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Washington · Palouse · Washington State University · Rolling Wheat Hills
Whitman County, Washington
WSU Cougars and the world's most beautiful farmland — from Washington State University's Pullman campus to the Palouse's extraordinary rolling loess hills (the most productive dryland wheat region in America, whose undulating golden curves have been called the world's most beautiful farmland), the Palouse Falls State Park's 198-foot waterfall into a dramatic basalt canyon, and a college-and-wheat county that defines the agricultural character of eastern Washington.
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Office: Whitman County Emergency Management – 310 N Main Street, Colfax, WA 99111
Services: Coordinates and facilitates resources to minimize the impacts of emergencies and disasters on people, property, the economy, and the environment; supports mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery for natural and technological emergencies.
Sheriff: Whitman County Sheriff’s Office – Colfax, WA 99111; confirm current non-emergency phone via whitmancounty.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-195 serves Colfax, the county seat, and Pullman, the county’s largest city, in the wheat-covered hills of southeastern Washington’s Palouse region.
Notes: Colfax sits at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River and is part of the Pullman-Moscow combined statistical area; Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport (PUW) offers Alaska Airlines service to Seattle.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Whitman County Clerk / Building Permits – 400 North Main Street, Colfax, WA 99111 | (509) 397-6240
Services: Building permits, land use permits, demolition permits, septic system permits, access and utility permits for unincorporated Whitman County; individual towns (Palouse, Rosalia, Colton, Endicott, Farmington, LaCrosse, and others) issue their own municipal permits.
City Permits: City of Colfax Building & Community Development – (509) 288-1852, [email protected].
Notes: Colfax was named for Schuyler Colfax, U.S. Vice President from 1869-1873; Pullman was originally named “Three Forks” before being renamed in 1881 for railroad-car manufacturer George Pullman.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Whitman County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via whitmancounty.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Whitman County Library System – headquartered in Colfax, WA, with 14 branch locations across the county and a full calendar of children’s programming.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Whitman County is genuinely home to Palouse Falls, Washington’s official state waterfall, which drops 198-200 feet into a dramatic 377-foot-deep basalt canyon carved by the prehistoric Missoula Floods – one of the most striking landscapes in Eastern Washington, preserved within Palouse Falls State Park. Pullman is home to Washington State University’s flagship Pullman campus (founded 1890), the university’s oldest and largest, with over 16,000 students, more than 200 academic programs, and Pac-12 athletics; Pullman carries the nickname “The Lentil Capital” for the region’s lentil farming heritage. Steptoe Butte State Park, a striking quartzite outcropping offering 200-mile views over the rolling Palouse wheat country, sits about 50 miles north of Pullman
Notes: Palouse Falls’ status as Washington’s official state waterfall, carved by the ancient Missoula Floods, is a genuine and striking natural feature, alongside Whitman County’s deep connection to Washington State University.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Whitman County GIS – accessible via whitmancounty.gov
Parcel Search: Whitman County Assessor – confirm current contact via whitmancounty.gov
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Whitman County Humane Society – Pullman, WA | meets 3rd Monday monthly, 7 PM, WSU Animal Disease and Biotechnology Facility, 1855 Ott Rd., Pullman, WA
Services: Founded in 2000, the only animal shelter serving all of Whitman County; a no-kill, limited-intake nonprofit that has cared for the county’s homeless pets for over 20 years, providing care for more than 600 animals annually through community support and donations.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Whitman County – confirm current contact via whitmancounty.gov.
Notes: Soil conservation and dryland wheat/lentil farming practices across the rolling Palouse hills are significant ongoing local environmental and agricultural concerns.
NOTES
Palouse Falls’ status as Washington’s official state waterfall – carved by the ancient Missoula Floods into a dramatic 377-foot basalt canyon – is a genuine and striking natural feature, alongside Whitman County’s deep and defining connection to Washington State University’s flagship campus. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of mid-August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Whitman County
Whitman County is the heart of the Washington Palouse – Washington State University’s campus in Pullman and Steptoe Butte’s overlook of the world’s most photographed agricultural landscape define a county whose intellectual heritage and agricultural beauty are deeply intertwined in the rolling dryland wheat hills of southeast Washington.
