<PAGE>   1
    AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON January 2, 1998
                                            REGISTRATION NO. 333-__________

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                            -------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            -------------------------

                              DATA DIMENSIONS, INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

               Delaware                            06-085248
      (State of Incorporation)       (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                            -------------------------

                              DATA DIMENSIONS, INC.
                             1997 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                           Larry W. Martin, President
                              Data Dimensions, Inc.
                               411 108th Avenue NE
                                   Suite 2100
                           Bellevue, Washington 98004
                                 (425) 688-1000
            (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)

                            -------------------------

                                    COPY TO:

                               Bruce A. Robertson
                            GARVEY, SCHUBERT & BARER
                               1191 Second Avenue
                         Seattle, Washington 98101-2939

                            -------------------------

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                       CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

=============================================================================================================
                                              Proposed Maximum       Proposed Maximum
 Title of Securities       Number to Be      Offering Price Per     Aggregate Offering
  to be Registered         Registered(1)          Share(2)                Price(2)           Amount of Fee
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                          <C>             <C>                     <C>                    <C>            
Common Stock, $.01           1,000,000       $16.375                 $16,375,000            $4830.63
par value per share
=============================================================================================================
</TABLE>

(1)  Together with an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be
     necessary to adjust the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant to
     the 1997 Stock Option Plan as the result of any future stock split, stock
     dividend or similar adjustment of the outstanding Common Stock of the
     Registrant.

(2)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee
     pursuant to Rule 457. The price per share is estimated to be $16.375
     based on the average of the high ($16.75) and low ($16.00) sales prices
     for the Common Stock in the over-the-counter market on December 30,
     1997 as reported on the Nasdaq National Market.


<PAGE>   2

                                     PART II

                 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

               The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") are hereby incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement:

                      (a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the
year ended December 31, 1996, as amended;

                      (b) All other Reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, since December 31,
1996.

                      (c) The description of the Registrant's Common Stock
contained in the Registration Statement on Form SB-2 filed on February 9, 1996
(Registration No. 333-841), including all amendments and reports filed for the
purpose of updating such description.

               All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof and prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment, which indicate that the securities offered
hereby have been sold or which deregister the securities covered hereby then
remaining unsold, shall also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this
Registration Statement and to be a part hereof commencing on the respective
dates on which such documents are filed.

ITEM 6.        INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

                    Under the Delaware General Corporation Law ("DGCL") a
               corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is
               threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or
               completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
               administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in
               the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that such
               person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the
               corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the
               corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
               corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust of other
               enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys' fees),
               judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
               reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such
               action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and
               in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not
               opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and with
               respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable
               cause to believe such person's conduct was unlawful.

                    The DGCL permits similar indemnification in the case of
               derivative actions, except that no indemnification may be made in
               respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person
               shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless
               and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in
               which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon
               application that, despite the adjudication of liability and in
               view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly
               and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the
               Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
               Indemnification for settlement of a suit by or in the right of
               the corporation is not permitted under the DGCL. A director,
               officer, employee or agent who is successful, on the merits or
               otherwise, in defense of any proceeding subject to the DGCL's
               indemnification provisions must be indemnified by the corporation
               for reasonable expenses incurred in connection therewith,
               including attorneys' fees.




                                      -1-
<PAGE>   3

                    The Company's By-Laws provide, in substance, that each
               person made a party or threatened to be made a party to any type
               of proceeding, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a
               director or officer of the Company or that, being or having been
               such a director or officer or an employee of the Company, he or
               she is or was serving at the request of an executive officer of
               the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
               corporation, will be indemnified and held harmless by the Company
               to the full extent permitted by the DGCL, against all expense,
               liability and loss actually and reasonably incurred by such
               person in connection therewith. In certain cases, the indemnified
               party will be entitled to the advancement of certain expenses
               relating to indemnification.

ITEM 8.        EXHIBITS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
               Exhibit
               Number        Description
               -------       -----------
               <S>           <C>
               4.1           1997 Stock Option Plan

               5.1           Opinion of Garvey, Schubert & Barer regarding
                             legality of the Common Stock being registered

               23.1          Consent of Independent Certified Public Accountants

               23.2          Consent of Garvey, Schubert & Barer (included in 
                             opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

               24.1          Power of Attorney of Thomas W. Fife

               24.2          Power of Attorney of Robert T. Knight

               24.3          Power of Attorney of Lucie Fjeldstad
</TABLE>


ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS

A.             The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

               (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                   (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
        the Securities Act;

                   (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
        after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most
        recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
        aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
        in this Registration Statement; and

                   (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
        plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration
        Statement or any material change to such information in this
        Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) above do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant




                                      -2-
<PAGE>   4

to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement.

