Chautauqua County Clerk Office
Chautauqua County has two clerk-related offices that should not be merged. The Clerk of the District Court handles court case filings, court dockets, public access terminals, court-record copies, marriage license processing through Kansas court systems, and public records requests for court files. The Chautauqua County Clerk is a county-government office. The county clerk's duties include Board of County Commissioners records, meeting minutes, the county seal, board papers, county documents, elections, tax-related records, and county office records.
The primary court-records office is the Clerk of the District Court. For Chautauqua County, that office is in Sedan on the 3rd floor of the courthouse. The 14th Judicial District also lists Independence and Coffeyville offices because Chautauqua and Montgomery Counties share the 14th Judicial District. That district-wide structure is useful for form routing, but local Chautauqua County file inspection and county-specific questions should begin with the Sedan office.
The assigned 14th Judicial District public records request form is the online request channel for court records.
The form is district-wide, so Chautauqua County requesters should identify the case, county, and document with enough detail for proper routing.
Chautauqua County Clerk Contact
The Sedan Clerk of the District Court office is the direct Chautauqua County court-record counter. The 14th Judicial District footer identifies Becky J. Dye as Chief Clerk of the District Court at the main district office in Independence, but the Chautauqua County court office address and phone are local to Sedan.
Chautauqua County Clerk of the District Court
215 North Chautauqua, 3rd Floor
Sedan, KS 67361
Mailing address: 215 North Chautauqua, 3rd Floor, Sedan, KS 67361
620-725-5870
Fax: 620-725-3027
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
14th Judicial District Main Office
300 E Main Street, Suite 201
Independence, KS 67301
620-330-1070
Fax: 620-331-6120
Use when the district-wide public records form directs mail or fax to the main office.
That distinction avoids a common routing problem: the records request form gives a Montgomery County mailing address, while the Chautauqua County court office and public terminals are in Sedan.
Chautauqua County Clerk Duties
The 14th Judicial District describes the Clerk of the District Court and deputy clerks as the official record keepers. They maintain dockets, file and process papers filed with the court, and issue writs and orders. In practical terms, that office is the Chautauqua County court-record contact for civil, criminal, domestic, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, juvenile, small claims, and many traffic matters filed in District Court.
- Maintain Chautauqua County District Court dockets and filed court papers.
- Provide public terminal access for open court records and electronic images.
- Process copy and record requests when the file is public or releasable.
- Route marriage license questions through Kansas court licensing channels.
- Collect filing fees, court costs, fines, and related district court payments when accepted by the court.
The assigned 14th Judicial District judges page helps explain why clerk work is district-wide rather than limited to one courtroom.
Judicial assignments and clerk offices work together across the 14th Judicial District, but Chautauqua County records still need clear Sedan county identifiers.
Request Chautauqua County Court Records
Chautauqua County court records have several access channels. Kansas CaseSearch is the statewide public district court portal when an open record is available online. The Sedan District Court office has public access terminals for open records and electronic file images. The 14th Judicial District public records request form is the official form channel. Phone, mail, fax, and in-person requests remain important when the online portal is limited, the file is older, or copies are needed.
| Channel | Where to start | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide portal | Kansas CaseSearch | Public district court case information and documents when available. |
| In person | Sedan District Court office | Public terminal searches and open electronic images. |
| Online form | 14th Judicial District public records request | Copy requests and non-online records. |
| Phone | 620-725-5870 | Case-number, document, hearing, and routing questions. |
| Fax | 620-725-3027 locally, 620-331-6120 district form | Use the number that matches clerk instructions or the form route. |
Public terminal access is especially important because the district FAQ says paper files are no longer maintained after electronic files began on January 1, 2018.
Certified Copies from Chautauqua Clerk
A certified copy is a court copy with clerk certification that may be required for legal, agency, appeal, or filing purposes. The research does not provide a Chautauqua County certified-copy price schedule, so the correct step is to request the document and ask the Clerk of the District Court for the current copy and certification cost. Do not use the case filing fee table as a copy-fee table.
- Identify the case number if possible. If no case number is available, gather party names, filing type, and approximate filing date.
- Confirm that the case is a Chautauqua County District Court case, not a municipal, county commission, sheriff, or state vital-record file.
- Search CaseSearch or use the Sedan public terminal if the goal is to verify the case before ordering.
- Submit the district public records request form or contact the Sedan clerk for copy instructions.
- Ask for certification if the copy must be filed with another court, agency, employer, school, or legal office.
- Pay the clerk-approved copy or certification charges and keep the receipt with the certified copy.
Note: Certified marriage and divorce certificates are KDHE vital records; certified court-file copies come from the District Court.
Chautauqua Clerk Request Fields
The public records request form is a suggested tool, and the research notes that requests may be submitted in any legible format. Still, the visible form fields are a useful checklist for Chautauqua County court-record requests. The better the description, the less likely the request will be delayed by county, case type, or district-wide routing questions.
| Field label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select a Category | Dropdown/filter | Optional | Includes Public Records Request and Transcript Request. |
| Date | Date | Yes | Marked required on the form. |
| First Name | Text | Yes | Requester first name. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes | Requester last name. |
| Street Address | Text | Yes | Requester mailing address. |
| City | Text | Yes | Requester city. |
| State / Zip Code | Text | Yes | Combined field in the visible form. |
| Email / Phone Number | Text | Yes | The form groups both contact methods in one field. |
| Description of Request | Long text | Yes | List Chautauqua County, case number, names, and document needed. |
| Signature | Text/signature | Unspecified | Visible but not marked required in the research. |
| Leave This Blank | Anti-spam | N/A | Do not complete. |
Chautauqua County Clerk Fees
The fee table below is the court filing schedule from the 14th Judicial District research, not a copy-price schedule. It is useful for understanding the filing costs the clerk collects for common case types. It also shows why the Clerk of the District Court is the right office for domestic, probate, traffic, criminal, civil, and appeal filings. Copy and certification charges should be confirmed directly with the clerk.
| Fee category | Statute | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Chapter 60 | 60-2001 | $195.00 |
| Domestic | 60-2001 | $195.00 |
| Post-decree motion | 28-179 | $62.00 |
| Small claims <= $500 | 61-2704 | $47.50 |
| Small claims > $500 <= $4,000 | 61-2704 | $67.50 |
| Criminal felony | 28-172a | $193.00 |
| Criminal misdemeanor | 28-172a | $158.00 |
| Traffic | 28-172a | $108.00 |
| Probate of estate or will | 59-104 | $131.50 |
| Marriage license | 23-2510 | $85.50 |
| Municipal court appeal | 28-172a | $94.50 |
| Appellate courts | 20-1a04; 20-3021 | $155.00 |
Chautauqua Clerk Access Limits
The Clerk of the District Court can help with record location, filed documents, hearing dates, public terminal access, and copy routing, but the office cannot give legal determinations. The research says clerks may tell a caller what documents have been filed and the next hearing date if the caller provides a case number and the case is not sealed. The civil FAQ also says the court cannot release personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers, though attorney or law firm contact information may be available.
The assigned 14th Judicial District Court Services page shows another court office in the same courthouse structure. Court Services handles adult and juvenile probation supervision, bond supervision, domestic mediation and investigations, and presentence investigation reports.
Court Services is not the clerk counter, but its Sedan office context helps show how Chautauqua County court records, supervision, and case flow connect locally.