How to Search Sedgwick County Court Records
The main tool is the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal, known as CaseSearch. DC18 sends the public to this statewide system instead of a local database. It covers civil, criminal, traffic, and many family and probate listings for the 18th Judicial District. You can search by party name or by case number. A free account and a robot check are required before any search will run.
Have your details ready before you log in. A full name, a case number, or a filing date all help. Common Wichita surnames return many hits, so extra facts narrow the list. For records that predate the electronic system, plan a call or visit to the 6th-floor Records Department.
- Open the portal at casesearch.kscourts.gov or start at the DC18 Records page.
- Register for a free account and accept the user agreement.
- Choose a search by party name or case number.
- Complete the robot check, then review the result list.
- Open a case for detail, or ask Records for a certified copy.
The portal user agreement, shown below, sets the account rules and warns that the display is not the official record. It comes from the Kansas public access portal user agreement.
Accept the agreement once per account, then your Sedgwick County court records search stays open for the session.
Sedgwick County Court Records Search Fields
The portal keeps the search simple at the top level, then offers more filters once you are logged in. DC18 says you can search by party name or case number and must clear a robot check. Advanced filters can include attorney name, citation number, case type, and location. Use last name then first name for the cleanest party search.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account login | Login | Yes | Free account needed to use the portal. |
| Party Name | Text | No | Use last, first; narrow common names with more detail. |
| Case Number | Text | No | Best identifier; format varies by case type and year. |
| Robot check | Challenge | Yes | Required to block data mining. |
| Advanced filters | Text/Dropdown | No | Attorney, citation number, case type, status, location. |
Types of Sedgwick County Court Records
The court files records by department, and the volume is large. Civil filings top the list, with about 27,000 a year. Criminal, family, probate, and traffic departments handle the rest. Each department both makes and keeps its own files, so the office that created a record is usually the one that can certify it.
The broad record set breaks down like this.
- Civil records, including foreclosures, contract suits, evictions, and name changes.
- Criminal records for felony and misdemeanor cases, plus search warrants and inquisitions.
- Family law records such as divorce, paternity, and support, mostly held off the public portal.
- Probate records for estates, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Traffic and small claims records, with small claims capped at $10,000.
Public access varies by type. Civil and criminal case information is broadly searchable unless a file is sealed. Family and juvenile matters are largely closed, and probate sits in the middle, with case listings often visible but many documents held back. For traffic detail, see the Sedgwick County traffic court records page; for arrests, see the arrest records page.
What Sedgwick County Court Records Show
Case information follows a standard pattern. Kansas self-help material lists the case number, the people involved, attorney names, the assigned judge, document titles, and hearing dates as core fields. Documents themselves appear only when the case type allows it. Sensitive items are redacted.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique ID used to pull or certify a file. |
| Filing Date | When the case opened with the court. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or estate. |
| Attorneys | Counsel names, and sometimes a bar number. |
| Judge / Location | Assigned judge and the 18th Judicial District department. |
| Disposition | Final outcome such as judgment, plea, or dismissal. |
Note: Social Security numbers, account numbers, victim identity, and sealed attachments are removed from public view by rule.
Public Access Framework for Sedgwick County Court Records
Access rests on two layers. The Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. 45-215 et seq., gives any person the right to inspect public records unless the law closes them. Court files add Supreme Court rules that decide what shows on the portal. The county must answer a records request within three business days, either with the record, the cost and timing, or the legal grounds for denial.
Court fees differ from open-records fees and follow judicial schedules. A record can be partly open and partly closed, and a denial should cite the law. Kansas Supreme Court Rule 22 is the key rule for the portal and is shown below from the official Rule 22 page.
Rule 22 names the case types and documents that the public portal will not show.
A second rule, shown below from the Kansas Supreme Court Rule 106B page, governs electronic district court records and limits bulk distribution.
Note: The portal is for personal use; Rule 106B blocks bulk extraction and the resale of compiled court data.
Sedgwick County Court Records by Department
Each department holds a distinct slice of the record set, and the case codes tell you where a file lives. The Civil Department keeps chapter 60 and chapter 61 civil cases plus small claims and transcripts. The Criminal Department holds felony and misdemeanor files, search warrants, and inquisitions. The Family Law Department covers divorce, paternity, support, and protection cases, though most of those documents stay off the portal. Probate runs from the East Morris Street building, and Traffic handles county and highway citations.
Common case-type codes help you read a docket fast.
- CR / CV
- Criminal case / civil case.
- DM / PR
- Domestic or dissolution case / probate case.
- TR / SC
- Traffic case / small claims case.
A charge is only an accusation, while a conviction is the finding or plea of guilt. Always read the disposition line before drawing any conclusion about a Sedgwick County court record.
Fees and Certified Copies for Sedgwick County Court Records
Court fees follow state docket-fee schedules and local orders rather than the open-records fee rules. DC18 posts a printable docket-fee sheet and cites K.S.A. 20-3129 for added county docket-fee authority. Service and filing fees are fixed for some actions, and a few common ones are listed here. Confirm copy and certification prices with the Records Department before you pay, since the posted schedule controls.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Small claims sheriff service | $15.00 |
| Small claims notice of appeal | $197.00 |
| Garnishment surcharge (small claims) | $12.50 |
| Records copy / certification | Per posted DC18 schedule |
The fee sheet and surcharge notes are posted on the DC18 docket fees page.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Sedgwick County
Rule 22 holds back a long list of cases. Adoptions, care and treatment cases, juvenile CINC and offender matters, and protection orders are all closed. Divorce documents, guardianship and conservatorship papers, grand jury material, and unexecuted warrants also stay off the portal. Expunged cases drop off once a judge signs the order.
To see a sealed record, a person normally must show a legal right and ask the court by motion. The judge weighs the request. Some items, like presentence reports and probable-cause affidavits, remain restricted even when the rest of the case is public.
In-Person and Certified Copy Requests
For official documents, go to the Records Department or send a written request. Staff can pull a file by case number and certify copies for legal use. The portal display is not certified and is not accepted as an official record. The records request form asks for the requester's name, contact details, the case number or party names, and the department that holds the file.
DC18 Records Department
525 N Main St, 6th Floor
Wichita, KS 67203
(316) 660-5900
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
You can also email the Records Department at sg.micro@kscourts.gov to ask about a file or a copy.
Older and Microfilm Court Records
The portal does not hold everything. The Records Department keeps microfiche, microfilm, and electronic records of the district court, and some legacy images converted from the old FullCourt system are not on the public portal at all. For an older civil judgment, a closed criminal case, or a decades-old probate file, a direct request to Records is usually the only path.
Case information also lags the live file at times. The daily docket refreshes every 15 minutes, but full case detail can post more slowly. When timing matters for a deadline, a hearing, or a title search, confirm the record with staff rather than the screen alone.
Note: A case that does not appear online may be sealed, restricted, or simply too old for the electronic index, so a blank result is not proof that no record exists.