LJuCR 3.2. Who May File Petition - Venue

    (c) Location for Court Proceedings, Filing of Documents and Pleadings, and Designation of Case Assignment Area.
        (1) Where Proceedings Held. Except as otherwise determined by the court and communicated to the parties, all proceedings shall be conducted at the court facility in the case assignment area designated for the case.
        (2) Standards for Case Assignment Area Designation, and Revisions Thereof.
            (A) Initial Case Assignment Area. The initial case assignment area designation shall be made upon the filing of the petition. These case assignment area boundaries may be changed as necessary for the just and efficient handling of cases. Any changes will be listed in the Court’s Dependency and Title 13 RCW Guardianship Manual (see LJuCR 1.1)
                (i) Seattle Case Assignment Area. All petitions: (a) regarding children known at the time of filing to be protected by the Indian Child Welfare Act; (b) from the King East, King West, Martin Luther King, and the White Center DCYF offices; (c) from the Office of Indian Child Welfare; and (d) filed by a petitioner other than DCYF for children residing in King County north of Interstate 90, in the cities Seattle., Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah, or North Bend, on Vashon Island, or on Maury Islands.
                (ii) Kent Case Assignment Area. All petitions: (a) from the King South West and King South East DCYF offices; and (b) filed by a petitioner other than DCYF for children residing in King County south of Interstate 90 except those areas included in the Seattle Case Assignment Area.
            (B) Motion to Change Case Assignment Area Designation. A motion for change of case assignment area designation may be made pursuant to JLuCR 1.8. Prior to entry of a disposition order, the court will not grant a motion to change a case assignment area designation except as necessary to correct a mistaken designation or to prevent undue hardship to a party. After entry of a disposition order, the court may grant such a motion for those reasons or for one of the following reasons: hardship to one of parties; transfer of the case within the supervising agency or to a new agency; a need for judicial continuity of control over the case; transfer is in the best interest of the child; correction of a mistaken designation; a reason deemed just and proper by the court; or when required for the just and efficient administration of justice. Ordinarily, the court will not grant a motion to change a case assignment area for the convenience of an attorney.
            (C) Improper Designation/Lack of Designation. The designation of the improper case assignment area will not be a basis for dismissal of any action. The lack of designation of case assignment area at initial case filing will result in assignment to a case assignment area at the court's discretion.
            (D) Assignment or Transfer on Court's Motion. The court on its own motion may assign or transfer cases to another case assignment area whenever required for the just and efficient administration of justice.
            (E) Venue Not Affected. This rule shall not affect whether venue is proper in any Superior Court facility in King County.
        (3) Where Pleadings and Documents Filed. Documents identified as exceptions to mandatory e-filing (see LGR 30) must be filed in paper form at the court facility in the case assignment area of the case.
        (4) Inclusion of Case Assignment Area Code.  All pleadings and documents shall contain after the cause number the code for the case assignment area designated for that case (SEA or KNT). The clerk may reject pleadings or documents that do not contain that code.

[Adopted effective January 2, 1994; amended effective October 1, 1996; September 1, 2004; September 1, 2005; June 1, 2009; April 1, 2011; September 2, 2013; September 1, 2016; September 1, 2021; September 1, 2022; September 1, 2023.]