About the Office of the Ombuds

What we do

We investigate complaints from the public and King County employees about county departments. We're an independent office within the legislative branch of county government. Voters created the office with the County Home Rule Charter of 1968. Our authorization comes from King County Code 2.52 (96KB).

We resolve most complaints without an investigation.

What we investigate 

• Complaints of administrative misconduct Office of Ombuds Complaint Form
• Alleged violations of the Employee Code of Ethics (46KB)
• Reports of governmental action and retaliation under the Whistleblower Protection Code (117KB)
• Possible violations of the Lobbyist Disclosure Code (116KB)

The purpose of an investigation

• Determine if a complaint is valid or unsubstantiated 
• Recommend improvements to department practices or changes to its policies
• Resolve the problem

Investigations conclude with a summary of our findings. We send the summary to the department for review and response.