About Us
Our History
Washington's Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) is a records protection and mail forwarding service. Passed by legislature in 1991, ACP is used as part of an overall safety plan to prevent perpetrators from locating participants through public records such as driver licenses, voter registries and marriage records..
Washington's Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) has helped protect survivors of crime for more than 25 years. The program is available to Washington residents who are targets of stalking, domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. In 2011, the ACP expanded to include criminal justice employees who have been threatened or harassed because of their work. Currently, the ACP serves more than 4,500 Washingtonians.
Washington's ACP was the first program of its kind in the nation. Today some 35 other states have established similar programs.
What We Do
ACP assigns a PO Box address to participants enrolled in the program. This substitute address is used instead of a person’s home, work or school address. Government agencies with city, county and state are legally required to accept the substitute address.
ACP participants:
- Relocate to a residence unknown to the perpetrator and not documented in public records;
- Enter the program with the help of community advocates who develops a safety plan with the participant to determine whether the ACP could help keep them safer;
- Receive a P.O. Box address in Olympia for use on public records; and
- Can depend on the ACP to act as their legal agent to receive mail and service of process.
The ACP accepts all First Class, registered, certified and election mail on behalf of participants and forwards their mail to their residential address at no cost to the participant.
The second part of the program is confidentiality for two normally public records: voter registration and marriage records. ACP participants may register to vote as Protected Records Voters (PRV) and apply for Protected Records Marriage (PRM) licensing, which means no record is made available to the public. If the participant uses the program correctly, the participants’ actual physical addresses can remain out of public records and unavailable to perpetrators.
Rules and Statutes
Chapter 40.24 RCW
Chapter 434-840 WAC
Chapter 9A.46.110
Exemption Determination 92-1
Thurston County Exemption Determination