The Register of Deeds office files and records documents that pertain to real estate. These documents include deeds, mortgages, easements, oil and gas leases, affidavits and plats. Filing fees are set by state statute. Documents presented for filing are given a filing time, book and page and then indexed according to names and legal descriptions. With all these indexing methods, documents are usually easy to find. Copies of any documents are made for a small fee. This office also files liens on personal property-also known as UCC(Uniform Commercial Code) filings. These would include federal and state tax liens, liens for automobile repair and liens on fixtures to real estate.

Military records are filed if brought to the office for safe keeping, at no charge, according to statute, and school census records from the former County Superintendent's office are kept and maintained in the office.

Our Pledge

"To serve the public and preserve the records of all real estate and related transactions with professionalism and courtesy to all our constituents."

 

Function of Department

The Register of Deeds is an elected official who is required by the laws of the State of Kansas to record all documents submitted by the public which are qualified to be recorded; maintain an up to date and accurate set of indexes which show the correct ownership of land in the entire county and perform all functions of a clerical and technical nature to accomplish that objective.

Most people know that the Register of Deeds office is responsible for the recording of deeds, but did you know that this office also records several hundred different kinds of documents? Some of them are: mortgages and liens, oil and gas leases, plats of additions to the city, military discharge records, power of attorneys, cemetery records, road records and school records. A number of steps are taken when a document is presented or mailed for recording. The document is examined for any apparent errors, then given a time, book and page number and entered by name and legal description in various indexes. The indexes are used to provide easy access to the land records. Attorneys, financial institutions, buyers, sellers, real estate developers, surveyors, landlords, tenants, abstract and title insurance companies, to name just a few, all RELY upon the correct recording of instruments relating to real estate.

All of the services offered by the Register of Deeds office are fee based, these fees being set by state statute. The Register of Deeds office generates a sizable income that is deposited into the county general fund. The Register of Deeds office performs some very important functions. Other organizations, local government departments and individuals depend upon the accuracy of the information provided to them by the Register of Deeds office. The earliest records in the Recorders office, written in elaborate manuscript, date back to 1886. Among the early records are the Patents recorded when land was bought from the United States government that are signed by the President of the United States. Genealogists researching their lineage are relying more and more on the early records of the county. Their search usually starts in the Register of Deeds office.