               (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

               (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

B. The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefits plan's annual
report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.










                                      -3-
<PAGE>   5

                                   SIGNATURES


        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Bellevue, State of Washington, on the 2nd day of
January, 1998.

                                    DATA DIMENSIONS, INC.



                                    By:  /s/ Larry W. Martin
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                             Larry W. Martin
                                    Its:     Chief Executive Officer, President,
                                             and Chairman of the Board of
                                             Directors


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SIGNATURE                                     TITLE
---------                                     -----
<S>                                           <C>

/s/ Larry W. Martin                           Chief Executive Officer, President,
-------------------------------------         Director
Larry W. Martin


/s/ Gordon A. Gardiner                        Chief Financial Officer
-------------------------------------
Gordon A. Gardiner


Thomas W. Fife (POA)                          Director
-------------------------------------
Thomas W. Fife


Robert T. Knight (POA)                        Director
-------------------------------------
Robert T. Knight


Lucie Fjeldstad (POA)                         Director
-------------------------------------
Lucie Fjeldstad


By   /s/ Larry W. Martin
   ----------------------------------
   Larry W. Martin, Attorney in Fact
</TABLE>








                                      -4-
<PAGE>   6

                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exhibit
Number        Description
-------       -----------
<S>           <C>
4.1           Data Dimensions, Inc. 1997 Stock Option Plan

5.1           Opinion of Garvey, Schubert & Barer regarding legality of the
              Common Stock being registered

23.1          Consent of Independent Certified Public Accountants

23.2          Consent of Garvey, Schubert & Barer (included in opinion filed
              as Exhibit 5.1)

24.1          Power of Attorney of Thomas W. Fife

24.2          Power of Attorney of Robert T. Knight

24.3          Power of Attorney of Lucie J. Fjeldstad
</TABLE>
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 15647}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "DATA DIMENSIONS INC", "cik": "0000026990", "assigned-sic": "7371", "irs-number": "060852458", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-43685", "film-number": "98500360"}, "business-address": {"street1": "777 108TH AVENUE NE", "street2": "SUITE 2070", "city": "BELLEVUE", "state": "WA", "zip": "98004", "phone": "2066881000"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "777 108TH AVENUE NE SUITE 2070", "city": "BELLEVUE", "state": "WA", "zip": "98004"}}
1
    AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON January 2, 1998
                                            REGISTRATION NO. 333-__________

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                            -------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            -------------------------

                              DATA DIMENSIONS, INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

               Delaware                            06-085248
      (State of Incorporation)       (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                            -------------------------

                              DATA DIMENSIONS, INC.
                             1997 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                           Larry W. Martin, President
                              Data Dimensions, Inc.
                               411 108th Avenue NE
                                   Suite 2100
                           Bellevue, Washington 98004
                                 (425) 688-1000
            (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)

                            -------------------------

                                    COPY TO:

                               Bruce A. Robertson
                            GARVEY, SCHUBERT & BARER
                               1191 Second Avenue
                         Seattle, Washington 98101-2939

                            -------------------------
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

=============================================================================================================
                                              Proposed Maximum       Proposed Maximum
 Title of Securities       Number to Be      Offering Price Per     Aggregate Offering
  to be Registered         Registered(1)          Share(2)                Price(2)           Amount of Fee
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, $.01           1,000,000       $16.375                 $16,375,000            $4830.63
par value per share
=============================================================================================================
(1)  Together with an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be
     necessary to adjust the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant to
     the 1997 Stock Option Plan as the result of any future stock split, stock
     dividend or similar adjustment of the outstanding Common Stock of the
     Registrant.

(2)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee
     pursuant to Rule 457. The price per share is estimated to be $16.375
     based on the average of the high ($16.75) and low ($16.00) sales prices
     for the Common Stock in the over-the-counter market on December 30,
     1997 as reported on the Nasdaq National Market.
2

                                     PART II

                 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

               The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") are hereby incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement:

                      (a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the
year ended December 31, 1996, as amended;

                      (b) All other Reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, since December 31,
1996.

