Not a government site. We do not sell records or host personal data. About us

County Records Guide
Menu

Kansas public records: who holds what

In Kansas, deeds are recorded by the Register of Deeds, birth and death certificates come from the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics and requests for other government records fall under the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) — cited in statute as 'the open records act'. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Kansas
  2. Public records law in Kansas
  3. Divorce records in Kansas
  4. Probate records and wills in Kansas
  5. How Kansas organizes its records
  6. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  7. Counties in Kansas
  8. Warnings from official sources
  9. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  10. Official directories
  11. Sources

Who holds what in Kansas

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsRegister of Deeds in each county (elected county office); custodian of all recorded deeds, mortgages, maps and instruments1Not set by statute — each Register of Deeds sets copy charges under KORA (actual cost). Examples: Johnson County $0.25 per document page; Sedgwick County Tapestry EON printed copies $1.00 per page2
Property recordsCounty Appraiser values property and sends the Notice of Value; informal appeal to the county appraiser within 30 days of the mailing of the valuation notice (real property) or by May 15 (personal property)3—
Court recordsA district court in each county with general original jurisdiction of civil and criminal matters (K.S.A. 20-301); the Judicial Branch lists 31 judicial districts; all district courts are on the centralized Kansas eCourt case management system (Johnson County last, Nov. 5, 2024)4Civil docket fee $173 (K.S.A. 60-2001) plus a Supreme Court additional charge of up to $22 per docket fee to fund non-judicial personnel, authorized from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 by 2026 Session Laws ch. 35 (HB 2393). Copy/certification fees for court records are set by each district court (K.S.A. 28-170(a)(3)); KORA requests to courts must be in writing.5
Marriage recordsClerk (or judge) of the district court in the county that issued the license holds the license/marriage record (public at the district court); KDHE Office of Vital Statistics holds marriage certificates filed since May 1, 1913 (not public — restricted)6—
Divorce recordsClerk of the District Court in the county where the divorce was filed (decrees; public at the court level). KDHE holds only 'divorce certificates' (basic facts) from July 1, 1951 (restricted).7KDHE divorce certificate $20 per certified copy (eligible requesters; +$15 VitalChek or +$5 IKAN); district court decree copy/certification fees are set by each district court7
Birth certificatesKDHE Office of Vital Statistics, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-2221 (statewide, births from July 1, 1911; some delayed certificates back to the 1860s). Pre-1911 county registers: Kansas Historical Society.8$20 per certified copy (each additional copy of same record also $20); the first $20 is a five-year search fee retained if no record is found8
Death certificatesKDHE Office of Vital Statistics (deaths from July 1, 1911); earlier: Kansas Historical Society / county registers9$20 per certified copy (five-year search fee; retained if no record found); +$15 VitalChek or +$5 IKAN9
Probate and willsDistrict court of the county (probate is handled by the district court; wills may be filed for safekeeping with an affidavit in the district court of the decedent's last residence)10—

Public records law in Kansas

Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) — cited in statute as 'the open records act' (K.S.A. 45-215 et seq. (core sections 45-215 through 45-223; supplemental sections incl. 45-228, 45-230, 45-240, 45-251)) Read the law11

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person; agency may require a written request, the requester's name and address and proof of identity, but no particular form. If names/addresses will be obtained, the agency may require written certification that lists will not be used for commercial solicitation (K.S.A. 45-220(c), 45-230).12
Response time
Act 'as soon as possible' but no later than the end of the 3rd business day after receipt; if not granted immediately, custodian must give a detailed explanation and the earliest date/time the record will be available; written statement of grounds for denial on request (also within 3 business days)12
Copy fees
Agencies may charge and require advance payment; copy fees may not exceed actual cost (may include staff time, and since 2025 review/redaction time, at the lowest-cost staff category, no benefits); itemized statement on request; must contact requester to discuss mitigating costs when staff time exceeds 5 hours or $200. Statutory fees (e.g., register of deeds) override. Executive-branch state agency fee disputes may be appealed to the Secretary of Administration; the AG says $0.25/page or less is deemed reasonable for state agencies.13
If a request is refused
Options: (1) complaint to the Attorney General or county/district attorney, who may investigate with subpoena power (45-228); the AG may enter consent orders or findings of violation with civil penalties up to $250 (consent order) / $500 (finding) per violation (45-251); (2) civil action by any person in the district court of the county where the records are located (45-222): de novo review, burden on the agency, and costs plus attorney fees to the plaintiff if the court finds the denial was not in good faith and without a reasonable basis in fact or law (a prevailing agency gets fees if the suit was brought not in good faith and without a reasonable basis). Executive-branch fee reasonableness: appeal to the Secretary of Administration, whose decision is final (45-219(d)).14
What is exempt
K.S.A. 45-221(a) lists 50+ discretionary exemptions (agency 'shall not be required to disclose'), incl. records closed by federal/state law or Supreme Court rule, privileged records, medical/psychiatric records, personnel records (but names, positions, salaries, contracts and length of service of public employees are open), informant identities, test materials, criminal investigation records (court may order release), and civil investigation records. Non-exempt parts must be separated and released (45-221(d)). Records more than 70 years old are open unless a specific law restricts them (45-221(f)). Commercial use of name/address lists derived from public records is prohibited (45-230).15
Official guide
Kansas Attorney General — 'Frequently Asked Questions about the Kansas Open Records Act' (Open Government section); written complaints may go to the AG or county/district attorney16

