Chautauqua County District Court
Kansas uses District Court as its primary trial court. The Kansas Judicial Branch describes district courts as constitutional trial courts with general original jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. Chautauqua County is part of the 14th Judicial District with Montgomery County. The district maintains court locations in Sedan, Independence, and Coffeyville, but the Chautauqua County District Court office is the Sedan courthouse location.
The Chautauqua County court office is at 215 North Chautauqua, 3rd Floor, Sedan, KS 67361. The local phone number is 620-725-5870, and the local fax is 620-725-3027. The office hours listed in the research are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The court location matters because the county courthouse, clerk, public terminal access, and many county departments share the downtown Sedan courthouse address.
The assigned Judge Rebecca Stewart biography gives Chautauqua-specific District Court context, including her election as District Magistrate Judge for Chautauqua County.
Her biography is especially useful because it connects Sedan court time to probate, bad debt, traffic, criminal, and juvenile matters.
Chautauqua County Court Table
The required court table for Chautauqua County is office-based rather than numbered-court based. The research did not identify multiple numbered Chautauqua County district courts. It identified one Chautauqua County District Court office in Sedan, district offices in Montgomery County, Court Services in Sedan, and related local offices that affect court cases.
| Court / Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua County District Court / Clerk of the District Court | District Court | 215 North Chautauqua, 3rd Floor, Sedan, KS 67361 | 620-725-5870 |
| Independence District Court Office | 14th Judicial District office | 300 East Main Street, 2nd Floor, Independence, KS 67301 | 620-330-1070 |
| Coffeyville District Court Office | 14th Judicial District office | 102 West 7th Street, 3rd Floor, Coffeyville, KS 67337 | 620-251-1060 |
| Sedan Office of Court Services | Probation and court services | 215 N Chautauqua Street, Sedan, KS 67361 | 620-725-5874 |
| Chautauqua County Sheriff | Law enforcement | 218 N Montgomery St, Sedan, KS 67361 | 620-725-3108 |
| Chautauqua County Attorney | Prosecutor | 218 N Montgomery St, Sedan, KS 67361 | 620-725-5876 |
This table also shows a practical local pattern: court filing and records questions use the courthouse address, while sheriff and county attorney matters use the Montgomery Street address.
District Court vs Municipal Court
Chautauqua County does not have a county court or justice court layer in the research. The State Court Structure Map lists municipal courts as lower courts. Kansas municipal courts usually hear traffic and other minor city ordinance offenses, with a municipal judge hearing cases without a jury. District Court is broader and handles the main county trial-court docket.
| Issue | Chautauqua County District Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|
| Core role | Kansas trial court for civil, criminal, domestic, probate, juvenile, small claims, and many traffic matters. | City-level traffic and minor ordinance cases. |
| Records search | CaseSearch, Sedan public terminal, district calendar, and clerk records request. | Issuing city court or city payment channel. |
| Payments | District payments may use Pay Kansas Courts, mail, in-person counter, or card payment when accepted. | District Court payment page warns it cannot accept municipal case payments. |
| Appeals | Appeals can move to the Kansas Court of Appeals unless law sends them elsewhere. | Municipal court appeals are filed into District Court with the listed appeal fee. |
| Jury trial | District Court can handle jury matters under Kansas procedure. | Kansas municipal court cases are heard by a judge without a jury. |
Note: Before paying a traffic citation, confirm whether the case is a district court citation or a city municipal court matter.
Chautauqua District Case Flow
Chautauqua County case flow depends on the case type. A criminal case may begin with an arrest, citation, complaint, or information, then move through first appearance, arraignment, hearings, plea or trial, disposition, sentencing, probation, payment, and appeal if applicable. A civil case usually begins with a petition or claim, then service, answer, hearing or trial, judgment, collection, post-judgment activity, or appeal.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › charging document › first appearance or arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing or supervision › appeal.
Civil flow: Petition or claim › filing fee › service › answer › hearing, settlement, or trial › judgment › post-judgment action › appeal.
Municipal-to-district flow: City traffic or ordinance case › municipal court decision › municipal court appeal fee › District Court appeal proceeding.
