Chautauqua County Probate Division
Probate in Chautauqua County is a District Court function. The State Court Structure Map identifies the Probate Division of the District Court as the probate court name for this project. The 14th Judicial District describes its courts as handling administration and probate, guardianship and conservatorship, civil, criminal, domestic, juvenile, and small claims matters across Chautauqua and Montgomery Counties. That means the probate record path runs through the same court system that keeps other district-level case records.
The local probate office is the Chautauqua County District Court and Clerk of the District Court at the Chautauqua County Courthouse in Sedan. Judge Rebecca Stewart's biography adds useful local detail: she was elected Chautauqua County District Magistrate Judge in 2020, is assigned in Chautauqua and Montgomery Counties, and much of her caseload involves probate, bad debt, and traffic cases. She also handles criminal and juvenile matters in Chautauqua County.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas homepage gives the federal-court contrast because federal court can matter when a probate-adjacent dispute becomes federal, but ordinary Chautauqua County probate filings stay in state District Court.
Use the federal source for federal case context only; it does not replace the Sedan probate filing and search channels.
Chautauqua County Probate Terms
Probate filings use terms that can be hard to sort from the case title alone. The definitions below keep the terms tied to how Chautauqua County probate records are usually described in District Court filings and fee schedules.
- Testator
- The person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out a will, when the court authorizes that role.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which can require an estate process under Kansas law.
- Guardianship
- A court case about care or legal decisions for a person needing protection.
- Conservatorship
- A court case about managing financial affairs for a person needing protection.
These terms may appear in Chautauqua County probate indexes, case captions, fee lines, and records requests. The exact document set depends on the filing type.
Chautauqua County Probate Contact
There is one local probate court office for Chautauqua County District Court matters in the research. The district-wide website also lists Independence and Coffeyville offices for the 14th Judicial District, but Chautauqua County probate venue and local file questions should start with Sedan unless the district form or court staff directs otherwise.
Chautauqua County Probate Division of the District Court
Clerk of the District Court
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.
For a district-wide public records request, the official form lists a Montgomery County District Court mailing route and a district fax number. For a Chautauqua-specific probate file, call the Sedan clerk first so the request is routed to the right office and case record.
File Chautauqua County Wills
The 14th Judicial District probate FAQ gives a narrow, concrete rule for wills. Any person who has a decedent's Last Will and Testament may file it in the District Court office of the county of the decedent's last residence. An Affidavit of Filing of the Will must also be filed. The FAQ says no action is taken by the court on that filing; the will is preserved in case probate proceedings are later required. A docket fee is due at filing.
- Confirm that Chautauqua County is the county of the decedent's last residence.
- Bring or submit the Last Will and Testament with the Affidavit of Filing of the Will.
- File through the District Court office in Sedan when Chautauqua County is the proper venue.
- Pay the filing fee listed for filing a will and affidavit.
- Open a separate estate, guardianship, or conservatorship matter only when the proper legal process calls for it.
The FAQ is also clear that probating a will, opening an estate without a will, or starting a guardianship or conservatorship requires legal advice and that an attorney should be consulted.
Search Chautauqua County Probate
Chautauqua County probate records can be searched through the same access channels used for other District Court case records. Kansas CaseSearch may show public district court case information when the probate case is available online. Public access terminals at the Sedan District Court office are the in-person route for open electronic file images. This route matters because the 14th Judicial District FAQ says district courts initiated electronic files on January 1, 2018 and paper files are no longer maintained for those records.
If CaseSearch does not show enough detail, use a public terminal, call the Sedan clerk, or submit the public records request form. Useful search keys include the decedent name, estate name, guardian or conservator name, case number, filing date, and document type. Clerks may provide filed-document and next-hearing information when a case number is supplied and the case is not sealed, but clerks cannot give legal conclusions about whether a probate case should be opened.
The District of Kansas federal court records page explains federal PACER and terminal access, which is separate from Chautauqua County probate case access.
Federal search tools are useful only when the matter is a federal case, such as a federal civil or bankruptcy issue tied to an estate.
The manifest also assigns the PACER CM/ECF lookup for the District of Kansas, which is the federal account-based path for federal case dockets and documents.
Use PACER only when the probate-related issue is in federal court; state probate files remain with the Chautauqua County District Court.
Chautauqua County Probate Fees
The 14th Judicial District probate fee schedule gives specific probate totals under K.S.A. 59-104 and related statutes. These are filing totals from the district fee chart. Copy fees, certification fees, service fees, and attorney costs may be separate if they apply, and the research did not locate a local probate copy-fee table beyond the filing schedule.
| Probate item | Statute | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Conservatorship and/or guardianship | 59-104 | $91.50 |
| Trusteeship | 59-104 | $91.50 |
| Filing will and affidavit | 59-104 | $70.50 |
| Determination of descent | 59-104 | $71.50 |
| Probate of estate or will | 59-104 | $131.50 |
| Refusal to grant letters of administration | 59-104 | $70.50 |
| Termination of joint tenancy | 59-104 | $70.50 |
| Termination of life estate | 59-104 | $70.50 |
| Adoption | 59-104 | $70.50 |
| Certified probate proceedings out of county | 59-104 | $45.50 |
| Decrees in probate from another state | 59-104 | $195.00 |
| Care/treatment alcoholism or drug abuse | 59-104 | $56.50 |
| Care/treatment mentally ill | 59-104 | $56.50 |
| Sexually violent predator commitment | 59-104; 59-29a01 | $55.50 |
Note: Adoption and care/treatment matters appear in the probate fee chart but are not ordinary public probate searches.
Guardianship and Small Estates
Chautauqua County guardianship and conservatorship filings are probate-related District Court matters. The district FAQ states that guardianship and conservatorship actions require legal advice and recommends consulting an attorney. These cases can contain sensitive health, care, financial, and protected-person information, so public access may be narrower than an ordinary estate docket. A search may reveal a public case shell or docket detail while limiting documents that contain private information.
Small estate affidavit forms are available through Kansas Judicial Branch or Judicial Council resources. A small estate affidavit is not the same as opening a full estate case. It is a state-law tool used in qualifying circumstances, and Chautauqua County users should confirm the correct form and venue before filing or relying on one for property transfer.
The manifest assigns the District of Kansas CM/ECF page because electronic case filing is relevant to federal matters, but Chautauqua County probate files are searched through Kansas District Court channels.
CM/ECF is a federal filing system; the local probate filing path remains the Kansas District Court office in Sedan.
Restricted Chautauqua County Probate
Not all Chautauqua County probate-related records are open in the same way. Adoption appears in the probate fee chart, but adoption records are not ordinary public access records. Care and treatment cases for alcoholism, drug abuse, mental illness, and sexually violent predator commitments are also privacy-sensitive. Guardianship and conservatorship records may include health, capacity, finances, minor, or protected-person details. Sealed records and redacted information are controlled by court rule, statute, or court order.
Federal bankruptcy may sometimes intersect with probate assets, creditor claims, or estate administration, but it is a separate federal court record system. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas page is assigned to this probate page for that distinction.
For a Chautauqua County estate file, use the District Court probate channel first; use federal bankruptcy tools only when the case is actually in bankruptcy court.