Franklin County Clerk Office
Franklin County court records are handled by the Clerk of the District Court, not by a Texas-style split district clerk and county clerk model. The Franklin court office page identifies Theresa Morrow as Clerk of the District Court. The office is part of the Fourth Judicial District, and it is the county-level court-records counter for district court case files, public-access terminals, certified copies, and older court-related records.
The district court clerk should be separated from the Franklin County Clerk and Freedom of Information Officer. The county FOI officer handles county administrative open records, such as minutes, policies, county budgets, salaries, and other county documents. The Clerk of the District Court handles court case files and court copy questions. Asking the right clerk saves time, because a county KORA request does not replace the district court process for case documents.
Franklin County's open-records brochure names Janet Paddock, County Clerk, as the Freedom of Information Officer for county administrative records. That office is at the county government address, not the district court address. The split is narrow but important. A request for a district court divorce file, probate order, criminal judgment, or traffic case record should be directed to the district court clerk. A request for county policies, budgets, open-meeting minutes, or county employee salary records belongs with the county FOI process.
Franklin Clerk of District Court
Clerk: Theresa Morrow
301 S. Main
Ottawa, KS 66067
(785) 242-6000
Fax: (785) 242-5970
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The clerk's noon closure is a practical access issue. A person who needs a public terminal, copy estimate, or counter help should plan around the lunch break and confirm holiday or training closures before traveling.
Franklin Clerk Record Duties
The Franklin County Clerk of the District Court maintains district court records for criminal, civil, domestic, probate, juvenile, traffic, small claims, and other Kansas district court case types. The office supports public access through courthouse computers and clerk counter service. Court staff can help a user locate records or understand how to use a terminal, but staff cannot give legal advice or choose forms for a party.
- Maintain Franklin County District Court case files and docket records.
- Assist with public-access computers located near or inside clerk offices.
- Prepare copies and certified copies when records are public and available.
- Handle old marriage and probate record copy requests before February 15, 2001.
- Direct users to courthouse access for divorce, visitation, support, and paternity case information.
The county's court case information page says online searches do not provide case information for divorce, visitation, support, and paternity cases. Those records require local courthouse access. This limit is a key reason the Franklin County clerk's office remains part of the search path even though Kansas CaseSearch exists.
The manifest source for K.S.A. 45-215 shows the Kansas Open Records Act chapter used for open-records requests.
KORA helps frame access to public records, while Kansas court rules still govern court files and electronic district court case records.
Request Franklin Certified Copies
A certified copy is a copy that the clerk certifies as an official court document. Certified copies may be needed for probate administration, name changes, appeals, agency filings, or other legal uses. Online screenshots and uncertified printouts are not the same thing. For Franklin County old probate records, the county page gives a specific copy-estimate process. For other district court records, the safest path is to call or visit the clerk with the case number, party names, and document name.
- Identify the case number, party names, record type, and approximate filing date before contacting the clerk.
- Confirm whether the record is available online, at a courthouse terminal, from an old-record index, or only through clerk staff.
- Ask whether the document can be certified and whether any portion is sealed, restricted, or redacted.
- For old marriage or probate files, wait for the written estimate before sending payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
- Pay the quoted copy, certification, and research fees, then pick up the record or wait for return mail as directed.
Certified marriage certificates are a special exception. Franklin County says certified copies of marriage licenses must be obtained through the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics, not through the local old-record copy process. The district clerk may hold older marriage information, but the certified vital-record certificate comes from KDHE.
Records Request Form Fields
Franklin County offers an electronic open-records request form and a paper open-records request application. These forms are useful for county administrative records and some county-office requests. Court case records should still be routed through the Clerk of the District Court when the district court is the custodian. A precise request should name the record, office, date range, case number if known, and preferred delivery method.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Request text | Yes | State the records sought as specifically as possible. |
| Delivery choice | Yes | Electronic or paper copies on the county form. |
| Requester name and address | Yes | Needed for response and mailing. |
| Phone and email | Yes | Used for questions, estimates, or delivery. |
| Certification signature | Yes | Includes the Kansas restriction on using name and address lists for sales or solicitation. |
The manifest source for K.S.A. 45-218 covers inspection requests, agency response, refusal, and fee handling.
Franklin County's brochure says most open records are produced within three business days or the requester receives a written explanation for delay or denial.
Franklin County Clerk Fees
The clearest Franklin County fee schedule in the research is the old marriage and probate record copy schedule. The county's open-records brochure also says reasonable fees may be charged for access, copies, and staff time, and fees may not exceed actual costs. For district court filings or newer certified court documents, confirm the current amount with the Clerk of the District Court before mailing payment.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Old marriage or probate photocopy | $0.25 per page |
| Certification for old probate copy | $1.00 per document certified |
| Clerk research or copying time for old records | $12.00 per hour |
| County open-records access, copies, or staff time | Reasonable fees not exceeding actual costs |
| Certified marriage certificate through KDHE | $20 per certified copy |
The manifest source for K.S.A. 45-219 addresses copies, abstracts, and fees under Kansas public-records law.
Fee rules help explain why the clerk may send an estimate before producing older Franklin County court records.
Franklin Clerk Forms
The Franklin County site links users to statewide Kansas court resources and local open-records materials. The most relevant forms depend on the request. Probate forms may come from the Kansas Judicial Council, marriage applications are handled through the Kansas online marriage process, and county administrative record requests use Franklin County's electronic or paper KORA request forms.
- Franklin County electronic open-records request for county records routed through the county form center.
- Franklin County paper open-records request for written KORA requests.
- Old marriage and probate records instructions for pre-February 15, 2001 copies.
- Kansas Judicial Council legal forms for statewide court form categories.
The manifest source for K.S.A. 45-216 states the Kansas policy that public records are open unless otherwise provided by law.
That policy supports access, but court rules, confidentiality statutes, and sealed-record orders can still limit what the clerk may release.
Mail and Online Access
For online case lookup, Kansas CaseSearch is the statewide public district court system. For in-person lookup, Franklin County directs users to public-access computers at Fourth Judicial District courthouses. For old marriage and probate records, the county directs requesters to contact the clerk in writing or by email, receive a written estimate, then mail payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
The county KORA form is a separate online path for county administrative records. The Franklin County open-records brochure names Janet Paddock, County Clerk, as Freedom of Information Officer at 315 S. Main, Room 106, Ottawa, Kansas 66067, with phone 785.229.3410 and fax 785.229.3419. That office is a useful fallback for county records, but it is not the same office as the Clerk of the District Court.
The clerk's office is also the local place to ask about records that are not available through the public internet search. Franklin County specifically says divorce, visitation, support, and paternity case information is not returned through online searches. The practical path is to use the courthouse terminals or clerk counter, then request copies only after the file and document names are identified.
The manifest source for Franklin County old marriage and probate records shows the local old-record copy process.
Older Franklin County court-related records require more detail from the requester because the clerk may need a case number or book and page location before preparing an estimate.
Note: Court staff can explain access channels and copy steps, but they cannot give legal advice or decide which filing a person should use.