Request court records
The Kansas Open Records Act allows you to inspect and obtain copies of public records maintained by Kansas courts, as long as those records are not exempt from disclosure.
Some case information is available online:
If you want a document from a case, you must request it in writing. You may use our Request Form for Court Records.
We will act on your request by the end of the third business day after we receive it. If we need more than three business days, we will notify you.
Request arrest warrant affidavit or sworn testimony
To request an arrest warrant affidavit or sworn testimony, use forms provided by the Kansas Judicial Council. These requests are not subject to the Kansas Open Records Act, they take more than three days, and they require court approval.
Records available
Many records maintained by Kansas courts are open for inspection. More commonly requested records include:
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court case files and transcripts;
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final judgments from civil and criminal cases;
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court budgets; and
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certified oaths of office.
Records NOT available
For a comprehensive list of records that are exempt from disclosure under the Kansas Open Records Act, reveiw K.S.A. 45-221. Other records may be exempt by judicial rule, order, or case law. More commonly requested records that are NOT available include:
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adoption records;
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certain criminal investigation records;
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expunged criminal records;
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many child in need of care and juvenile records;
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grand jury proceedings; and
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personal information about public employees.
What we CAN'T do
No court employee may conduct a search that requires making a legal determination, such as whether a judgment is current or a lien exists. Court staff also will not prepare a report or create a record to satisfy your request if that document does not already exist. We also can't fill requests for bulk data, such as "all judgments in eviction cases last year." For compiled data, we recommend you refer to our annual case management statistics.
Denied requests
It's possible your request may be denied in whole or in part. If it is denied, we will identify generally the records you are denied and the specific legal authority for the denial. Common reasons requests are denied include:
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record does not exist;
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record is not maintained by office where request was made;
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request is unclear and must be resubmitted; and
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record is closed under exceptions recognized in KORA, like those listed in KSA 45-221.
Request a record
Court records relating to a specific case must be requested from the court that processed the case. When you ask for records from a district court, the records custodian is likely to be the court clerk. Contact information for district courts is available on the District Courts page.
Records relating to cases before the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court are available through the Clerk of the Appellate Court at appellateclerk@kscourts.org.
Records relating to Kansas judicial branch operations are available through the Office of Judicial Administration at info@kscourts.org.
Fees
You will be charged reasonable fees for staff time and expenses related to processing your records request. The judicial administrator is authorized to establish fees for open records requests. District courts may assess fees that are higher or lower. You may be required to pay the estimated cost before your records request is processed.
Supreme Court Rule 1.03: Judicial Administration
Fees established by the judicial administrator
Copy and transmittal costs
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25 cents per page for copies;
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$10 per document certified;
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50 cents to mail first five pages and 25 cents for each additional five pages; and
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50 cents per page to fax with a limit of 15 pages.
Document preparation
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$20 per hour, charged in quarter-hour increments, for records custodian and clerical employees.
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$60 per hour, charged in quarter-hour increments, for professional employees.
If an official records custodian determines help from a third party is needed to respond to a records request—such as a request that requires reviewing or producing electronic records—the third party's charges for that help may be imposed.