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LESA’s Records section, part of the LEADS division, is a consolidated records unit maintaining various reports and records for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and the Tacoma, Lakewood, University Place and Edgewood Police Departments.
LESA Records’ main task is that of information custodian. This includes the receipt, duplication, distribution, filing and storing of information, as well as the auditing and validating of information. LESA Records also updates and maintains retention and destruction schedules. There may be fees for some Records services, as directed by LESA Executive Board resolution.
Our public counter provides personal customer service four days a week (Monday and Wednesday thru Friday), excluding holidays. The majority of activity occurring at this counter is for citizens obtaining a concealed pistol license. We also handle public records requests, fingerprinting, criminal history inspections, accident report requests, visa clearance statements, and specialized forest product harvesting permits, among other things.
Records personnel also operate a data radio channel providing law enforcement service 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and the police departments for Tacoma, Lakewood, University Place, Edgewood, Gig Harbor, Steilacoom, DuPont, Fircrest, Ruston and Roy.
Our counter is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are closed Tuesdays, weekends and holidays. Afternoons are often quite busy, so please plan to arrive early enough to ensure we can serve you before we close.
We are located on the second floor of the County-City Building at:
930 Tacoma Avenue South, Room 239
Tacoma, WA 98402
Directions from Interstate 5 (I-5):
- Exit I-5 at the I-705 North exit (#133).
- Take the City Center (WA-509 N)/A Street exit and follow A Street to South 11th Street and turn left.
- Follow S. 11th St. up the hill to past Tacoma Ave S (it will be the first right turn after the Tacoma Public Library).
- Turn right into the Public Parking lot. There is also limited one-hour on-street parking.
- Enter the County-City Building and proceed left toward the elevators. Our counter is to the right of the elevators.
Persons wishing to apply for a Washington State Concealed Pistol License may do so in the City or County in which they live. To apply through LESA you must have your primary residence within Pierce County. The only exception to this rule is for those individuals who live outside of Washington state. Applicants who are not Washington state residents may apply to the municipal or county law enforcement agency most convenient to them.
To be eligible for a Concealed Pistol License, an applicant must meet the following criteria:
- U.S. Citizenship, Permanent Resident Alien or Lawful Visiting Alien. Temporary Resident Aliens may require a Washington Alien Firearms License before applying for a CPL.
- At least 21 years of age at the time you apply.
- No felony convictions from any court, at any time, even as a juvenile.
- Have no convictions for certain domestic violence related misdemeanors committed on or after July 1, 1993. [Note: "Conviction" includes dismissals entered after a period of probation, suspension or deferral of sentence, pursuant to RCW 9.41.040 (3). Sealing, vacating and/or expunging a conviction does not restore your firearms rights.]
- No pending charges for any felony.
- No active warrant, from any court, for any crime and no protection orders restricting firearms.
- No involuntary commitments for mental health treatment.
If you meet these criteria, or have had your firearm rights restored by a court of record, you may apply to our office at 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Room 239 (on the second floor of the County-City Building). You MUST apply in person. A background check is required of all CPL applicants, including renewals and replacements. Due to this requirement, fingerprints will be taken at the time you submit your application and you must show a valid photo I.D. If renewing your CPL, it is helpful -- though not required -- for you to bring your old CPL.
The fees for application are:
| Original License |
$55.25 |
| Late Renewal License |
$42 |
| Renewal License |
$32 |
| Replacement |
$10 |
We offer lamination for your license. There is a separate $3 fee for this service.
Renewing a CPL: You may apply to renew a license up to 90 days prior to its expiration date. If your license is between one and 90 days past expiration, you may submit a Late Renewal Application. Any license which has expired by more than 90 days cannot be renewed; an application for an original license would be required.
Military personnel who were unable to renew on time as a result of out-of-state deployment/assignment may qualify for an exemption to the 90-day renewal time limit. Applicants must apply within 90 days of returning to Washington state and provide proof of deployment/assignment dates.
Receiving your CPL: If your application is approved, we will mail the new license to you. If your application is denied, you will receive a letter informing you of the reasons for the denial and information on how you may appeal the denial or petition for restoration of your firearms rights.
Download the Concealed Pistol License Application.
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Requests for public records are processed at LESA Records. The Public Records Request Form can be completed online.
Your completed form will be reviewed in accordance with Public Disclosure Laws and LESA's Public Records Act policy. Please be aware that this process may take 15 or more business days, depending on the status and complexity of the record. You will be notified by mail when this review is complete.
There will be a $.15 per page fee on all copies. Sorry, no personal checks, debit or credit cards can be accepted.
Defendants or their attorneys wishing to obtain a copy of a report for an active case should contact the Tacoma, Lakewood or Pierce County Prosecutor, depending in which court the case is filed. Requests may be denied based upon applicable law, including but not limited to Criminal Court Rule 4.7(h)(3) and Public Disclosure Laws.
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Fingerprinting services are offered to citizens on a walk-in basis. LESA provides inkless (electronic) printing only. Please contact the agency requesting your fingerprints to obtain their ORI (9-digit Originating Agency Identifier).
The fee is $5 for the first card and $3 for each additional card, per visit – cash only.
Be aware that afternoons are often very busy so please plan on arriving early enough to ensure we can serve you before we close at 4 p.m.
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Employers or individuals wishing to obtain criminal conviction records for Washington state should contact the Washington State Patrol or visit their WATCH (Washington Access to Criminal History) website. Their records include statewide convictions and pending charges less than one year old.
Individuals wishing to review their Pierce County criminal history may submit a Request for Inspection of Records form at our office. Review of your local record requires that we verify your identity. To do this, you will be required to be fingerprinted by LESA. Once we have determined you are the person listed in the record, we will send you a postcard with a name and number to call to set up an appointment to review your record. Please call to make an appointment as the person you will need to speak to may not be available on a walk-in basis.
There is a $30 fee for all criminal history requests for inspection. Sorry, no personal checks, debit or credit cards can be accepted.
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Accident Investigation Reports may be released without review to any person named in the report, legal and registered owners of the vehicles involved, owners of property damaged in the accident or their representatives.
Proof of representation includes insurance claim forms, client agreements or signed statements from involved parties authorizing you to pick up their report. Persons without proof of representation may be required to complete and return a Public Records Request Form to obtain the report.
Please be aware that it could take 2 days or more for our office to receive the officer’s report from the field.
To protect your privacy, we will mail statements to your address as shown on the report only.
There will be a $.15 per page fee on all copies. Sorry, no personal checks, debit or credit cards can be accepted.
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Citizens traveling to, or adopting a child from, a foreign country may be asked to provide a Visa Clearance Statement from police agencies where they have lived. Complete this form and return it to our office on the second floor of the County-City Building; 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Room 239; Tacoma, WA 98402. There is a $20 fee for the background checks.
If you are not able to come into our office personally, complete the form and mail it to us with:
- a self-addressed, stamped envelope,
- a readable photocopy of a valid ID card (state ID, driver’s license, passport, etc.), and
- a cashier’s check or money order made out to LESA for $20 (no personal checks, please).
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Specialized Forest Product Harvesting Permits may be filed with our office at no cost to you. Our office maintains a supply of blank permits for your use.
These permits are good for harvesting and transporting within Pierce County only. If you wish to harvest or transport within another county, contact that county’s law enforcement agency.
Permits are valid until the expiration date on the permit or the end of the current calendar year, whichever comes first.
The person listed on the permit as “Buyer” must present a valid photo ID with their permit. If you wish to mail your permit to our office, please include a legible photocopy of a valid ID (state ID, driver’s license, passport, etc.).
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