                      (c) The description of the Registrant's Common Stock
contained in the Registration Statement on Form SB-2 filed on February 9, 1996
(Registration No. 333-841), including all amendments and reports filed for the
purpose of updating such description.

               All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof and prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment, which indicate that the securities offered
hereby have been sold or which deregister the securities covered hereby then
remaining unsold, shall also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this
Registration Statement and to be a part hereof commencing on the respective
dates on which such documents are filed.

ITEM 6.        INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

                    Under the Delaware General Corporation Law ("DGCL") a
               corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is
               threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or
               completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
               administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in
               the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that such
               person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the
               corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the
               corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
               corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust of other
               enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys' fees),
               judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
               reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such
               action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and
               in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not
               opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and with
               respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable
               cause to believe such person's conduct was unlawful.

                    The DGCL permits similar indemnification in the case of
               derivative actions, except that no indemnification may be made in
               respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person
               shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless
               and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in
               which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon
               application that, despite the adjudication of liability and in
               view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly
               and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the
               Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
               Indemnification for settlement of a suit by or in the right of
               the corporation is not permitted under the DGCL. A director,
               officer, employee or agent who is successful, on the merits or
               otherwise, in defense of any proceeding subject to the DGCL's
               indemnification provisions must be indemnified by the corporation
               for reasonable expenses incurred in connection therewith,
               including attorneys' fees.

                                      -1-
3

                    The Company's By-Laws provide, in substance, that each
               person made a party or threatened to be made a party to any type
               of proceeding, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a
               director or officer of the Company or that, being or having been
               such a director or officer or an employee of the Company, he or
               she is or was serving at the request of an executive officer of
               the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
               corporation, will be indemnified and held harmless by the Company
               to the full extent permitted by the DGCL, against all expense,
               liability and loss actually and reasonably incurred by such
               person in connection therewith. In certain cases, the indemnified
               party will be entitled to the advancement of certain expenses
               relating to indemnification.

ITEM 8.        EXHIBITS
Exhibit
               Number        Description
               -------       -----------
4.1           1997 Stock Option Plan

               5.1           Opinion of Garvey, Schubert & Barer regarding
                             legality of the Common Stock being registered

               23.1          Consent of Independent Certified Public Accountants

               23.2          Consent of Garvey, Schubert & Barer (included in 
                             opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

               24.1          Power of Attorney of Thomas W. Fife

               24.2          Power of Attorney of Robert T. Knight

               24.3          Power of Attorney of Lucie Fjeldstad
ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS

A.             The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

               (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                   (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
        the Securities Act;

                   (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
        after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most
        recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
        aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
        in this Registration Statement; and

                   (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
        plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration
        Statement or any material change to such information in this
        Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) above do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant

                                      -2-
4

to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement.

               (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

               (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

B. The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefits plan's annual
report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.

                                      -3-
5

                                   SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Bellevue, State of Washington, on the 2nd day of
January, 1998.

                                    DATA DIMENSIONS, INC.

                                    By:  /s/ Larry W. Martin
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                             Larry W. Martin
                                    Its:     Chief Executive Officer, President,
                                             and Chairman of the Board of
                                             Directors
SIGNATURE                                     TITLE
---------                                     -----
/s/ Larry W. Martin                           Chief Executive Officer, President,
-------------------------------------         Director
Larry W. Martin

/s/ Gordon A. Gardiner                        Chief Financial Officer
-------------------------------------
Gordon A. Gardiner

Thomas W. Fife (POA)                          Director
-------------------------------------
Thomas W. Fife

Robert T. Knight (POA)                        Director
-------------------------------------
Robert T. Knight

Lucie Fjeldstad (POA)                         Director
-------------------------------------
Lucie Fjeldstad

By   /s/ Larry W. Martin
   ----------------------------------
   Larry W. Martin, Attorney in Fact
-4-
6

                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Number        Description
-------       -----------
4.1           Data Dimensions, Inc. 1997 Stock Option Plan

5.1           Opinion of Garvey, Schubert & Barer regarding legality of the
              Common Stock being registered

23.1          Consent of Independent Certified Public Accountants

23.2          Consent of Garvey, Schubert & Barer (included in opinion filed
              as Exhibit 5.1)

24.1          Power of Attorney of Thomas W. Fife

24.2          Power of Attorney of Robert T. Knight

24.3          Power of Attorney of Lucie J. Fjeldstad