Kearny County Clerk Contact
The court-records office is the Kearny County Clerk of the District Court. The 25th Judicial District identifies Cherie Rutherford as Clerk of the District Court and Mariela Moreno as Deputy Clerk. The court is located at 304 N Main, Lakin, KS 67860, with mailing address P.O. Box 64, Lakin, KS 67860. The court phone is 620-271-6254 and fax is 620-355-7462.
The official Kearny County District Court page is the local court source for the clerk, deputy clerk, address, phone, fax, and mailing address.
Kearny County Clerk of the District Court
Clerk: Cherie Rutherford
Deputy Clerk: Mariela Moreno
304 N Main
Lakin, KS 67860
Mail: P.O. Box 64, Lakin, KS 67860
620-271-6254
Fax: 620-355-7462
Kearny County Clerk Duties
The Clerk of the District Court is the office for Kearny County district court case files. The research lists felony and misdemeanor criminal cases filed in district court, civil cases, domestic relations, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, small claims, limited actions, juvenile matters where access is allowed, protection orders, marriage-license filing questions, and court docket or copy requests.
The Kearny County departments page is useful for seeing nearby county offices, but court case records still route through the district court clerk.
The departments listing helps show the difference between court records and other county-government office contacts.
- Maintain district court case files and docket access where public.
- Receive pleadings and filings for district court cases.
- Provide court-record copy and certification options.
- Support courthouse public terminal access for records not available online.
- Handle local questions tied to district divorce, probate, traffic, civil, and criminal files.
Kearny County Clerk Difference
Kearny County has a split between court records and county administrative records. The Kearny County Clerk / Elections office is not the district court case-file clerk. The official county page names Jana Jenkinson as County Clerk, with phone 620-355-6422, fax 620-355-7383, and mailing address P.O. Box 86, Lakin, KS 67860. That office focuses on elections and county-government materials.
Use the county administrative clerk for election or county-government records. Use the Clerk of the District Court for court case files, docket sheets, certified court orders, divorce decrees, probate files, and district case copy requests. City public records and Lakin municipal court questions are a third path through the City of Lakin.
Request Kearny Court Records
The first remote search path is Kansas CaseSearch for public district court case information. The courthouse remains the fallback. Kansas Judicial Branch guidance says each court has a computer reserved for public searches of court cases and court records in that court. For Kearny County, the practical local route is the district court clerk counter at 304 N Main.
Written requests should include enough detail for the clerk to identify the case and estimate fees. If the request is urgent, the Kearny policy page matters: pleadings received at the front counter after 4 p.m. may not be processed until the next business day. That local rule affects same-day expectations for filing and some clerk-counter work.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requestor name | text | Yes | Use full legal name for a written request. |
| Mailing address / email / phone | text | Yes | Needed for estimates and delivery. |
| Case number | text | Optional but recommended | Use the exact number from the notice or docket. |
| Party names | text | Yes if case number unknown | Include first, middle, last, and business names for civil cases. |
| Record type | checkbox/text | Yes | Docket sheet, pleading, order, judgment, certified copy, or search only. |
| Delivery method | choice | Yes | In person, mail, email if allowed, or fax if allowed. |
| Certification requested | checkbox | Optional | Adds $10 per document. |
| Date range | date/text | Optional | Helpful for common names. |
| Payment | payment | Yes when fee assessed | Confirm accepted methods before mailing. |
Certified Copy Steps
A certified copy is a court copy with official certification. It is often needed for legal proof, such as a divorce decree, final order, judgment, probate appointment, or other court document. A plain copy may be enough for personal reference, but it does not carry the same proof value.
- Search the case number in Kansas CaseSearch or gather party names and filing details.
- Identify the exact document needed, such as decree, order, judgment, or letters.
- Contact the Kearny County District Court clerk by phone, mail, or in person.
- Ask for the copy cost, certification cost, mailing cost, and accepted payment method.
- Submit the request with enough case information and delivery details.
- Allow extra time for requests made late in the day because after-4-p.m. pleadings may not process until the next business day.
Kearny County Clerk Fees
Kansas Judicial Branch request-court-records guidance supplies the district court copy and certification framework. The Kansas Self-Help fee schedule supplies common filing fees. Kearny-specific extra fees were not published in the research, so confirm payment methods and totals with the clerk before mailing a request.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| District court copies | $0.25 per page |
| Certified district court document | $10 per document |
| Mailing court records | $0.50 first five pages, then $0.25 each additional page |
| Divorce / paternity filing | $195 |
| Divorce / paternity post-judgment motion | $62 |
| Expungement filing | $195 |
| Probate filing | $166 |
| Marriage license | $85.50 plus online processing |
The manifest image from the Kansas Open Records Act fee statute relates to public-record fee authority.
Court-record fees also follow Kansas Judicial Branch rules, so verify the correct fee source for the exact record requested.
City and Court Requests
The City of Lakin is relevant when the record is a city record or a municipal court question. The City of Lakin public records page lists city contact information, including 121 North Main, phone 620-355-6252, fax 620-355-6052, and email cityoflakin@lakinkansas.org. Lakin Municipal Court handles city ordinance and city traffic matters.
The manifest image from the City of Lakin public records page shows the city channel that is separate from Kearny District Court case files.
Use the city public-records channel for city materials, not for district court divorce, probate, criminal, civil, or state traffic case files.
Kearny Clerk Local Context
Kearny County court users often deal with a compact group of Lakin offices. The district court, county attorney, city administrative center, sheriff, county clerk, and museum are all part of the local record environment, but they do not keep the same records. The Clerk of the District Court is the court-record office for district case files.
The manifest image from the Kearny County Museum and Historical Society provides local context for the county seat area, though the museum is not a court-record office.
The museum is useful for local history, while court records must still be requested from the court that keeps them.
The manifest image from the City of Lakin history page helps place the court office in the county seat context.
Lakin's county-seat role explains why district court, city, and county-government record channels are close together but still separate.
Note: The City of Lakin app provides documents, events, news, and push notices, but no court-record lookup was documented.