Kansas Court Records
Kansas court records are legal documents filed in a judicial proceeding. Court records include both online and written documents filed in an administrative, civil, or criminal case. The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) makes court records available to the public unless the records involve juvenile cases or any other cases deemed confidential by the court like the following:
- Adoption records
- Expunged criminal records
- Records of ongoing criminal investigation
- Grand jury proceedings
- Coroner requests
- Protection records for abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking, or stalking
- Inquisition proceedings
- Domestic violence protection orders
Which Kansas Courts Maintain Publicly Accessible Records?
Different branches of the Kansas courts maintain different records accessible to the public. The four major branches of the Kansas courts are the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the district courts, and the municipal courts. A lawyer may still represent offenders charged in the trial courts and appeal to the same district where the municipal court is located.
Municipal Courts
The first type of court in Kansas is the municipal court, also known as the city court. This court deals with violations related to city or municipal ordinances. As the lowest type of court in the state, the municipal court hears cases with just a judge without any jury involved.
District Courts
The district courts are known as the trial courts of Kansas. This type of court has general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, including but not limited to the following:
- Damage suits
- Guardianships
- Divorce
- Domestic relations
- Probate and administration of estates
- Small claims
- Guardianships
- Conservatorships
- Juvenile matters
- Care of the mentally ill
Unlike municipal courts, district court trials require the participation of the jury. Decisions from the district courts can also be appealed to the Court of Appeals and even to the Supreme Court if the situation allows it.
To date, Kansas has 31 judicial districts with a district court in each county.
Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals hears all appeals from the lower courts or the district courts involving civil and criminal cases. They also hear appeals from administrative agencies in the state like the following:
- Kansas Workers Compensation Appeals Board
- Kansas Corporation Commission
- Kansas Board of Tax Appeals
The only cases that the Court of Appeals does not usually are those that are directly appealed to the Supreme Court. The court usually decides with its panel of three judges for every appeal, but it may also hear appeals with all 14 of its judges present.
Appeals at the intermediate appellate court require written briefs from both parties, trial records, and oral arguments from lawyers. The judges will then review and research any relevant laws involved in the appeal before they write a final decision.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the state and sets all legal rules and policies that the lower courts must follow, The Supreme Court exclusively hears cases that are declared unconstitutional by statutes, serious criminal cases involving the death penalty, and other similar cases. The Supreme Court’s decisions are binding and can no longer be contested in any appellate court.
What are the Common Public Court Records in Kansas?
When performing a search for Kansas court records, the most common records requested by the public and available for copying and inspection are the following:
- Judgments
- Certified oaths of office
- Court budget
- Case files and transcripts
Judgment Records
A judgment record is the judge’s final decision on a case. It is a court-issued declaration of both parties’ legal rights according to state laws. A judgment record contains information on the case, the court’s final decision, the judgment date, the names of both parties involved, and the name of the judge who issued the decision.
Bankruptcy Records
Another common court record in Kansas is bankruptcy records. These types of records are usually filed in Topeka, Wichita, and Kansas City and involve information on debtors, liens, and judgments.
Small Claims and Civil Court Records
Small claims and civil Kansas court records are almost the same. The only difference is that small claims are filed for disputes not exceeding $4,000, while civil cases are applicable to disputes not more than $200,000. Note that civil court cases are not always related to monetary issues. They may also involve name changes, property disputes, or even restraining orders.
Does Kansas Have a Case Search?
Interested parties may use different methods to search for Kansas Court Records including the following:
Court dockets
A court docket is a list of all cases to be heard including their hearing time. Information on previous and upcoming dockets is available online through the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Kansas judicial website.
Online
Kansas has an online portal where the public can find court cases from the district court for a fee of $1.50 per search per court. Every case retrieved for view are available for another $1.50 which totals $3.00 per successful search.
Searches are available by court type (civil, criminal, or juvenile) or by case number, which is more ideal for more accurate results. The fees are only applicable to non-subscribers of the Kansas district court. Annual subscriptions cost $125 per year and allow subscribers to access not only court records but also other government services online.
The Kansas eCourt portal also allows court record searches using the following information:
- Case number
- Full name (last name, first name, middle name, suffix)
- Citation number
- Case type
- Case status
- Case cross reference number
- Location
- Name of the attorney
- Name of the attorney’s Bar association
In-person
In case a court record is not available online due to confidential reasons, the best way to find them is to request court information in person at the courthouse where the case was filed.
Interested members of the public must fill out the request form and provide the following information to request a court record in Kansas:
- Type of court where the record is available
- Full name of the requesting party
- Mailing address, including the city, state, and ZIP code
- Phone and fax number
- Email address
- Preferred method of receiving the records (by email, mail, in-person, fax)
- Specific details of the record request
- Signature
- Date
The Kansas Judicial Branch has a page for each district court containing addresses, phone numbers, and the name of the appropriate record custodian for court records.
The record custodian may charge a fee for the search and copying of records depending on the time it takes to retrieve the files and how many copies are made upon request.
Third-party sites
The public may also look for Kansas court records for free using third-party sites which offer the same information. However, the available information may not be updated and may be limited compared to official government-funded websites of the judicial branch.
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