Wabaunsee County District Court Clerk

Wabaunsee County Clerk Contact

The primary court records office is the Clerk of the District Court. The official Wabaunsee County District Court staff directory identifies Amy Kristen as District Court Clerk. The District Court office is on the third floor of the courthouse at 215 Kansas Avenue in Alma. Office hours in the research are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a note that the office may close during lunch. The court also maintains a south-side courthouse drop box for traffic or criminal payments, paperwork, and court correspondence.

The District Court staff directory source identifies the court staff for Wabaunsee County.

That directory supports the court-clerk contact route for Wabaunsee County case files and certified copies.

Wabaunsee County Clerk Duties

The Clerk of the District Court keeps the court-file side of Wabaunsee County public records. That role includes receiving pleadings, maintaining case files, collecting court payments and filing fees, processing copy requests, routing marriage-license questions through the state online system, and supporting the judges and court docket. The District Court handles probate, divorce, felony criminal cases, civil matters, juvenile cases, protection orders, small claims, and many county-level traffic or criminal matters.

• Maintain District Court case files and docket entries.
• Receive filings, court correspondence, and payment paperwork.
• Process plain-copy and certified-copy requests when records are public and available.
• Route online records, hearings, and payment users to Kansas Judicial Branch systems.
• Support District Court judges, including the magistrate judge and district judges serving the 2nd Judicial District.

Clerk of Court vs County Clerk

Wabaunsee County has a split record structure. Court case files go through the Clerk of the District Court. County agency records go through the County Clerk's KORA channel when the request is for county administrative records. The County Clerk source identifies Abby Amick as County Clerk, with phone 785-765-2421, address 215 Kansas Ave / P.O. Box 278, Alma, KS 66401, and fax 785-765-3704.

The County Clerk is also the county Freedom of Information Officer under Resolution 2000-27. The county Open Records Act source says KORA gives any person the right to inspect and obtain copies of public records unless closed by law. A county agency must respond within three business days by providing the record, giving the time it will be provided, or stating why it cannot be provided. KORA does not require a county agency to create a record, interpret a record, analyze records, or prepare a custom report.

The county County Clerk page source helps distinguish the county administrative clerk from the court clerk.

That distinction keeps court-record requests from being misdirected to the county administrative clerk.

Request Wabaunsee County Certified Copies

A certified copy is a court copy with official certification from the clerk. It may be needed for probate, divorce, name-change, appeal, benefits, or out-of-county filing use. For a Wabaunsee County certified copy, identify the case number if possible. If the case number is not known, provide party names, case type, approximate filing date, and the exact document needed. Ask whether the record is public, restricted, archived, or subject to redaction before paying copy or search charges.

1. Find the case number through Kansas case search tools or from a notice, decree, receipt, or prior filing.
2. Call the Clerk of the District Court at 785-765-2406 to confirm copy availability and certification requirements.
3. Give the case number, party names, document title, filing date if known, and number of copies.
4. Ask for the total cost, accepted payment method, and whether pickup, mail, or drop-box delivery is appropriate.
5. Pay the required fee and provide a mailing address if the certified copy will be mailed.

Wabaunsee County Request Form Fields

The county Open Records Request Form PDF is for KORA requests to county agencies, but its field inventory is still useful for building a complete records request. Court-copy requests should also be specific. The form asks for requester identity, contact details, a clear description of the records, copy count, signature certification, printed name and title, and date. Vague requests slow the process because the office may need to clarify the file, date range, or document title.

The county Open Records Act source links to the official request form and explains the local KORA rules.

Use that county form for county agency KORA requests, and use the same level of detail when asking the court clerk for a case-file copy.

Wabaunsee County Clerk Fees

For court records, confirm the exact cost with the Clerk of the District Court before requesting certified copies, archived files, or large copy runs. For county KORA requests, the captured county form gives specific charges and payment rules. State law also allows record custodians to recover actual costs for copies and staff time, and the county form says estimated cost is required at the time of request with additional costs due before records are received.

The Kansas fee authority for copies appears in K.S.A. 45-219.

That state statute supports cost recovery for public-record copies, while court-certified copy amounts should still be checked with the clerk.

Note: Legal Department approval may be required before release when records need protected information reviewed.