How to write a public records request

Divorce records in Kansas

Who holds it
Clerk of the District Court in the county where the divorce was filed (decrees; public at the court level). KDHE holds only 'divorce certificates' (basic facts) from July 1, 1951 (restricted).7
Copy fee
KDHE divorce certificate $20 per certified copy (eligible requesters; +$15 VitalChek or +$5 IKAN); district court decree copy/certification fees are set by each district court7
How to search
Search CaseSearch (statewide) or contact the district court clerk; KDHE certificate by mail/walk-in/VitalChek/IKAN17

How this works in other states: divorce records by state.

Probate records and wills in Kansas

Who holds it
District court of the county (probate is handled by the district court; wills may be filed for safekeeping with an affidavit in the district court of the decedent's last residence)10
Search
CaseSearch for district court cases; older probate indexes via county district court or Kansas Historical Society microfilm18

How this works in other states: probate records and wills by state.

How Kansas organizes its records

  • Real estate sales prices are confidential: the Sales Validation Questionnaire filed with deeds is available only to specified parties19
  • Mechanic's liens are filed with the clerk of the district court, not the Register of Deeds20
  • Marriage and divorce records are public at the district court but the KDHE copies are restricted vital records6
  • The Kansas Secretary of State does not register DBA/assumed names21
  • Public records older than 70 years are presumptively open15
  • Name/address lists from public records may not be used for commercial solicitation (civil penalty up to $500 per violation)22

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Central Repository, 1620 SW Tyler, Topeka23
Who may order
Anyone (open public conviction records): adult convictions, KDOC confinements, active diversions, and arrests within the past 12 months awaiting disposition. Not released to the public: non-conviction arrests, completed diversions, expunged records, juvenile records.23
Fee
Name-based (online) $30.00; fingerprint-based $45.00; certified name-based $40.00; certified fingerprint-based $55.0023
How to request
Online name-based check at www.kansas.gov/criminalhistory; certified checks (visa, adoption, immigration) by mailed request form only; own full record by mailing a fingerprint card with a letter23

Sex offender registry

Official registry
KBI Kansas Registered Offender search — kbi.ks.gov/registeredoffender (sex, violent and drug offenders; updated every 15 minutes)24

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
Kansas Department of Corrections — KASPER Offender Search (kdocrepository.doc.ks.gov/…)25

Voter records

Access
Voter registration books/lists are public for inspection at the county election officer; copies on written request (not on election day) at actual cost within 10 days; SSN and driver's license/ID numbers removed. Lists may be used only for political campaign or election purposes, not commercial solicitation.26
How to request
Written request to the county election officer (the election commissioner in counties that have one; otherwise the county clerk)26
Check your registration
Check your own registration / ballot status: VoterView — kansasvoterinfo.gov/VoterView (linked from the Kansas SOS)27

Business names (DBA)

Secretary of State
Kansas Secretary of State registers corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs etc.; Business Search at sos.ks.gov/…21
At the county
The Secretary of State does not register assumed, fictitious, trade or DBA names, and sole proprietors do not register with the SOS.21

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
Kansas Secretary of State (central UCC filing office except fixture/as-extracted/timber filings at the county Register of Deeds). Searching and filing online require a subscription account; online UCC debtor search $10 (+$1/page for collateral images); paper search $20.28
Attorney General liens
Agricultural liens (UCC4) are filed with the Secretary of State on paper only, with a UCC128
Mechanics' liens
Filed with the clerk of the district court of the county where the property is located, within 4 months after last furnishing labor/materials (non-residential extendable to 5 months by notice)20
Tax warrants
Federal tax lien notices and releases are filed with the county Register of Deeds. Johnson County lists $32.00 for filing a federal tax lien notice and $32.00 for a release; Sedgwick County lists $32 for filing a notice (its table says the fee includes a $15 U.C.C. filing fee provided by K.S.A. 79-2617, and marks Heritage & Tech fees as included).29

