University Place Background Check Records
University Place is a city in Pierce County with roughly 34,000 residents. If you need to run a background check in University Place, you will work with a mix of local and county-level resources. University Place contracts with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office for police services, which means local arrest records and incident reports go through the Sheriff rather than a city-owned police department. The city has its own Municipal Court for misdemeanor cases. Felony records sit with Pierce County Superior Court. This page explains where to find each type of record and how to access it.
University Place Overview
Pierce County Sheriff University Place Records
University Place does not operate its own police department. The city contracts with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office for all law enforcement services. This arrangement means that arrest records, incident reports, and police activity in University Place are held by the Sheriff, not by a University Place city agency. If you need police records for an incident that occurred in University Place, you submit your request to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office Records Division.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office main campus is at 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402. The non-emergency line that University Place residents use is 253-287-4455. The Records Division handles public records requests under RCW 42.56. You can submit by mail, in person, or through the Sheriff's online portal. Responses typically come within five business days. Complex or voluminous requests may take longer.
Concealed pistol license applications for University Place residents also go through Pierce County Sheriff rather than through a city office. This is consistent with the broader service contract arrangement. If you need fingerprinting for a background check submission, contact the Sheriff's Office to ask about current scheduling and availability.
| Agency | Pierce County Sheriff's Office (University Place contract) |
|---|---|
| Non-Emergency | 253-287-4455 |
| Records Location | 3612 Drexler Dr W University Place, WA 98466 |
| Response Time | 5 business days per RCW 42.56 |
| CPL Applications | Through Pierce County Sheriff |
Note: Because University Place uses contract policing, there is no separate University Place PD records database. All local law enforcement records route through Pierce County Sheriff systems.
University Place Municipal Court Records
University Place Municipal Court is located at University Place City Hall. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Contact the court at 253.460.2510. This court handles misdemeanor criminal cases and traffic infractions that occur within University Place city limits. Any misdemeanor conviction from this court becomes part of a person's Washington criminal history and will show up in a WATCH background check search.
To look up a specific Municipal Court case, you can contact the clerk at 253.460.2510 or visit during business hours. The statewide Washington Courts case search tool at dw.courts.wa.gov may return results from University Place Municipal Court for name-based searches. Certified copies of court records carry a small per-page fee. Call ahead to confirm the current rate before you go in person.
Common case types at University Place Municipal Court include DUI, assault, theft, malicious mischief, and traffic violations. Even though these sit below the felony level, they are fully reportable under Washington law and will appear on background checks that query Washington State criminal history data. These records do not expire or disappear from background check results simply because time has passed.
University Place City Clerk and Public Records
The University Place City Clerk handles public records requests for city government documents. Reach the Clerk at 253.460.2510. Requests can be submitted in person at City Hall or by mail. The city must respond within five business days under RCW 42.56. Police records are not held by the City Clerk. Those go through Pierce County Sheriff as described above.
City Clerk records include permits, business licenses, city contracts, council meeting minutes, and official city correspondence. For a background check focused on criminal history or court records, these documents are not typically needed. They become relevant if you are looking into a person's or business's dealings with the city government, code enforcement history, or permit activity. The clerk does not maintain arrest records or case files. Those sit with the Sheriff and courts respectively.
Pierce County Superior Court Background Check Records
Felony cases involving University Place residents are handled by Pierce County Superior Court. The courthouse is at 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402. The Superior Court Clerk can be reached at (253) 798-7455. This is where serious criminal charges, major civil matters, and family law cases are filed and heard for the entire county. University Place falls fully within Pierce County jurisdiction, so any felony case tied to a University Place address routes through this courthouse.
The Superior Court case files include charging documents, sentencing records, docket entries, and any orders entered by the judge. These records are part of the public record and can be accessed through the court clerk. The statewide case search at dw.courts.wa.gov provides basic docket information for Pierce County Superior Court cases. For complete file access or certified copies, contact the clerk directly or visit the courthouse in Tacoma. This court's records cover University Place as well as Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, and every other community in Pierce County.
Statewide Background Check Resources
The Washington State Patrol WATCH system is the broadest source for criminal history connected to University Place. It draws from all Washington courts and law enforcement agencies statewide, including Pierce County Sheriff and University Place Municipal Court. An online WATCH search costs $11 and is processed at wsp.wa.gov/crime/criminal-history/. Mail requests are $32. Fingerprint-based searches cost $58 and give the most reliable match when a name alone is not sufficient.
Criminal records in Washington are governed by RCW 10.97, the Criminal Records Privacy Act. This law draws a line between conviction records and non-conviction records. Conviction records are generally public. Non-conviction records, meaning charges that were dismissed or that ended in acquittal, are restricted and do not appear in public WATCH results. Knowing this distinction helps you understand what a background check will and will not show.
For sex offender registration information, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs runs a public registry at waspc.org/sex-offender-information. University Place registrants who are classified at Level II or Level III are publicly listed with names and addresses through this system. This is separate from WATCH and covers a distinct category of records. The Washington State Department of Corrections inmate search at doc.wa.gov/information/inmate-search/ shows current and recently released individuals from state prison facilities. It does not cover Pierce County Jail, which is a separate lookup through the Pierce County Sheriff.
Pierce County Background Check Records
University Place is in Pierce County. Felony court records, county jail data, and Superior Court case files for University Place residents all go through the Pierce County system. The Pierce County Sheriff also provides direct police services to the city. For a complete breakdown of county-level records access, portals, and contact information, visit the Pierce County page.
Nearby Cities
These cities are near University Place. Most share the Pierce County court system for felony background check records.