Kansas Public Records
Kansas public records include any documents that are written, photographed, or computerized, including but not limited to policies, regulations, statutes, minutes or records of open meetings in the state, and even budget documents held and maintained by public agencies.
How to Find Kansas Public Records
The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) allows any citizen in the state to request public records in writing to the official record custodian and provide the necessary proof of identity if required. However, private sources can also provide access when the records are available.
Are Kansas Public Records Available Online?
Public records in Kansas are available online except for records exempted and deemed confidential by the state. Also, most state agencies provide access to public records online.
What Records are Not Available in Kansas?
The following records are not available for public scrutiny and inspection in Kansas:
- Juvenile offender records
- Medical records
- Criminal investigation records
- Records that are closed by rules of evidence
- Records protected by confidential privileges, like attorney-client relationships
- Public employees' personnel information
Types of Public Records Available in Kansas
The following records are available for public inspection in Kansas:
Kansas Public Criminal Records
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has an online criminal historic record-check information website where you can access criminal records for a fee.
Criminal record checks include the following information if it's available:
- Incarceration
- Court dispositions
- Arrest
- Felony
- Misdemeanor
To request a criminal record in Kansas, you must submit a fingerprint card since the state uses fingerprint-based criminal checks. You must also pay $10.00 for the fingerprint fee and $35.00 for every fingerprint-based record check. Certified records of fingerprint-based checks come for a fee of $45.00.
Police Departments and Sheriffe Office in Kansas :
Arrest Records and Warrants
Arrest records and warrants in Kansas are available online or at the courthouse that served the warrants. Take note that when using the online portal for arrest records and warrants searches, you need to have a record or a case number or input the full name of the individual following this format: last name, first name, middle name, and suffix if applicable.
Inmate and Jail Records
Kansas has an online portal to look for inmate and jail records. You must have a last, first, and middle name to search for a KDOC number. You can also use the search filters to look for inmates who use an alias.
Advanced searches are available using the following information:
- Social Security Number
- State ID number
- Birth date
- Age range
- Race
- Gender
- Conviction County
- Parole Supervision County
- CC Supervision Location
- Supervision type
- Facility (for inmates only)
Jails and Prisons in Kansas :
Kansas Background Checks
Just like with a criminal history check, the Bureau of Investigation performs background checks in Kansas through a name-based or fingerprint-based review. A fee of $30.00 applies for name-based checks, while fingerprint-based checks are available for $45.00.
How to Find Sex Offenders in Kansas
Kansas has a sex offender registry that you can use to look for violent, drug, and general offenders. You can perform a search by name, a geographical search, or use other search options such as an online presence like an email or a Facebook account.
Kansas Public Vital Records
The state's central repository of vital public records is the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Division of Public Health Office of Vital Statistics. The office maintains the records for critical events such as birth, deaths, marriages, and divorces.
However, vital records in Kansas are not public, and only the person named on the record, an immediate family, or a legal representative can get a copy of any record. Every record request must come with proof of identification.
You can request Kansas public vital records by mail or online through VitalChek. Below are the following forms you need to accomplish for each record request:
- Certified copy of a birth certificate
- Certificate of stillbirth
- Certified copy of death certificate
- Certified copy of marriage certificate
- Certified copy of divorce certificate
Each certified copy has a fee of $20.00 for a five-year search. For a search with more than five years, an additional $20.00 fee will apply. A search fee of $20.00 will still apply if a record is not located.
Kansas Court Records
Kansas has a mobile search available online for court records. Each search costs $1.50 and another $1.50 for every case you view. You may also access court records through the eCourt portal or by visiting the courthouse where the document you're looking for is available.
You can look for any type of court record except the following:
- Adoption records
- Juvenile records
- Grand jury proceedings
- Expunged criminal records
- Certain criminal investigation records
State Court System in Kansas
Kansas' state court system has a state supreme court, a single federal district court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with general and limited jurisdiction.
Courts in Kansas :
Driving Records
The Kansas Department of Motor Vehicle Records allows drivers to get their driving records for $16.70 online. However, the server is down at certain times, like Monday to Saturday from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. and Sunday from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Civil Driving Infractions
The most common civil driving infractions in Kansas are as follows:
- Speeding
- Following too closely
- Driving under the influence (DUI)
- Transporting open containers of alcoholic beverages
State law fines are uniform in 105 counties in Kansas and include court costs set by the Kansas legislature.
Kansas License Plate Lookup
To look up a license plate in Kansas, you must email the Department of Revenue or request license plate information through the local county's treasurer's office.
Kansas Property and Asset Records Online
The Kansas Department of Revenue has a property valuation express service for state properties and assets. Property records are managed by the registry of deed offices, which are organized on a county level.
Kansas Unclaimed Property and Assets
The Kansas State Treasurer's office allows citizens to search and claim unclaimed properties in the state for free, including:
- Money orders
- Safe deposit box content
- Insurance proceeds
- Stocks and bonds
- Bank accounts
- Refunds and overpayments
- Payroll checks
Important Government Agencies in Kansas
Kansas has the following government agencies to help you find the public records you need.
- Secretary of State
- Governor’s website
- Legislature office
- Office of the Attorney General
- Bureau of Investigation
- Department of Corrections
- Department of Health and Environment
- Department of Motor Vehicle Records
- Department of Revenue
- State Treasurer
Counties in Kansas
- Allen
- Anderson
- Atchison
- Barber
- Barton
- Bourbon
- Brown
- Butler
- Chase
- Chautauqua
- Cherokee
- Cheyenne
- Clark
- Clay
- Cloud
- Coffey
- Comanche
- Cowley
- Crawford
- Decatur
- Dickinson
- Doniphan
- Douglas
- Edwards
- Elk
- Ellis
- Ellsworth
- Finney
- Ford
- Franklin
- Geary
- Gove
- Graham
- Grant
- Gray
- Greeley
- Greenwood
- Hamilton
- Harper
- Harvey
- Haskell
- Hodgeman
- Jackson
- Jefferson
- Jewell
- Johnson
- Kearny
- Kingman
- Kiowa
- Labette
- Lane
- Leavenworth
- Lincoln
- Linn
- Logan
- Lyon
- Marion
- Marshall
- Mcpherson
- Meade
- Miami
- Mitchell
- Montgomery
- Morris
- Morton
- Nemaha
- Neosho
- Ness
- Norton
- Osage
- Osborne
- Ottawa
- Pawnee
- Phillips
- Pottawatomie
- Pratt
- Rawlins
- Reno
- Republic
- Rice
- Riley
- Rooks
- Rush
- Russell
- Saline
- Scott
- Sedgwick
- Seward
- Shawnee
- Sheridan
- Sherman
- Smith
- Stafford
- Stanton
- Stevens
- Sumner
- Thomas
- Trego
- Wabaunsee
- Wallace
- Washington
- Wichita
- Wilson
- Woodson
- Wyandotte