Chelan County, Washington Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Chelan County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected collection metadata checked against repository catalog descriptions. This is not a complete holdings audit, examination of original records, or certification of current access. See the access note for limitations. Repository catalog or holdings guide

Formed
1899
County seat
Wenatchee
Adams CountyBenton CountyColumbia CountyCowlitz CountyDouglas CountyFerry CountyFranklin CountyGarfield CountyGrant CountyIsland CountyJefferson CountyKing CountyKitsap CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyPend Oreille CountyPierce CountySan Juan CountySkagit CountySkamania CountySnohomish CountySpokane CountyStevens CountyThurston CountyWalla Walla CountyWhatcom CountyWhitman CountyYakima CountyKittitas CountyOkanogan CountyChelan CountyAdamsBentonFerryFranklinGrantJeffersonKingLewisLincolnPierceSkagitSnohomishSpokaneStevensThurstonWhatcomWhitmanYakimaKittitasOkanoganChelan
Chelan CountyParent counties (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Chelan 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

Census records

Other records

County government

Deeds and land

Naturalization records

Court records

Cemeteries and burial

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

  • Chelan 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, Chelan" 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: Kittitas County, Okanogan County

Check the parent counties for earlier records: Kittitas County, Okanogan County

SnohomishKingIslandPierceCowlitzThurstonKitsapWalla WallaColumbiaSkamaniaAdamsFranklinLincolnSkagitWhatcomWhitmanDouglasSpokaneGarfieldYakimaLewisFerryStevensKittitasOkanoganChelanChelanKittitasOkanoganKingPierceThurstonAdamsFranklinLincolnSkagitWhatcomWhitmanSpokaneYakimaLewisFerryStevens
Chelan as created in 1899Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1899, 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.