Chelan County enters third week of disruptions with no recovery timeline

WENATCHEE — Chelan County entered its third week of system-wide disruptions Monday following a malware incident discovered over Memorial Day weekend, with officials saying they still do not have a timeline for restoring affected systems.

According to a June 8 update, county officials became aware of malware affecting the county network on May 24 and immediately shut down systems while an investigation began. The county continues to work with third-party specialists to determine the nature and scope of the incident and to safely restore operations.

The incident has been reported to federal law enforcement, and county officials said the investigation remains ongoing.

Email, phone and computer systems remain unavailable across county departments, and county-operated websites continue to be offline, including the county's main website as well as sites for Ohme Gardens, the Chelan County Fair, the Chelan County Expo Center and Wenatchee River County Park.

County offices remain open at the Wenatchee campus, as do Ohme Gardens, the Expo Center, Wenatchee River County Park, the Dryden Transfer Station and the Moderate Risk Waste Facility. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office public counter remains closed.

Residents who need assistance are encouraged to visit county offices in person during normal business hours. Officials said staff currently cannot look up permits, applications or other records through county systems. Payments must be made by exact cash or check.

"The restoration of our systems is going to feel like a slow process, but we must bring our systems back online safely and methodically," Chelan County Commissioner Shon Smith, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, said in the update. "Unfortunately, communication tools such as email and our telephone system may be one of the last things we can bring back online."

Last week, county commissioners declared a state of emergency in response to the disruption. The declaration allows the county to enter into emergency service contracts without a formal bidding process while recovery efforts continue.

The outage continues to affect numerous county services.

Jurors scheduled to call for service during the week of June 8-12 have been excused and are finished with their term of service.

Chelan County Superior Court remains open but is operating with limitations. Court officials said hearings should be assumed to proceed as scheduled unless participants are notified otherwise. Because normal phone and email systems remain unavailable, the court has established a temporary email address at chelancountysuperiorcourt@gmail.com.

Chelan County District Court announced an emergency court closure under General Rule 21. All out-of-custody hearings and trials scheduled for June 8 through June 10 are being rescheduled because of technology failures. New hearing dates will be provided later. The order includes out-of-custody trial status hearings. In-custody criminal appearances at the jail continue.

Community Development has established temporary procedures for building inspections. Inspection requests must be made in person or by calling 509-679-7402 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Requests must include the permit number, site address, inspection requested, contact information and preferred inspection time. Officials said inspection requests should not be made directly to individual inspectors.

Urgent Community Development inquiries can be directed to chelancountyplanning@gmail.com. Building permit applications may still be submitted through the county's cloud-based SmartGov portal. Applicants who submitted permits during the past week and have not received a response are encouraged to call the temporary inspection line to confirm receipt.

The Assessor's Office said applications for the senior exemption program are still being accepted. Staff can make copies of income documentation and will hold completed applications until systems are restored. Officials also warned that mailing of 2026 notices of value for 2027 property taxes, originally scheduled for June 19, may be delayed.

The Auditor's Office is currently accepting only checks for recording services. Documents submitted for recording will be processed once county systems return. The office is also advising residents seeking marriage licenses to apply through neighboring counties. Under Washington law, a marriage license may be obtained in any county regardless of where the ceremony will take place.

The Coroner's Office remains available for urgent matters through RiverCom. Residents can call RiverCom's business line at 509-663-9911 and ask that a dispatcher contact the coroner.

Veterans seeking assistance may contact Chelan County Veteran Services at 509-883-8990 or by email at chelancountyvso@gmail.com. Officials said staff remain available to assist with most claims.

The Chelan County Prosecutor's Office has established temporary contact methods for case-related and general inquiries. Residents may email chelancountyprosecutor@gmail.com or call 509-881-5724.

The Chelan County Fire Marshal's Office is accepting requests for fire and life-safety inspections and general inquiries through chelanfmo@gmail.com.

County officials said department-specific updates, including information about recording services, inspections, jury duty and other public services, continue to be posted on Chelan County's Facebook and Instagram pages while county websites remain unavailable.

Officials said additional updates will be released as information becomes available.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media