Montgomery County Court Records
How To Find Court Records in Montgomery County in 2026
Members of the public seeking court records in Montgomery County, Kansas, may access publicly available case information through several official channels. MontgomeryKSRecords.us provides a directory of resources related to court records and related public information maintained by government agencies. Depending on the case type and the applicable access rules, records available through official sources may include:
- Criminal case filings, charges, and dispositions
- Civil complaints, judgments, and orders
- Family law matters, including divorce and custody proceedings
- Probate filings and estate records
- Traffic citations and municipal court records
- Small claims filings and judgments
Court records in Montgomery County may be searched through the following methods:
1. Clerk of Court or Court Records Office The Clerk of the District Court maintains the official case files for Montgomery County. Members of the public may visit the clerk's office in person to request access to case files. Providing a case number, party name, or approximate filing date assists staff in locating records efficiently. Fees may apply for copies.
2. Courthouse Public Access Terminals Public access computer terminals are available at the Montgomery County courthouse. These terminals allow members of the public to search case index information without charge during regular business hours.
3. Online Court Search The Kansas Judicial Branch operates Kansas Case Search, a statewide online portal through which members of the public may search district court records by case number or party name, including records from Montgomery County.
4. State-Level Judicial Search Tools The Kansas Judicial Center provides guidance on searching district court records as courts transition to a centralized case management system. As additional courts are onboarded, more records become available through the online portal.
5. Written or Mail Requests Members of the public who are unable to appear in person may submit written requests to the Clerk of the District Court. Requests should identify the case by number or party name, specify the records sought, and include applicable fees or a fee waiver request where authorized.
Montgomery County District Court – Clerk of Court
300 E. Main St.
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330-1070
Kansas Judicial Branch – Public Court Records
Are Court Records Public In Montgomery County
Court records in Montgomery County are subject to public access under the Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. § 45-215 et seq., which establishes a general presumption that public records maintained by government agencies, including courts, are open to inspection. As stated by the Kansas Judicial Branch, "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."
Records that are generally public include:
- Case docket entries and index information
- Party names (plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent)
- Scheduled hearing dates and courtroom assignments
- Filed pleadings, motions, and responses
- Court orders and final judgments
- Sentencing entries and probation terms in criminal matters
- Divorce decrees and civil judgments (subject to redaction of protected identifiers)
Records that may be confidential, sealed, or restricted include:
- Juvenile offender and child in need of care (CINC) records, protected under K.S.A. § 38-2209
- Adoption records and related proceedings
- Mental health commitment records
- Expunged criminal records
- Sealed filings ordered by the court
- Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and dates of birth in certain filings
Members of the public may inspect most records in person at the courthouse. Online access through the Kansas Case Search portal may reflect index-level information rather than full document images, depending on the case type and the court's current digitization status.
What Are Court Records in Montgomery County?
Court records are the official documents and data generated by the judicial system in connection with a case from the time of initial filing through final disposition and any subsequent appeal. In practical terms, a court record encompasses everything the clerk of court receives, files, and maintains as part of a case file.
The distinction between a docket entry and a full case file is significant. A docket is a chronological index of all actions taken in a case — filings, hearings, orders, and status changes — while the full case file contains the actual documents underlying those entries. Both are part of the official court record, but access to document images may differ from access to docket index data.
Civil court records arise from disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, including contract claims, personal injury actions, landlord-tenant matters, and small claims. Criminal court records document the prosecution of individuals charged with violations of state law, from initial appearance through sentencing or acquittal.
Filed pleadings are the documents parties submit to initiate or respond to litigation, while final judgments represent the court's conclusive resolution of the matter. Public filings are accessible to any member of the public; sealed or restricted filings are withheld from public view by court order or statute.
Trial court records are maintained by the Clerk of the District Court at the local courthouse. Appellate records — including records transmitted to the Kansas Court of Appeals or Kansas Supreme Court — are maintained by the appellate clerk and may be accessed through the appellate court system. The 14th Judicial District, which serves Montgomery County, is administered under the Kansas Judicial Branch's unified court system.
Court records are created when a party files an initial document — a petition, complaint, or charging instrument — and are updated continuously as the case progresses through hearings, motions, orders, and ultimately a final disposition.
What's Included in a Montgomery County Court Record?
A court record in Montgomery County may contain the following information, depending on case type and applicable public-access rules:
- Case number assigned at filing
- Court name and division (e.g., District Court, Division 1)
- Filing date and case initiation information
- Party names, including plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and attorneys of record
- Case type and current status (active, closed, appealed)
- Docket entries listing each action taken in chronological order
- Scheduled and past hearing dates, including continuances
- Motions, complaints, petitions, answers, and responses
- Court orders, including temporary and permanent orders
- Judgments, decrees, and sentencing entries
- Minute entries summarizing in-court proceedings
- Outcome information, such as dismissals, pleas, convictions, acquittals, custody rulings, probate orders, or appellate decisions
- Financial information where publicly shown, including filing fees, assessed costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information
Records that are commonly excluded or restricted from public access include sealed filings, expunged criminal matters, juvenile case files, adoption records, protected personal data (such as Social Security numbers and financial account numbers), and certain exhibits admitted under seal.
Types of Courts in Montgomery County
Montgomery County is served by the 14th Judicial District of the Kansas District Court system. The Kansas District Court is the state's court of general jurisdiction, meaning it hears a broad range of case types at the trial level. As described by the Kansas Judicial Branch, the 14th Judicial District currently includes Chief Judge Jeffrey Gettler and District Court Judges F. Williams Cullins and Jeffrey Gossard, all serving Montgomery County.
