Search Butler County Court Records
District court case lookup begins with Kansas District Court CaseSearch, the statewide public system for Kansas district court records. For Butler County, that means public case information from the District Court in the 13th Judicial District. CaseSearch supports searches by case number, party name, business name, citation, and role-based criteria. It is the first path for civil, criminal, domestic, probate, small claims, and traffic cases filed at district court level.
The online system is not the only access channel. Open files that are not available online may be reviewed by appointment through the Butler County District Court. The court asks requesters to call the clerk, provide the case number when possible, and use the designated public review room or public access computer. Written record requests are also available, and the clerk has three business days to respond under the court's stated process and Kansas open-records guidance.
- Start with CaseSearch and choose the search field that matches the information you have.
- Use the case number first when it is known because it is the cleanest search key.
- Search by party, business, or citation when the case number is not known.
- Review docket entries, hearing dates, parties, case status, and public documents if available.
- Call the clerk for a courthouse file-review appointment or a certified copy when the online result is incomplete.
The 13th Judicial District homepage links court users to Smart Search, fines, forms, and district resources for Butler, Elk, and Greenwood counties.
The district homepage matters because Butler County court records are part of that larger 13th Judicial District structure, not an isolated county-only court system.
Butler County CaseSearch Fields
CaseSearch does not work like a county-only index. It searches Kansas district court cases statewide, then returns records tied to the court and county in the result. A broad name search can return cases from more than one county. A citation search can help when a traffic matter or citation-linked district case has moved beyond a municipal payment screen.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | No | Best when scheduling courthouse review or ordering copies. |
| Party Name | Text | No | Used for individual parties in district court cases. |
| Business Name | Text | No | Used for company or organization party searches. |
| Citation | Text | No | Useful for traffic matters filed or appealed in district court. |
| Role Criteria | Role-based | No | Extra filters may depend on user role or account access. |
The Kansas Judicial Branch district court records page explains that CaseSearch replaced the former public access portal for district court records.
That change is important for older bookmarks because the state now points public district court searches to the CaseSearch site.
Butler County Court System
Kansas uses district courts as its main trial courts. Butler County is in the 13th Judicial District with Elk and Greenwood counties. The District Court hears felony criminal cases, civil jury trials, domestic relations, probate, juvenile matters, care and treatment cases, small claims, limited actions, and appeals from municipal courts. The district has four district judges and two district magistrate judges across the three-county district.
Municipal courts in El Dorado, Augusta, Andover, Rose Hill, and other cities handle city ordinance cases, traffic violations, nuisance matters, animal control, code violations, and many misdemeanor ordinance cases. A municipal conviction can be appealed to Butler County District Court for a new trial under Kansas procedure.
Case flow: Municipal Court › Butler County District Court › Kansas Court of Appeals › Kansas Supreme Court.
| Court | Role | Common Butler County Records |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas Supreme Court | Highest state court | Rules, final review, statewide court administration. |
| Kansas Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate court | Appeals from district court judgments. |
| Butler County District Court | Primary trial court | Criminal, civil, domestic, probate, juvenile, small claims, traffic, and appeals. |
| Municipal Courts | City ordinance courts | City traffic, nuisance, code, animal control, and ordinance misdemeanor cases. |
The Kansas Judicial Branch profile for the 13th Judicial District identifies Butler County's courthouse, clerk, and judicial district context.
The state profile helps confirm that Butler County court records belong to the District Court structure used throughout Kansas.
Butler County Court Locations
The main court filing location is the Butler County Judicial Center at 201 W. Pine, Suite 101, El Dorado, Kansas 67042. The main district court phone is 316-322-4370, and the fax is 316-321-9486. The county government district court page lists Monday through Friday hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 13th Judicial District Butler County page also gives division lines for traffic, criminal, civil, probate, juvenile, domestic, jury, and small claims matters.
The county administrative courthouse is separate. The County Clerk works at 205 W. Central Ave., 2nd Floor, El Dorado, Kansas 67042, while the District Court and Clerk of the District Court are at the judicial center on West Pine. That distinction prevents many wrong-office trips because county administrative records, register of deeds records, and court case files are not held by one office.
Butler County Judicial Center
201 W. Pine, Suite 101
El Dorado, KS 67042
316-322-4370
County Administrative Courthouse
205 W. Central Ave.
El Dorado, KS 67042
316-322-4300
County Clerk and county administrative offices
Adult Detention Facility
701 South Stone Road
El Dorado, KS 67042
316-322-4160
Sheriff detention and jail roster records
The Butler County District Court department page gives the county's local address, phone, fax, and hours for district court business.
The county page is useful when the question is practical, such as where to call, where to go, and which building handles district court records.
