Kitsap County

The Washington Territorial Legislature created Kitsap County January 16, 1857. (Washington became the 42nd state on November 11, 1889.) The county is named for Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe and means “brave”. Kitsap County encompasses most of the Kitsap Peninsula, as well as Bainbridge and Blake Islands. It includes 395 miles of land and 171 miles of water which makes up nearly 30% of the total 566 square miles of area. There are 250 miles of saltwater shoreline.

As of 2019, Kitsap County has a population of 273, 670. The largest city is Bremerton with a population of 40,631. Our courthouse, jail, and offices of our elected officials are located in Port Orchard, the County Seat. 

The largest employer in Kitsap County is the US Navy with bases including Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Underwater Warfare Station at Keyport and Bangor Trident Submarine Installation on Hood Canal.

As an integral part of the Washington State Highway System, Kitsap County supports four terminals for the Washington State Department of Transportation ferry fleet including Bremerton, Winslow, Kingston, Southworth. These docks comprise one-third of the ports used by the second largest ferry system in the world; more than any other county in the state.

As decreed by the Washington State Constitution (Article 11, Section 5) Kitsap County is governed by a Commission. The commission consists of a three-member board of commissioners, elected on a partisan basis, who serve as the county’s legislative body as well as perform executive functions. They serve full-time, four-year overlapping terms. Counties with populations greater than 300,000 can increase the size of their commission from three to five members. (The current populations of Kitsap County is approximately 275,867). The state constitution dictates the commissioners establish the budget and are responsible for both legislative and executive functions. Administrative functions are shared with other independently-elected county officials including a clerk, treasurer, sheriff, assessor, coroner, and auditor. The county prosecuting attorney and judges of the superior court are also independently elected. Kitsap County delegates executive authority to several separately elected administrators including Water Commissioners, Port Commissioners, School board representatives, fire district commissioners, and parks commissioners. 

The officials you vote for are determined by the physical location of the property at which you reside. To find your elected officials: