County Department Service Status during COVID-19 Crisis

Auditor Licensing Services 

The office is open only for essential vehicle or vessel title transactions. Please renew car tabs through the mail or online (WA Department of Licensing). Marriage license applications are available at Online Marriage Application System. We recommend that you complete the online portion and mail the notarized application at least two weeks prior to the intended date. Dog licenses can be purchased or renewed by phone. For questions about licensing, call (360) 378-2161 or email the County Auditor. NOTE: Driver’s license services in the county are temporarily suspended. Most driver’s licenses can be renewed online.

Auditor Recording Services 

Please use e-recording or postal service to submit documents for recording. Documents submitted on paper will be recorded on weekends.

Auditor Financial Services 

The Auditor’s Office remains committed to the timely processing of financial reporting, accounts receivable, and payroll for the County and other districts within the county. Some financial staff is working remotely. Please submit documents and requests by email to the extent possible.

Community Development

Services, including review and issuance of permits and inspections, are available via telephone/skype, US mail, the online permit center, or email. Permit issuance is by mail or appointment only. We strongly encourage all customers to submit their construction plans electronically and have staff available to assist with this process. The link to more info and our services is here: San Juan County Community Development

County Clerk and Clerk of the Superior Court 

Limited staff is available from 8 am to 5 pm – closed for lunch from Noon to 1 pm. Access to services are available by mail, phone, email, and fax. A drop box is available to leave documents if you do not wish to use the US Post Office. If you have an essential need for in-person assistance, please be mindful of safe social distancing. Stay Healthy!

Other important changes to the County Clerk’s Office and Courts may be found here:

County Clerk’s Office: County Clerk
Superior Court: San Juan County Superior Court

County Council 

The Clerk is available via phone at 360-370-7472 or email Ingrid Gabriel to answer questions, direct inquiries or public comments to Council members, and assist in meeting agenda scheduling.

Staff Assistant Sue Kollet is out of the office at this time, and the office is closed to visitors other than County personnel without an appointment.

In order to maintain distancing, non-essential advisory committee meetings are currently either canceled or meeting via Teams. Council Members are meeting via  Teams as well (you can find call-in information on the San Juan County Council website, and the meetings are live-streaming from the County’s website at San Juan County Media. The Council Legislative Hearing Room is closed to public attendance at this time for Council meetings.

District Court 

The Court has postponed all jury trials and most in-person hearings. For the emergency hearings that can’t be postponed, such as no-contact order hearings and some criminal hearings, the Court is holding hearings by telephone unless it is impossible. The front desk will be operating on shortened hours, 10 am to 2 pm, but court documents can be filed by email or fax, and payments can be left in the deposit box. If you have any questions please call our office at 360-378-4017 or email District Court. The link to more info and our services is here: San Juan County District Court

Elections 

The Elections Office is open to the public.  Many election services, including change of address, replacement ballots, and the Online Voters’ Guide, can be obtained at VoteWa.gov. For other questions, please call the office at 360-378-3357, email the Elections staff, or review information available online at San Juan County Elections.

Health & Community Services

Nearly all services, including WIC, information and assistance, review and issuance of permits and inspections, are available via telephone, US mail, or email. New WIC applications and appointments will be done by phone. Community lunches at the senior centers have been temporarily suspended but Meals on Wheels are available to seniors who need them. Permit issuance is by mail or appointment only. The link to more info and our services is here: San Juan County Health and Community Services

Land Bank 

Offices are closed, but Land Bank staff is continuing operations remotely. Public Preserves remain open for safe outdoor recreating. To contact us, you can call the office at 360-378-4402 and leave a message, or if you know who you’d like to contact, you can find our individual email addresses on our staff page. For more information, visit San Juan County Land Bank.

Parks, Recreation and Fair

County Parks are closed to overnight camping but remain open for safe outdoor recreating. Fairgrounds events & activities are canceled and facilities are closed, except for casual outside day use, adhering to social distancing guidelines. Offices are closed with staff continuing operations remotely. For more information, visit Parks, Recreation and Fair

Prosecuting Attorney

The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is closed to walk-in visitors from the public and other county workers. To the maximum extent possible, all employees are encouraged to work remotely. County employees and the public who wish to contact the Prosecutor’s Office should use email or telephone and should expect a prompt response. Some essential work, especially on criminal cases, can only be accomplished at the office, so some will continue to work at the courthouse. Deputy Prosecutor Amy Vira has been appointed as the COVID Safety Officer for the office and employees with signs of illness must remain home. We are short-staffed as some employees are in self-quarantine, others have taken extended leave, and others have diverted ordinary work to the expanding needs of the coroner and advise to the Emergency Operations Center and others as they respond to this emergency. Contact: Email Randall Gaylord

Prosecuting Attorney – Ex Officio Coroner

We ask that if anyone calls Sheriff Dispatch or our office to report a death where COVID-19 is a possibility – please alert the person you are calling right away so that the message can be passed along to the first responder. As County Coroner, we are handling everyday cases and at the same time planning for a possible surge incident to the spread of COVID-19 in the community. We are setting out new procedures to protect against the additional spread of the virus by those who will with grace and dignity transport those who may die during this emergency. Our thanks go to our partners with the San Juan County Sheriff, EMS, Fire Departments, Evans Funeral Chapel, and the Snohomish County Medical Examiner. Contact: Email Randall Gaylord

Public Works

While closed to walk-ins at this time, is operating as usual. You may reach us during normal business hours by telephone or email. Feel free to visit our website at San Juan County Public Works

Superior Court 

Superior Court has postponed all jury trials until after June 19, 2020. Most hearings, including Drug Court, continue to occur by telephone. Limited hearings may occur in person, with strict compliance with posted rules. The court remains open, but the public is encouraged to observe by calling the conference call or clicking on the live stream audio link on the Superior Court website. Please file any documents by email or fax, if possible. For questions, contact Superior Court Administration at 360-370-7480 or email Jane Severin. Go to the Superior Court website for emergency orders and telephonic hearing information: San Juan County Superior Court.

Treasurer’s Office 

Is processing tax payments, real estate excise tax affidavits, boundary line modifications, and revenue transmittals received online, via email, or through the USPS. We are available by phone to answer questions at 360-378-2171, or you can visit our website for more information at San Juan County Treasurer.

Washington State University Extension 

WSU made a state-wide policy decision to close Extension offices to the public as part of the response to COVID 19. As a result, WSU San Juan County Extension Office, in Friday Harbor, is closed to the public. However, we are NOT closed for business. Staff are facilitating remote programming for 4-H members, Master Gardeners, the agricultural community, as well as continuing essential field-based activities.

We remain dedicated to our Land Grant mission and we are here to provide information and services to our community. Please contact us by one of the methods below if you have any questions.

Our website: WSU Extension San Juan County

For program-specific questions contact our team below:

Dr. Brook Brouwer, Director: Email Brook Brouwer; Cell: (360) 525-5954
Julie Holley, Admin Office Manager: Email Julie Holley
Wendy Waxman Kern, 4-H Program Coordinator: Email Wendy Waxman
Caitlin Blethen, Master Gardener Program Coordinator: Email Caitlin Blethen
Kate Mikulak, Ag Program Coordinator: Email Kate Mikulak
Jason Ontjes, Noxious Weeds Program Coordinator: Email Jason Ontjes

Leave a message at our office and we will get back to you: (360) 378-4414

Facebook: WSU San Juan County Extension Office
Instagram: wsuextension_sjc