Butler County Court Access
The public-entry process at the judicial center is unusually specific. Visitors enter from the north side, check in, go through screening, receive a printed name badge, and have items scanned before entry. A document and payment drop box is inside the north entrance for items that must go to the clerk of the court or the Court Services Officer Department. Staff retrieve drop-box items Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
Public file review is appointment-based. The court says open court files may be accessed by calling 316-322-4370, and the person making the appointment should provide the case number. The court provides a designated room for public file review and keeps a separate public access computer apart from court offices.
The official Butler County District Court page describes the screening process, public access appointments, the drop box, clerk division contacts, and court fees.
Those details are local to the Butler County Judicial Center and should be checked before relying on a walk-in visit for file review.
Note: Court records available online may still need clerk certification before they can be used for legal, title, or agency purposes.
Butler County Court Record Types
Butler County District Court records include civil petitions, criminal complaints and informations, domestic relations cases, divorce decrees, probate files, juvenile matters to the extent public, small claims, limited actions, protection orders, traffic cases filed in district court, care and treatment cases, and municipal appeals. The County Attorney prosecutes criminal and traffic offenses, Child in Need of Care cases, juvenile offender matters, and care and treatment actions.
City courts keep many local records outside the district court case file. El Dorado Municipal Court handles animal control, misdemeanor, nuisance, and traffic cases. Augusta Municipal Court handles traffic and municipal matters with a Tuesday schedule and payment options. Andover Municipal Court handles traffic, misdemeanor criminal, and code violations. Rose Hill Municipal Court handles traffic, misdemeanor public offense, and city ordinance violations.
- Criminal court records show charges, pleas, hearings, disposition, sentence, probation, costs, and restitution.
- Civil court records show petitions, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, liens, and appeals.
- Domestic records include divorce, child support, parenting time, parentage, and protection order filings.
- Probate records cover estates, wills, inventories, accountings, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Traffic records may be held by district court or the city municipal court that issued the citation.
What Butler County Court Records Show
A district court record is a structured case file. It usually starts with a case number, case type, filing date, court, parties, and attorneys. Later docket entries may show summonses, warrants, service returns, motions, orders, hearings, continuances, pleas, judgments, sentencing, satisfaction, appeal entries, and financial balances. Some documents may be public only at the courthouse or by copy request.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The main identifier for CaseSearch, clerk requests, and file-review appointments. |
| Case Type | Criminal, civil, domestic, probate, juvenile, small claims, traffic, or care and treatment. |
| Parties | State, plaintiff, petitioner, defendant, respondent, or protected parties where public. |
| Docket Entries | Chronological filings, hearings, orders, notices, warrants, and continuances. |
| Status | Pending, active, disposed, dismissed, closed, sealed, expunged, transferred, or appealed. |
| Financials | Fines, costs, fees, restitution, bond, and payment balances where public. |
Butler County Public Access Rules
Kansas public access starts with the policy in K.S.A. 45-216, which says public records are open for inspection unless the law provides otherwise. Court electronic access is also shaped by Kansas Supreme Court Rule 106B, which governs public access and confidentiality for district court electronic case records.
The Kansas Open Records Act does not make every court document public. Sealed files, expunged criminal records, juvenile-confidential records, adoption records, protected health material, personal identifiers, and records restricted by court order may be blocked or redacted. A person may see a docket gap, a limited entry, or no result at all when the case is restricted.
Key Statutes:
K.S.A. 45-216 states Kansas public policy favoring open public records.
K.S.A. 45-219 supports copy fees and cost recovery for public-record requests.
K.S.A. 45-221 lists records a public agency is not required to disclose.
K.S.A. 21-6614 addresses expungement of certain convictions, arrest records, and diversion agreements.
The Kansas district court records instructions explain the statewide access route and records not available online.
The state instructions should be paired with Butler County clerk channels when a record needs certification, staff research, or courthouse file review.
Butler County Court Record Fees
The district court fee schedule in the research file separates court-copy costs from broader county open-records costs. A plain district court copy has a minimum per-page fee, while certification, staff research, email research over one hour, fax copies, and recorded hearing copies use separate charges. County administrative records use the county open-records fee schedule, and Register of Deeds copies have their own rules.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| District court copy | Minimum $0.50 per page |
| Certification fee | Minimum $1 per certified document |
| Authentication packet | Minimum $3 per packet |
| Fax copy | Minimum $1 per page |
| Research fee | Minimum $12 per hour |
| Recorded hearing copy | Flat $50 per hearing, up to one day |
Restricted Butler County Records
Restricted Butler County court records include expunged criminal records, sealed cases, many juvenile offender and Child in Need of Care records, adoption records, care and treatment files, protected-address material, medical or mental-health information, and personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers and financial account data. Protection-order and domestic cases may be public in part while still shielding addresses, minor details, or confidential filings.