Colfax (the county seat, population ~3,000) is Whitman County’s governmental hub while Pullman (population ~34,000) serves as the county’s university center – together anchoring the Palouse’s agricultural and intellectual identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Whitman County Assessor at 400 N. Main Street, Colfax, WA 99111, phone 509-397-6220. WA assessed at 100% fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Whitman County Superior Court (Probate) at 400 N. Main Street, Colfax, WA 99111, phone 509-397-6240, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
400 N Main St, Colfax, WA 99111
(509) 397-6240
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Whitman County Superior Court Clerk’s Office, Colfax (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Washington State University’s Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, in Pullman, is a notable regional resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Whitman County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Whitman County Superior Court 400 North Main Street, Suite 235, PO Box 390, Colfax, WA 99111 (509) 397-6244
Whitman County is in Southeast Washington’s Palouse region, home to Washington State University in Pullman, county seat Colfax. Washington has NO separate probate court and has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – probate is handled through the Superior Court in each county, under Title 11 RCW.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Washington probate is entirely discretionary – the law does not require a probate proceeding to be filed after a death, regardless of whether there was a will. Probate is typically pursued only when the decedent owned real property titled solely in their name, or personal property exceeding the small estate threshold.
Small Estate Affidavit (RCW 11.62.010) – available when the decedent’s entire probate estate does not exceed $100,000 (personal property only, not counting the surviving spouse’s community property interest), and at least 40 days have passed since death. No court filing is required – the successor presents the sworn affidavit directly to whoever holds the asset. All debts must be paid or provided for first.
Nonintervention Powers (RCW 11.68) – Washington’s signature alternative to full court-supervised probate. If the estate is solvent, the Superior Court MUST grant the personal representative nonintervention powers upon request (unless the will specifically forbids it). Once granted, the representative can sell, mortgage, and distribute estate property, and ultimately close the estate by filing a Declaration of Completion – all without further court orders, notice to beneficiaries, or hearings.
Full/Supervised Administration – required only when nonintervention powers are denied or not sought, typically in contested or insolvent estates.
TEDRA (Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act, RCW 11.96A) – Washington’s framework for resolving probate, trust, and estate disputes.
Step 2: filing for administration
The person seeking to serve as personal representative files a petition with the Whitman County Superior Court Clerk’s Office, along with the original will (if any) and a certified death certificate.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one).
The personal representative petitions for nonintervention powers, which the court must grant if the estate is solvent (unless the will forbids it).
Once granted, the representative pays debts, manages and distributes property, and notifies creditors, without further court supervision.
The estate is closed by filing a Declaration of Completion.
What it costs
Filing fees and probate costs vary by estate complexity; confirm current Whitman County Superior Court fees directly.
Washington HAS a state estate tax, separate from any small estate affidavit or nonintervention process. For deaths on or after July 1, 2026, the applicable exclusion amount is $3,000,000 (RCW 83.100.020), with rates from 10% to 20%. There is NO portability between spouses.
The federal estate tax exemption is far higher, at $15,000,000 for a 2026 death.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
400 N Main St, Colfax, WA 99111
(509) 397-6266
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
400 N Main St, Colfax, WA 99111
(509) 397-6270
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Whitman County Public Health, 310 N Main St, Colfax, WA 99111
(509) 397-6280
DSHS Community Services Office
1205 SE Professional Mall Blvd, Pullman, WA 99163
(509) 334-6501
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Whitman County Public Health – 310 N. Main Street, Ste. 108, Colfax, WA 99111, (509) 397-6280 | Mon-Thu 8 AM-5 PM (closed 12-1 PM); also 1205 SE Professional Mall Blvd. #203, Pullman, WA 99163, (509) 332-6752.
Hospital: Pullman Regional Hospital – 835 SE Bishop Blvd., Pullman, WA 99163, a critical-access, not-for-profit public hospital district with 24-hour emergency care, obstetrics, and Telestroke neurology access, in a 95,000-square-foot facility opened 2005; also Whitman Hospital and Medical Center in Colfax.
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Colfax
Population: 47,000
Area: 2,159 mi²
Tier: 3
Public Records
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