The Thurston County District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction which hears civil, small claims, criminal, and traffic cases.

The civil jurisdiction of district courts, with certain exceptions, is concurrent with superior courts’ up to a maximum claim allowed of $50,000. The maximum small claim allowed is $4,000. The maximum criminal penalty that may be imposed is a fine not greater than $5,000 and imprisonment not greater than one year in the county jail, or both.

The court hears traffic and criminal citations issued by officers of the Washington State Patrol and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. The court also conducts all court proceedings for the city of Lacey, and hears jury trials for other municipal courts within Thurston County.