What are Montgomery County Public Records?
The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) defines Montgomery county public records as any recorded information concerning a transaction with a public official in the county. Any interested resident of Montgomery can request access to view or obtain copies. However, this request must be made during working hours. On the other hand, the agencies in charge of such records respond to the requests within three working days. If access to the records requested is not granted or released immediately, record custodians are to notify the requester in writing explaining the reason for the delay. Subject to K.S.A. 45-219, the record custodian may charge and request a fee in advance for granting access to the needed records.
Notwithstanding, the public can request not all public records. The Kansas open record act considers some records confidential and prevents public access. Some of the exempted records include:
- Medical, alcoholism and psychiatric records of patients
- Personnel records or performance ratings of employees
- Revealing the identity of an undercover agent
- Library, archive and museum materials contributed by private persons
- Criminal investigation records K.S.A. 45-222
- Agencies involved in administrative and civil litigation
- The security information of a public agency
- Financial loans of students
- Research data in the process of analysis
- Correctional records of a released inmate
- Traffic and financial information of rail corporations
- Location of a shelter or a safe house where persons are protected from abuse
- Records of a public agency that identify the home address of a judge
- Software programs for electronic data processing and documentation
- Logs or survey of state corporate commission
- Testing and examination materials. Students exam result
In addition to government agencies, county public records may also be obtained from third-party websites. These non-government platforms come with intuitive tools that allow for extensive searches. Record seekers may opt to use these tools to search for a specific record or multiple records. Users can search third-party websites remotely for multiple records at a time with just the name of the record subject and their last known location, including the city, county or state. Government agencies do not sponsor third-party sites. Because of this, record availability and results may vary.
Montgomery County Crime Statistics
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation - Incident-Based Reporting Unit publishes annual crime statistics submitted by law enforcement in Kansas (sheriff and police department). According to the agency 2019 report, the Montgomery county sheriff department submitted a total report of 204 crime index offenses at a rate of 20.8%, committed including 27 violent crime offenses at a rate of 2.7%, 1 rape incident, 1 robbery case reported 25 aggravated assault and batteries. 177 property crime offenses at a rate of 18.0% (including 82 burglary incidents, 78 thefts, 17 motor vehicle thefts), 9 arson incidents. Total index crimes saw a 5.5% decrease from 2018 to 2019.
Are Montgomery County Criminal Records Public?
As per the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), criminal records are public records. Meanwhile, some criminal records are restricted by the law or court order. The public cannot access those records. To access criminal records in Montgomery county, an interested resident should visit the office of the County Sheriff or send a mail to the address below:
Montgomery County Sheriff Office
300 East Main Street
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330 -1000
Fax: (620) 331 -1686
An alternative way of seeking a criminal record is to check with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The interested applicant should click the criminal history record check to begin the search. It costs $20 to search, but the online search is unavailable at midnight. The record seeker is expected to sign up on the KanAccess portal to view or obtain copies of a criminal record. The online portal is not available at midnight. An interested person can run an online search between 4 am- 12 am daily, including weekends. Also, note that a security process requires the use of an authentication token that will be stored in the cookie session. This protects the system from being used by another person.
How to Obtain Montgomery County Police Reports and Arrest Records?
Requesters can obtain Montgomery County Police Reports from Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Interested parties are to obtain a copy of an accident report from a third party website redirected by the sheriff’s office. Requesters are to provide the date of the accident and case number.
Interested persons should visit the sheriff’s office in person to obtain the arrest record form, which must be made in writing and submitted to the sheriff’s office in person or by fax at:
Sheriff’s office
300 East Main Street
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330-1000
Fax: (620) 331-1686
How to Find Sex Offender Information in Montgomery County?
Record seekers can find Montgomery county sex offender information online via the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (K.B.I.) – Offender Registration Unit. Residents of Montgomery County can find sex offender information by entering the last name and first name of the sex offender for a name search. For a geographical search, residents can search for offenders that live within 1-3 mile radius of a specific address or zip code. The agency also provides other search options for residents by using offenders phone numbers and online identity (Facebook/ Email) to search.
Residents of Montgomery County are to register to the community notification system made available to get notified by email of offenders near an address of interest. Residents are to register with their emails, location name, street, city and zip code to get quick email notifications.
How to Find Montgomery County Inmate Records?
The Montgomery County Sheriff provides record seekers with a jail roster to enable the search of inmates in the county jail. Requesters can find inmates record by inputting inmates names and booking numbers. The bookings page displays a unified list of all booked inmates in jail and contains each inmate’s name, booking number, charges, bond, arresting agency, date, age, sex and race. Record seekers may visit the jail or call the following contact details:
Montgomery County Jail
300 East Main Street
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330-1240
Fax: (620) 330-1119
Montgomery County Court Records
Montgomery County has a district court named “14th judicial district court”, which has the authority to hear civil and criminal cases in the county. The Montgomery County court also hears other cases like juvenile, probate, small claims, family, and collections.
Location of the Court in Montgomery County
14th Judicial District Court
300 E Main Street Suite 201
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330-1070
Fax: (620) 331-6120
Are Montgomery County Court Records Public?