Chautauqua County District Judges
The 14th Judicial District research identifies four district court judges and one magistrate judge across the district. Hon. Jeffrey W. Gettler is listed as Chief Judge and Division 3 District Court Judge. Hon. F. William Cullins is Division 1 District Court Judge. Hon. Jeffrey D. Gossard is Division 2 District Court Judge. Hon. Rebecca Stewart is District Magistrate Judge. Judge Reynolds is also listed on the judges page, but the visible research did not provide role details.
Judge Stewart's biography supplies the most Chautauqua-specific assignment detail. It says she is assigned by the Chief District Judge to hear cases in both Chautauqua and Montgomery Counties, generally spending two days each week in Sedan, two days in Coffeyville, and one day in Independence. It also says most of her caseload involves probate, bad debt, and traffic, while she also handles criminal and juvenile cases in Chautauqua County.
The assigned Kansas municipal courts page explains the lower-court layer that remains separate from District Court.
That municipal court distinction is one of the most important Chautauqua County District Court search and payment checks.
Chautauqua County District Records
District Court records can be searched through Kansas CaseSearch when public information is available online. Hearing dockets and daily hearing information are found through the 14th Judicial District calendar, not always through a full case-search result. Public terminals at each District Court office allow users to search records and view open electronic file images. In Chautauqua County, that means the Sedan court office.
Since January 1, 2018, district courts initiated electronic files, and paper files are no longer maintained for those records. A public terminal may be the only route to see images of filings that are public but not available from home. If online access does not answer the question, the district public records request form or direct clerk contact is the fallback. Provide a case number when possible, because the FAQ says clerks can tell callers what documents have been filed and the next hearing date if the case is not sealed and the caller has the case number.
For detailed copy and form routing, use the Chautauqua County Clerk of the District Court information.
The assigned 14th Judicial District civil FAQ is also relevant because it explains terminal access, electronic files, address redaction, judgments, and name-change details.
Those civil FAQ details help distinguish what the clerk can show at a public terminal from personal information the court cannot release.
Chautauqua County Court Services
Court Services is the local supervision and case-support structure most relevant to District Court matters. The 14th Judicial District states it has seven Court Services officers who serve the court, court process, and public safety. Their work includes adult and juvenile probation supervision, bond supervision, domestic mediation and investigations, and presentence investigation reports.
The Chautauqua County/Sedan Court Services office is at 215 N Chautauqua Street, Sedan, KS 67361. The phone is 620-725-5874, the fax is 620-725-3027, and hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Jon Kirk is listed as CSO I / Adult / Juvenile / PSI for the Sedan office. Dennis Webb is listed in the research as Intensive Supervision Officer at 620-330-2788.
The assigned 14th Judicial District interpreters page documents spoken-language and sign-language interpreter practices.
Interpreter and Court Services details are part of District Court access, especially for hearings, probation, juvenile matters, and litigants who need communication support.
Chautauqua District Payments
The 14th Judicial District payment page is clear that District Court cannot accept payments for city or municipal court cases. For district cases, payments can be made online for traffic citations, court costs, fines, and restitution through Pay Kansas Courts when eligible. In-person payments at the Clerk of the District Court office where the case is filed may be made by cash, check, money order, and debit or credit card. The district page states card payments have a 4 percent convenience fee, giving the example that a $100 court-cost payment becomes a $104 card transaction.
- Use the case number from court-issued documents when paying court costs or fines.
- For traffic citations by mail, include the signed citation and mark the plea.
- Kansas Highway Patrol citation numbers appear in the driving-violation section.
- County Sheriff citation numbers may be on the long edge of the ticket and may need leading zeroes online.
- Municipal citations must be handled through the issuing city court.
Chautauqua County Appeals
Appeals from Kansas district courts generally move to the Kansas Court of Appeals unless a statute sends the case directly to the Kansas Supreme Court. The Kansas Supreme Court is the final state appellate court and directly hears certain serious criminal and special categories of cases. The Kansas Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for most civil and criminal appeals from District Court.
Federal court is different. Chautauqua County is within the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, but federal case records are searched through PACER, federal public terminals, and District of Kansas federal record channels. A state District Court probate, divorce, traffic, small claims, or criminal case does not become a federal case just because a party lives in Kansas. The filing source and court caption control the search path.