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
Kansas Data Access & Support Center (DASC): Kansas Geoportal Hub hub.kansasgis.org (state GIS clearinghouse; no sign-in or registration required)30

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
Kansas Historical Society, State Archives, 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka (some county birth/death registers ca. 1885-1911, some marriage records to ca. 1913, Kansas state/federal censuses 1855-1930, digital newspapers, probate index microfilm for some counties)31
Historical society
Kansas Historical Society reference staff can search censuses to 1930 for birth-date verification18
Vital records for genealogy
Statewide birth/death records start July 1, 1911 (KDHE); before 1885 very few county records — use Kansas state/federal censuses (every five years 1855–1930) and probate indexes18

Counties in Kansas

5 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 105 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.32

Warnings from official sources

  • Kansas law (2025 HB 2118) requires private companies that solicit fees to file documents or retrieve copies/certified copies of public records to state 'This is an advertisement' and print 'THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT' on mailed envelopes; violations are deceptive acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act33
  • Kansas Secretary of State warned of a misleading 'KS Certificate Service' mailing selling Certificates of Good Standing; the SOS does not use third parties and sells the certificate for $10 online / $15 by mail34

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Kansas office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 34 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. K.S.A. 19-1204 — Register of deeds custody and recording of documentsKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  2. Johnson County Register of Deeds — Recording FeesJohnson County, Kansas (jocogov.org)
  3. K.S.A. 79-1448 — Valuation appeals to county appraiser; informal meetingKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  4. K.S.A. 20-301 — District court in each countyKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  5. K.S.A. 60-2001 — Civil docket feeKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  6. KDHE — Marriage CertificateKansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Office of Vital Statistics
  7. KDHE — Divorce CertificateKansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Office of Vital Statistics
  8. KDHE — Birth CertificateKansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Office of Vital Statistics
  9. KDHE — Death CertificateKansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Office of Vital Statistics
  10. K.S.A. 59-618a — Filing of wills in district court with affidavitKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  11. K.S.A. 45-215 — Open records act titleKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  12. K.S.A. 45-218 — Inspection of records; request; response; refusal; feesKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  13. K.S.A. 45-219 — Copies of public records; fees (as amended L. 2025, ch. 89)Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  14. K.S.A. 45-222 — Civil remedies to enforce KORA; attorney feesKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  15. K.S.A. 45-221 — Records not required to be disclosed; 70-year ruleKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  16. Kansas Attorney General — Frequently Asked Questions about the Kansas Open Records ActOffice of the Kansas Attorney General
  17. Kansas Judicial Branch — Search District Court RecordsKansas Judicial Branch (kscourts.gov)
  18. Kansas Historical Society — Kansas vital records (genealogy)Kansas Historical Society
  19. K.S.A. 79-1437f — Sales validation questionnaire: restricted accessKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  20. K.S.A. 60-1102 — Mechanic's lien statement filed with clerk of district courtKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  21. Kansas SOS — Register a BusinessKansas Secretary of State (sos.ks.gov)
  22. K.S.A. 45-230 — Unlawful use of names derived from public recordsKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  23. KBI Criminal History Record Search — Conducting a Record CheckKansas Bureau of Investigation (kansas.gov/kbi)
  24. KBI Registered Offender Website DisclaimerKansas Bureau of Investigation (kansas.gov/kbi)
  25. Kansas Department of Corrections — home pageKansas Department of Corrections
  26. K.S.A. 25-2320 — Copies of voter registration recordsKansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (ksrevisor.gov; www.ksrevisor.org redirects here)
  27. Kansas SOS — Voter InformationKansas Secretary of State (sos.ks.gov)
  28. Kansas SOS — UCC Filing InformationKansas Secretary of State (sos.ks.gov)
  29. Sedgwick County Register of Deeds — 2026 Register of Deeds FeesSedgwick County, Kansas
  30. Kansas Data Access & Support Center (DASC) — State of Kansas GISKansas Data Access & Support Center (kansasgis.org)
  31. Kansas Historical Society — Research FAQKansas Historical Society
  32. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  33. 2025 Session Laws of Kansas, Chapter 56 (House Bill 2118) — solicitations for filing/retrieving government documentsKansas Secretary of State (sos.ks.gov) — Session Laws
  34. Kansas SOS press release: Secretary of State warns of misleading business mailingKansas Secretary of State (sos.ks.gov)