In accordance with the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), the public has the right to inspect and obtain copies of Montgomery county courts records. Montgomery county court sealed by the judge or expunged by the act are not open for the public to view. The clerk of court, the custodian of the court records, receives and disseminates copies of court records requested by public members. Some records like a criminal investigation, juvenile, adoption, and Inquisition proceedings under K.S.A. 22-3101 through K.S.A. 22-3105, abuse protection, sexual assault, and human trafficking protection are restricted from public view.
How to Obtain Montgomery County Civil Court Case Records?
The public can obtain Montgomery civil court records from the district court clerk; requesters are to obtain the record request form in person by calling or downloading from the District Court Website Page. Each request should be appropriately described; names, street addresses, city zip codes and phone numbers should be included. Requesters are to submit the completed request form by fax or in-person to:
Clerk of the District Court
300 E Main Street Suite 201
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330-1070
Fax: (620) 331-6120
How to Obtain Montgomery County Criminal Court Records?
Interested parties can obtain Montgomery county Criminal Court Case Records from the district court clerk. Each record request received from the court clerk in person or by calling must be appropriately described, including names, street address, city zip code and phone number. Interested parties must submit requests to:
Clerk of the District Court
300 E Main Street Suite 201
Independence, KS 67301
Phone: (620) 330-1070
Fax: (620) 331-6120
What are Montgomery County Vital Records?
In Montgomery County, Vital records contain information about a life event: birth, marriage, divorce, and death records. A requester can obtain Montgomery County vital records from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and from Montgomery County Court Clerk where the event occurred. Montgomery County vital records are not open to the general public. However, only a few authorized or eligible persons may obtain certified copies.
Where and How to Get Montgomery County Divorce Records?
In Montgomery County, copies of the certifieddivorce records can only be obtained from the District Court clerk in the county where the divorce occurred. Divorce records can be obtained in person or via mail by submitting a request to the District Court Clerk. Requesters must send a completed Application of Divorce Records to the following address:
Clerk of the District Court
300 East Main Street Suite 201
Independence, KS 67301
Divorce records are not open to the general public. However, only eligible persons may obtain certified copies of the divorce records. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment can only provide you with a Certificate of record. A divorce certificate can be obtained in person, by telephone, or via mail by submitting a request to the KDHE. Requesters must send a completed Application of Divorce Records to the following address:
Kansas Office of Vital Statistics
1000 South West Jackson Suite 120
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (877) 305-8315
The cost of obtaining a divorce record certificate is $15, payable to the KDHE in a money order or check.
Where and How to Get Montgomery County Marriage Records?
Montgomery County Marriage Records are confidential and can only be obtained by individuals named in the record, immediate family members in the records, the attorneys of the couple named in the record, their legal beneficiaries, and those with whom they share joint property rights. A requester can obtain Montgomery County marriage records from the Montgomery District Court Clerk of the county where the license was issued. A requester can also obtain marriage certificates from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. To obtain a marriage certificate by mail or in-person, interested parties must fill out an Application of Marriage Record to the following addresses. The requester should note that the cost of obtaining a marriage certificate is $15and can be paid through money order or check to the KDHE.
Kansas Office of Vital Statistics
1000 South West Jackson Suite 120
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (877) 305-8315
Clerk of the District Court
300 East Main Street Suite 201
Independence, KS 67301
Where and How to Get Montgomery County Birth Records?
In Montgomery County, The Department of Health and Environment provides certified birth records. Certified records are only available to:
- A person named on the record age 18 years and above.
- Members of the registrant immediate family (such as Spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews).
- Legal representatives who must provide written authorization
- A person who can prove a direct interest, such as a named beneficiary or someone who jointly owns properties with the person named on the record.
An eligible person can get birth records by mail by submitting an Application for Certified Birth Record form to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The cost of obtaining a birth record is $15. A requester can get the birth certified copies through a developed mobile App. Also, the requester can obtain copies of birth records by phone call or in-person by visiting the office of the Department of Health and Environment at:
Kansas Office of Vital Statistics
1000 South West Jackson Suite 120
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (877) 305-8315
Where and How to Get Montgomery County Death Records?
In Montgomery County, The Department of Health and Environment provides certified death records. An eligible person can get death records by mail by submitting an Application for Certified Death Record form to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and birth record costs $15. A mobile app was developed in Kansas in which a requester can also obtain death certified copies. Death records are not open for general public inspection, and requesters must meet the eligibility requirements. This signifies that the requester:
- Must be named on the requested death record;
- Must be an immediate family member; or
- Must be someone who can provide legal proof that the record requested is required to determine personal or property rights or that such person is a named beneficiary or someone who jointly owns property with the deceased.
Moreso, the requester can obtain copies of death records by phone call or in-person by visiting the office of the Department of Health and Environment at:
Kansas Office of Vital Statistics
1000 South West Jackson Suite 120
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (877) 305-8315
In addition to government agencies, county public records may also be obtained from third-party websites. These non-government platforms come with intuitive tools that allow for expansive searches. Record seekers may either opt to use these tools to search for a specific record or multiple records. Users are able to search third-party websites remotely for multiple records at a time with just the name of the record subject and their last known location, including the city, county, or state. Third-party sites are not sponsored by government agencies. Because of this, record availability and results may vary.
