McPherson County Clerk Overview
The court-record office for McPherson County is the Clerk of the District Court. The local District Court page names Cindy Teter as Clerk of the District Court, and the county Freedom of Information page also names Cindy Teter as the District Court Freedom of Information Officer. That matters because Kansas counties also have a County Clerk and a Register of Deeds. Those offices hold important public records, but they do not maintain the District Court case file for a divorce, probate estate, criminal case, small claim, traffic case, civil judgment, or juvenile matter.
The Clerk of the District Court works from the courthouse in downtown McPherson and handles the filing and record side of cases assigned to the Kansas District Court. The same local court page lists civil, criminal, juvenile, probate, small claims, and traffic under the District Court office. For a court user, the clerk is the practical point of contact for file searches, copies, certified documents, courthouse-terminal access, and questions about whether a record is available to the public under Kansas court rules.
McPherson County District Court
Clerk: Cindy Teter
117 N. Maple
P.O. Box 1106
McPherson, KS 67460
620-241-3422
Fax: 620-241-1372
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The county's official Freedom of Information contact page separates District Court records from county administrative records. District Court requests route to the Clerk of the District Court. County records route to Rick Witte, the County Administrator and county Freedom of Information officer. That split helps avoid delay when a request involves a court judgment on one hand and election, property, budget, or administrative records on the other.
The local FOI source reinforces that court files and county agency records have separate custodians.
What the McPherson Clerk Does
The Clerk of the District Court is the record custodian for filed case material in McPherson County District Court. The office receives pleadings, keeps the case docket, processes copy requests, supports public access at the courthouse, and handles local questions about files that do not appear in the statewide online search. Court staff also connect users with related District Court functions, including marriage-license information, protection-order filing locations, traffic matters, and probate records handled through the District Court rather than a separate probate court.
- Maintains McPherson County District Court files for civil, criminal, juvenile, probate, small claims, traffic, and domestic matters.
- Provides public record access through the clerk counter, courthouse resources, and Kansas court access channels when the file is public.
- Processes copy and certification requests for eligible court documents.
- Routes restricted, sealed, juvenile, expunged, or confidential record questions under Kansas court rules and KORA limits.
- Serves as the District Court Freedom of Information contact for court records.
McPherson County's records request and fee page says a requester may be asked to put a request in writing, describe the record with enough detail, and pay fees in advance when staff time, copies, or reproduction costs apply. The page is written for county records as a whole, but the same practical lesson applies to court files: bring names, dates, case numbers, and document types. A request for "my divorce papers" is harder to process than a request for a certified copy of a decree in a named case.
The request-fee source is useful when a clerk asks for a written request or payment before copies are prepared.
The county's records and exceptions page also explains why some material is not open. Criminal investigation records, medical records, personnel information, protected legal material, and other statutory exceptions may be closed. Court records add their own limits, including sealed cases, juvenile matters, adoption files, expunged cases, protected addresses, and redacted personal identifiers.
The exceptions list explains why a case file can be partly public while specific documents or details remain closed.
Request Certified Court Copies
A certified copy is a copy the clerk authenticates as an official court document. People often need certified copies for a divorce decree, judgment, name change, probate order, guardianship order, or another filing that must be accepted by a government agency, bank, school, employer, or another court. An online search result or plain photocopy may help identify the case, but it is not the same as a certified document from the Clerk of the District Court.
- Search Kansas Case Search or existing paperwork for the case number, party names, case type, and filing year.
- Contact the McPherson County Clerk of the District Court at 620-241-3422 or visit the courthouse counter to confirm the file is public and available.
- Identify the exact document needed, such as decree, journal entry, order, judgment, disposition, or probate appointment order.
- Ask for the current copy and certification cost before mailing payment or appearing in person.
- Submit the request with the needed identifying details, payment, and mailing instructions if the copy will not be picked up at the counter.
The statewide court-record access route is Kansas Case Search. It can help locate public district-court case information by case number, party name, business name, citation, or other available criteria. If the record does not appear online, Kansas Judicial Branch material says district court case records can also be searched at courthouse terminals. The clerk remains the local source for document copies, certification, older files, and public-access questions tied to a McPherson County case.
Note: If a file is sealed, expunged, juvenile, adoption-related, or otherwise restricted, the clerk may require a court order or deny public release.
