, or the document will be returned for compliance. One dollar will be added to the recording fee when a standard cover sheet is used.

A nonstandard emergency cover sheet may be used as the first page for documents that must be recorded immediately and do not meet margin and font size requirements. The fee for a nonstandard emergency recording is fifty dollars, in addition to other applicable fees. However, if the document does not meet legibility requirements, it cannot be recorded as a nonstandard recording.

The person preparing the document for recording must sign the statement at the bottom of the cover sheet, “I am requesting an emergency nonstandard recording for an additional fee as provided in RCW 36.18.010. I understand that the recording processing requirements may cover up or otherwise obscure some part of the text of the original document.”

Prohibited Information
Other than documents generated by governmental agencies, recorded documents CANNOT contain the following information:

1. A social security number
2. A date of birth identified with a particular person
3. The maiden name of a person’s parent so as to be identified with a particular person

Paper size must be 8 1/2″ x 14″ or smaller.

Font size must be at least 8 point or larger.

The first page must include a three-inch top margin and one-inch bottom and sidemargins. Subsequent pages must have one-inch margins on all sides.

The Cowlitz County Auditor’s recording fee is $103.50 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page.

Additional Recording Fees

Non-Standard/Emergency Recording Fee: $50.00

Lien Fees

State, County & City Liens & Releases: $39.00 for the first page
Federal Tax Liens and Release of Federal Tax Lien: $16.00

Copy Fees

Copies of Non-Certified Documents: $1.00 per page
Certified Copies of Documents: $3.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien in person at the Cowlitz County Auditor’s Office, during regular business hours at the following address:

Cowlitz County Administration Building
207 N 4th Avenue
Kelso, WA 98626

You can also search Cowlitz county’s recorded documents online at:
http://apps.co.cowlitz.wa.us/cowlitzapps/cowlitzauditorpublicrecords/(S(b5rtx4itr1v5onuod3rgwm45))/default.aspx

You can search, select, and order documents with a credit or debit card through Digital Archives. Note that not all counties in Washington utilize the digital archives database, and not all of the Cowlitz County Auditor’s records are available.

You can get the property’s legal description from the Cowlitz County Auditor’s office in person.

You can search Cowlitz County Auditor’s recorded documents online at:

http://apps.co.cowlitz.wa.us/cowlitzapps/cowlitzauditorpublicrecords/(S(b5rtx4itr1v5onuod3rgwm45))/default.aspx

You can also search for property legal descriptions online with the Cowlitz County Assessor at:

http://65.183.210.212/CowlitzPropertyApp/CowlitzPropertyApp/Zoner/index