Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Benton County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Benton County Auditor, Birth Register, 1905-19071905-1907
- Benton County Auditor, Birth Returns, 1905-19071905-1907
- Benton County Auditor, Marriage Affidavits, 1909-19391909-1939
- Benton County Auditor, Marriage Certificates, 1905-19951905-1995
- Benton County Auditor, Marriage License Applications, 1939-1949; 1952-1953; 1977-19801939-1949; 1952-1953; 1977-1980
- Benton County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1987-20241987-2024
County government
- Benton City, Board of Adjustment Minutes, 1977-19801977-1980
- Benton City, Board of Hearing Examiner Minutes, 1981-20021981-2002
- Benton County Board of Equalization, Minutes and Meeting Records, 2012-20192012-2019
- Benton County Commissioners, County Ordinances, 1996-20061996-2006
- Benton County Commissioners, Minutes, 1999-20041999-2004
- Benton County Commissioners, Resolutions, 1959-20061959-2006
- Benton Public Utility District, Board of Commissioners, Minutes, 1935-20041935-2004
- Benton Public Utility District, Board of Commissioners, Resolutions, 1936-20041936-2004
Other records
- Benton City Council, Council Minutes, 1945-20111945-2011
- Benton City Council, Ordinances, 1945-19951945-1995
- Benton City Council, Resolutions, 1951-19951951-1995
- Benton City, Planning Commission Minutes, 1952-20101952-2010
- Benton County Auditor, Dental Certificates, 1905-19831905-1983
- Benton County Auditor, Power of Attorney Records, 1981-20261981-2026
- Benton County Auditor, Professional License Records, 1992-20261992-2026
- Benton County Auditor, Recorded Agreements and Contracts, 1981-20261981-2026
- Benton County Auditor, Recorded Ordinances, 1981-20261981-2026
- Benton County Auditor, Recorded Resolutions, 1981-20261981-2026
- Benton County Auditor, Uniform Commercial Code Recordings, 1982-20261982-2026
- Benton County Clean Air, Minutes and Meeting Records, 20152015
- Kennewick Public Hospital District, Minutes and Meeting Records, 2005-20252005-2025
- Prosser City Council, Minutes, 1908-20041908-2004
- Prosser City Council, Ordinances, 1899-20041899-2004
- Prosser City Council, Resolutions, 1917-20031917-2003
Deeds and land
- Benton County Auditor, Plats and Surveys, 1906-20261906-2026
- Benton County Auditor, Recorded Land Records, 1969-20261969-2026
- City of Richland Library Board of Trustees, Minutes and Meeting Records, 2011-20242011-2024
- Richland City Council, Minutes and Meeting Records, 1999-20241999-2024
- Richland City Council, Ordinances, 2021-20242021-2024
- Richland, City of, Board of Adjustment, Minutes and Meeting Records, 2019-20222019-2022
- Richland, City of, Firefighters Pension Board, 1959-20181959-2018
- Richland, City of, Hearing Examiner Meetings, 2015-20172015-2017
- Richland, City of, Police Pension Board, 1959-20181959-2018
- Richland Irrigation District, Board Minutes, 1919-19511919-1951
- West Richland City Council, Minutes, 1955-20061955-2006
- West Richland City Council, Ordinances, 1955-20071955-2007
- West Richland City Council, Resolutions, 1955-20071955-2007
Naturalization records
Census records
Newspapers and directories
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected digital collection links from Washington State Library county research guides. Collections may include local towns, schools, cemeteries and other organizations within the county. Guide dates can change; consult each Digital Archives collection for actual coverage, restrictions and available images.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Benton County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county auditor and the clerk of the superior court, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county auditor
Deeds and other land records, and marriage licenses.
- The clerk of the superior court
Probate (wills and estates), divorces, naturalizations and court cases.
- The Washington State Archives
In Olympia and regional branches: county records, and the Digital Archives with searchable indexes.
- Washington State Digital Archivesfree
Searchable indexes to Washington records, including births, marriages, deaths, censuses and naturalizations, from the State Archives.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Washington, Benton" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Klickitat County, Yakima County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Klickitat County, Yakima County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1905, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Washington began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1907. Many county marriage, birth, death and census records are indexed free in the Washington State Digital Archives.