Expungement in Kansas limits ordinary public access, but it does not erase the event for every possible use. Courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, licensing entities, and other agencies may still have access when a statute allows it. Municipal expungement is separate from district court expungement, and Rose Hill Municipal Court gives one local example of a non-refundable municipal expungement filing fee.
Butler County Sheriff Records
The Butler County Sheriff's Office is at 141 South Gordy in El Dorado. Sheriff Monty Hughey leads the agency, with Daimon Cundiff listed as undersheriff and Larry Reynolds listed as detention administrator in the county directory. The sheriff serves a large county of roughly 1,472 square miles, and the detention facility holds county inmates as well as U.S. Marshal Service, immigration, and outside-agency inmates.
The Adult Detention Facility at 701 South Stone Road uses dated PDF jail rosters rather than a searchable name form on the current detention page. The facility has 230 beds, opened in January 2003, and uses NCIC for phone and video services. JailATM and CBM Managed Services handle commissary and banking services. The sheriff's Apple app listing is noted in research, but no official app-only inmate or warrant search was confirmed.
Butler County Warrants And Traffic
The sheriff's offenders and warrants page posts some possible active warrants, but it warns that the list is not confirmation that a warrant is active and cannot be used as probable cause for legal action. Confirmation must come through personal contact with Butler County Emergency Communications, the jail, or the Sheriff's Office. District court bench or criminal warrants may also require the criminal division or clerk, while municipal bench warrants require the issuing city court.
Traffic court records are split. District court traffic matters may be searched through CaseSearch by citation, case number, or party name. City traffic cases often begin in municipal court. El Dorado, Augusta, Andover, and Rose Hill each publish different payment, court-date, and records-request practices. Andover warns that its payment software is not linked to the court system, so the payer must enter the correct amount.
Butler County Marriage And Probate
Kansas marriage licenses are handled through the statewide online marriage license portal, and applicants may choose any Kansas county to process the electronic license. Butler County probate and marriage-license questions route through the district court probate/marriage line. KDHE has certified marriage certificates from May 1, 1913, and certified divorce certificates from July 1, 1951.
Divorce decrees are district court records, not KDHE certificates. Probate records are handled by the Probate Division of the District Court and may include estates, wills, small-estate affidavits, inventories, accountings, orders, guardianships, conservatorships, and care and treatment matters. Real-property transfers tied to estates may also require a Register of Deeds search.
Interpret Butler County Case Records
Several court-record terms affect how a Butler County case should be read. A docket is the chronological event list. A disposition is the current or final outcome of a case or charge. A complaint can start a civil case or criminal charge. An information is the prosecutor's formal criminal charging document. A continuance is a court-approved postponement. An expungement limits public access to qualifying records after a court process.
- Charge
- An allegation filed by a prosecutor or cited by an officer. It is not the same as a conviction.
- Conviction
- A final finding or plea that results in guilt on a criminal or traffic offense.
- Bench warrant
- A warrant issued by a judge, often after missed court or failure to comply.
- Certified copy
- A clerk-issued copy with certification for legal or official use.
History Of Butler County Courts
Butler County is one of Kansas's original territorial counties. El Dorado is the county seat and remains the court and administrative hub. The historic county courthouse on West Central Avenue and the modern judicial center on West Pine now divide public business between county administration and district court case work. That split reflects a practical change in how local court records are accessed.
Court technology has changed as well. Kansas eCourt and CaseSearch replaced older public access portal practices, while Butler County still preserves local file-review rules, screening, clerk division phone lines, and a physical drop box. Recent court administration also remains tied to the 13th Judicial District, where Chief Judge David Ricke was reappointed in 2025.
The 13th Judicial District court administration page lists judge divisions, assistants, court rules, and administrative orders for the district.
That division list helps readers connect a Butler County docket entry to the judge or division named in the court record.
Butler County Court FAQ
Where do Butler County court records start?
Most district court searches start with Kansas CaseSearch. If the record is not online or needs certification, use the Clerk of the District Court and the courthouse public access process.
Are municipal traffic tickets in CaseSearch?
Some district traffic matters may appear in CaseSearch, but many city ordinance traffic tickets stay with the municipal court that issued the citation unless appealed or otherwise filed in district court.
Can an online record replace a certified copy?
No. Online information can help locate a file, but legal, title, employment, agency, or court uses may require a certified copy from the proper clerk.
Who confirms Butler County warrants?
The sheriff's online warrant list is not confirmation. Active warrant status must be confirmed through the sheriff, jail, emergency communications, district court, or the issuing municipal court.