Wasco County Clerk Office
The Wasco County Clerk is Chrissy Zaugg. The office has moved to 401 E. 3rd Street, Suite 100 in The Dalles. The general clerk phone number is 541-506-2530, and office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a lunch closure. The clerk page also lists Chief Deputy Clerk Betty Negrete, Elections Deputy Mesa Confer, and Recording Deputy Lacy Lamb with direct contact details.
The County Clerk is the chief elections official, prepares and conducts elections, maintains voter registrations and election statistics, records and preserves land records and liens, issues marriage licenses and domestic partnerships, serves as liaison for Statement of Economic Interest filing, and acts as clerk for the Property Value Appeals Board. The office is not part of the Oregon State Circuit Court System and directs court services to Wasco County Circuit Court at 541-506-2700.
Wasco County Clerk
County Clerk: Chrissy Zaugg
401 E. 3rd Street, Suite 100
The Dalles, OR 97058
541-506-2530
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., with lunch closure
Wasco County Clerk Not Court Records
The most important routing rule is simple: court case records go to Circuit Court. The County Clerk does not hold Circuit Court case files, dockets, divorce decrees, probate files, criminal dispositions, juvenile court access records, or traffic violation case files. Those records are handled through the Trial Court Administrator / Circuit Court records office, OJD systems, courthouse public terminals, and court copy requests.
The County Clerk handles recorded county documents and licensing functions. A person searching for a deed, lien, recorded plat, recorded marriage document, certified recorded copy, domestic partnership filing, or PVAB record should start with the County Clerk. A person searching for a filed lawsuit, conviction, hearing date, judgment, divorce case, or estate case should start with Wasco County Circuit Court.
| Use County Clerk | Use Circuit Court |
|---|---|
| Marriage licenses and recorded marriage copies | Divorce case files and divorce decrees |
| Recorded deeds, plats, liens, foreclosures | Civil, criminal, probate, juvenile, and family cases |
| Domestic partnerships and PVAB records | Dockets, judgments, hearings, certified court copies |
| Certified copies of recorded county documents | OJD search, OJCIN, court terminal, Trial Court Administrator requests |
Wasco County Clerk Recording Records
The County Clerk's recording office records subdivision and plat maps, satisfactions of mortgage and reconveyances, judgments, liens, veteran DD-214 discharge papers, requests for notice of default, foreclosures, death certificates, and marriage licenses after the ceremony is completed. The office describes itself as the librarian of Wasco County land and marriage records. Staff checks documents for Oregon statutory compliance, accepts recordable documents, creates an index, and scans images for later retrieval.
If a document cannot be recorded, the office returns it with an explanation. That review is not the same as legal advice or a court ruling. It is a recording compliance step. Recorded judgments and liens may relate to court cases, but the County Clerk recording system is not the full court case file.
The Wasco County Clerk ordering copies page is one of the assigned County Clerk images for copy rules and certified copy access.
It supports the distinction between ordinary public terminal research and certified copies issued by the Clerk's Office.
Wasco County Digital Research Room
The Wasco County Digital Research Room is the online public access route for recorded documents and marriage records after the user accepts the terms screen. The disclaimer says Wasco County offers the electronic search system as a public service but makes no warranty or guarantee about accuracy or reliability. It also says data is subject to change without notice and online images are not certified as true, complete, and exact copies as recorded with the Clerk's Office.
The Digital Research Room source is assigned to the County Clerk page because it is the main online clerk-record search channel.
The terms screen is a reminder to request certified copies from the clerk when an official recorded copy is required.
- Open the Digital Research Room and review the disclaimer before accepting the terms.
- Search recorded documents or marriage records using the available clerk search tools behind the agreement screen.
- Use online images for research, but do not treat them as certified copies.
- Order certified copies from the Clerk's Office in person, through the Digital Research Room, or by mail when certification is needed.
Wasco County Clerk Copy Fees
The County Clerk has two public terminals for research during regular hours. Uncertified printed copies at the clerk office cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies of land documents or marriage licenses can be ordered at the counter, online through the Digital Research Room, or by U.S. Postal Service. Certified copies cannot be sent by email, and the land document or marriage license must have been recorded in Wasco County.
| County Clerk copy item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Public terminal research | Available during regular clerk hours |
| Uncertified printed copy | $0.25 per page |
| Certified one-page land or marriage document | $7.75 |
| Each additional certified page | $0.25 |
| Email certified copy | Not available |
| Mail request payment | Check, or credit card payment arranged in advance by phone |
Wasco County Marriage Clerk Records
Marriage licenses are issued by the Wasco County Clerk. Applicants complete the online application, submit all fields, and call the Clerk's Office at 541-506-2530 for an appointment to complete the process, show proof of identity, and pay for the license. Completion may be by video conference or in person. After the ceremony, the license is mailed back to the Clerk so it can be recorded.
A Wasco County marriage license has a three-day waiting period after issuance and is valid for 60 days once effective. It can be used anywhere in Oregon. No extensions or refunds are available once issued. Previously married applicants need the exact date of divorce, and the application asks for each parent's birthplace. Medical exams and blood tests are no longer required in Oregon.
| Marriage record route | Wasco County Clerk detail |
|---|---|
| 1974-present marriage search | Digital Research Room, searchable by name or marriage date |
| Pre-1974 or uncertain county | Marriage Record Inquiry Form, phone, or in-person request |
| No matching results | May mean the license was issued in another Oregon county |
| Apostille use | Wasco warns that Oregon Health Authority certified records may be needed |
Request Wasco County Clerk Records
A good County Clerk request identifies the recorded document or marriage record, the parties, the recording date or approximate date, the copy type, and the delivery method. Mail requests must include payment or arrange credit card payment in advance by phone. For marriage records before 1974, or if the filing county is uncertain, the marriage inquiry form is the better first route.
| Request field | Use |
|---|---|
| Party name or grantor/grantee | Helps locate recorded land, lien, or marriage documents |
| Marriage date or recording date | Narrows marriage and recording searches |
| Document type | Identifies deed, lien, plat, foreclosure, marriage, DD-214, or other record |
| Application or instrument number | Supports exact copy ordering when known |
| Certified or uncertified copy | Controls fee and delivery options |
| Mailing address and payment method | Required when records are sent by postal mail |
Wasco County Recording Changes
The research notes a Wasco County Clerk recording fee increase effective June 16, 2026. The County Clerk recording page says the Board of Commissioners passed Ordinance #26-001 increasing the Public Land Corner Preservation Fund recording fee by $18. The change affects instruments under ORS 205.130(2), except death certificates. Anyone recording a document near that date should confirm the current total with the Clerk's Office before mailing payment.
The Oregon DOC offender search guidance source was assigned in the manifest, but offender records are not County Clerk records.
Its presence reinforces the routing rule: offender, custody, and court case records must be checked through the proper court, sheriff, NORCOR, DOC, or VISOR channels, not the County Clerk.
Note: PVAB, domestic partnerships, recordings, land records, liens, and marriage licenses are County Clerk functions; court case copies are not.