McPherson Request Details
The county KORA process asks requesters to be specific and to work with the custodian or Freedom of Information officer. For court records, that means using case facts that let the Clerk of the District Court find the file without creating a custom report. Kansas open-records rules apply to existing records. The county says a custodian may ask follow-up questions, may require a written request, may request fees in advance, and generally should provide the record or explain delay or denial within three business days.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Helpful | Use the full number from Kansas Case Search, a pleading, citation, docket, or prior order when known. |
| Party names | Yes | List legal names and any known prior names for divorce, probate, criminal, or civil files. |
| Case type | Yes | Identify civil, criminal, juvenile, probate, small claims, traffic, domestic, or protection-order matter. |
| Document type | Yes | State whether the request is for a decree, judgment, journal entry, order, docket sheet, or certified copy. |
| Copy format | Yes | Say plain copy or certified copy, and give the number of copies needed. |
| Delivery details | Conditional | Give pickup, mailing address, and contact information if the clerk needs payment or clarification. |
The county's denial-reasons page lists agency custodians and explains that some denials rest on statutory exceptions. It also makes clear that the county does not have to create a new record, answer legal questions, or do analysis in place of producing an existing record. A court-record request should ask for the record itself, not for a legal conclusion about what the record means.
The official denial and agency-custodian information appears on the county's Reasons for Denial and Agencies Represented page.
That custodian list helps route non-court requests away from the District Court clerk when another agency holds the record.
McPherson County Clerk Fees
The research located county KORA fee authority and Kansas court copy-fee snippets, but not a complete McPherson County District Court filing-fee schedule on the local page. Confirm current amounts with the Clerk of the District Court before mailing payment. For county KORA records, McPherson County says fees may include copying, reproduction, and staff time, and payment may be requested in advance.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| District court plain copies | Kansas court source snippet states 25 cents per page. |
| District court certified document | Kansas court source snippet states $10 per certified document. |
| District court mailing | Kansas court source snippet states 50 cents for first five pages and 25 cents per added five-page increment. |
| County KORA copies and staff time | McPherson County says fees may include copying, reproduction, and staff time; exact local dollar amounts were not located. |
| Marriage license | Kansas Courts self-help lists $85.50, plus card or debit processing fee when applicable. |
Kansas statutes also matter for fees. K.S.A. 45-219 allows fees and costs for inspection and copies within statutory limits, while K.S.A. 45-218 addresses inspection requests, responses, and refusal issues. The Kansas Open Records Act is not a free custom-research service. It is an access law for public records that are open and already exist.
Common McPherson Clerk Records
The McPherson County Clerk of the District Court is the local office for several high-demand court record categories. Divorce decrees and family case filings are District Court records. Probate matters are handled in the Probate division of the District Court. Protection from Abuse and Protection from Stalking orders can be requested through the District Court Clerk on the second floor of the courthouse. Marriage licenses are started through the Kansas Courts online process, but completed marriage licenses are first filed with the district court clerk before state vital-record processing.
- McPherson County marriage-license page - local District Court page pointing applicants to the Kansas Courts online application.
- Kansas Courts marriage-license application - statewide online application and payment process.
- Probate division of the District Court records - local probate, estate, guardianship, and conservatorship record access.
- McPherson County court records - broader district-court record search and access channels.
The County Clerk and Register of Deeds are separate offices. Hollie D. Melroy is listed as County Clerk, with an office at 117 N. Maple, P.O. Box 425, phone 620-241-3656. Laurie B. Wiziarde is listed as Register of Deeds, with an office at 117 N. Maple St., P.O. Box 86, phone 620-241-5050. Those offices handle elections, county administrative materials, property instruments, and related county records, not the filed District Court case record.
The county's County Clerk page is the source for the administrative clerk office.
That office is important for county government records, but it is not the Clerk of the District Court.
The county's Register of Deeds page identifies the real-estate records office.
Property instruments should be requested from the Register of Deeds rather than the District Court clerk.
Online, Mail, and Counter Access
McPherson County does not publish a separate county-built case search. Public district-court case information uses the statewide Kansas eCourt access path, with Kansas Case Search online and courthouse access for public terminals or clerk-assisted records. For cases that are old, unavailable online, restricted, or document-copy focused, contact the Clerk of the District Court directly by phone, mail, or in person. Mail should use the court's P.O. Box when sending written requests or payments.
The local court office is also a useful point of separation between court and non-court records. A sheriff records or warrant request may route to the Law Enforcement Center. A county budget or election request may route to the County Clerk or county Freedom of Information officer. A deed request belongs with the Register of Deeds. A District Court case file, certified judgment, divorce decree, probate order, or traffic court case belongs with the Clerk of the District Court.
The county KORA process states most records should be produced within three business days, or the custodian should explain delay or denial in writing. Court records may have additional access rules under Kansas Supreme Court Rule 22 and case-specific confidentiality law.