The court structure serving Montgomery County includes:
- Kansas District Court (14th Judicial District) — the primary trial court with general jurisdiction over civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic matters
- Municipal Courts — operated by individual cities within Montgomery County (such as Independence and Coffeyville) to hear ordinance violations and traffic infractions within city limits
- Kansas Court of Appeals and Kansas Supreme Court — appellate courts that review decisions from the district court; records are maintained separately by the appellate clerk
What Types of Cases Do Montgomery County Courts Hear
The 14th Judicial District hears the following categories of cases:
- Criminal matters: felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions under Kansas law
- Civil matters: contract disputes, personal injury, property claims, and landlord-tenant actions
- Family law: divorce, legal separation, child custody, child support, and protection orders
- Probate: wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships
- Juvenile matters: juvenile offender cases and child in need of care proceedings (access restricted under K.S.A. § 38-2209)
- Traffic: moving violations and license-related matters
- Small claims: civil disputes involving limited monetary amounts
- Municipal court matters: city ordinance violations heard at the municipal level
The Clerk of the District Court maintains official records for all district court proceedings. Municipal court records are maintained separately by each city's municipal court clerk.
Montgomery County District Court
300 E. Main St.
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330-1070
14th Judicial District – Kansas Courts
How to Search Montgomery County Court Records for Free?
Several methods for accessing Montgomery County court records are available at no cost to members of the public.
Free access methods include:
- In-person inspection at the courthouse: Members of the public may inspect case files and docket information at the Clerk of the District Court's office during regular business hours at no charge.
- Courthouse public access terminals: Computer terminals located within the courthouse allow free index-level searches of case records.
- Kansas Case Search online portal: The Kansas Case Search system provides free online access to district court case index information, searchable by party name or case number.
What typically requires payment:
| Service | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Photocopies of case documents | $0.25 per page (standard clerk fee) |
| Certified copies of court records | $1.50 per page plus certification fee |
| Exemplified/authenticated copies | Additional fee per court schedule |
| Research by clerk staff | May be assessed for extensive requests |
Fee schedules for the Clerk of the District Court are established under Kansas court rules and may be confirmed directly with the clerk's office. The Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. § 45-219, governs the fees that agencies may charge for providing copies of public records.
How Long Does Montgomery County Keep Court Records?
The retention period for court records in Montgomery County varies by case type and is governed by the Kansas Supreme Court's records retention schedules applicable to district courts. Retention periods are established to ensure that records remain available for the duration of their legal and administrative usefulness.
Retention periods by case type include the following general categories:
- Criminal felony records: Retained permanently or for extended periods given the severity of the offense and potential for post-conviction proceedings
- Criminal misdemeanor and traffic records: Retained for a defined period following case closure, which may range from several years to a decade or more depending on the offense
- Civil case files: Retained for a period following final judgment, with longer retention for cases involving real property or significant monetary judgments
- Probate records: Retained for extended periods, as estate and guardianship matters may have long-term legal significance
- Family law records: Retained for extended periods, particularly where child custody or support orders remain in effect
- Docket books and minute records: Retained permanently as the official chronological record of court proceedings
- Judgments: Retained permanently or for the duration of enforceability under Kansas law
Paper case files may be destroyed following imaging, microfilming, or transfer to archival storage, provided that the record content is preserved in an accessible format. Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, or county and judicial archives. Destruction, archival retention, sealing, redaction, and expungement are distinct processes: destruction eliminates the physical record; archival retention preserves it in a non-active repository; sealing restricts access without destroying the record; redaction removes specific information from a publicly accessible document; and expungement, where authorized by statute, removes a record from public access and may authorize its destruction under applicable Kansas law.
How To Find a Court Docket in Montgomery County
A court docket is the official chronological index of all actions taken in a specific case. It differs from the full case file in that it records what happened and when — filings, hearings, orders, continuances, and status changes — without necessarily containing the full text of the underlying documents. The docket serves as the navigational record of a case's procedural history.
Members of the public may locate a court docket in Montgomery County through the following methods:
- Kansas Case Search portal: The Kansas Case Search system allows users to search for cases by party name or case number and view docket-level information for Montgomery County district court cases. Users should select "Montgomery-Coffeyville County" or "Montgomery-Independence County" as applicable when filtering by location.
- Courthouse public access terminals: Terminals at the Montgomery County courthouse provide docket index access during business hours.
- Clerk of Court request: Members of the public may request a printed docket sheet from the Clerk of the District Court, which may be subject to a per-page copy fee.
To locate a docket through the Kansas Case Search portal, a user should navigate to the search interface, enter the party's name or case number, select the appropriate Montgomery County division, and review the results for the relevant case. The docket view will display a list of entries with dates, filing descriptions, and hearing information.
A court docket entry may include:
- Hearing dates, times, and courtroom assignments
- Continuances and rescheduled proceedings
- Motions filed and their disposition
- Orders entered by the court
- Minute entries summarizing in-court proceedings
- Status updates and case milestones
A docket entry does not include the full text of filed documents, sealed entries, confidential attachments, or exhibits admitted under seal. Hearing calendars and daily court schedules may be available separately through the clerk's office or posted at the courthouse. As the Kansas Judicial Branch notes, "[p]ublic court records are accessible at each courthouse and through a variety of online searches," and the Kansas Courts public access page provides current guidance on available search tools.