Lane County Clerk of the District Court
The primary court-records office for Lane County is the Clerk of the District Court. The Lane County District Court page lists Marlene "Charlie" Rupp as District Court Clerk. That office maintains and supports access to District Court case files, public terminal searches, filings, certified copies, and local court-record questions when a record is not available through Kansas CaseSearch.
The clerk's record scope follows the Lane County District Court docket. That includes civil cases, criminal cases, domestic relations and divorce cases, probate matters, small claims, traffic cases, juvenile matters where access is allowed, protection order files, and other District Court proceedings. Some records are public. Others are sealed, restricted, expunged, juvenile, medical, adoption-related, or redacted under Kansas law and court rules.
Lane County District Court
Clerk: Marlene "Charlie" Rupp
144 S. Lane, PO Box 188
Dighton, KS 67839
620-397-2805
Fax: 620-397-5526
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed noon-1 p.m.
What the Lane County Clerk Does
The Clerk of the District Court is the court-records office, not the elected County Clerk. The court clerk accepts filings, maintains the official case file, supports public searches, issues certified copies from court files, and answers procedural records questions. The clerk does not act as a lawyer, does not decide whether a record is legally enough for a private purpose, and does not replace the judge's role in deciding sealed or restricted access.
- Maintains Lane County District Court case files and docket records.
- Provides access through the courthouse public terminal and clerk counter when records are public.
- Handles requests for certified copies of public court documents.
- Receives filings in civil, criminal, domestic, probate, traffic, and small claims matters.
- Directs requesters to statewide court systems when online search or payment tools apply.
Public records not available online may still be available at the courthouse. The Kansas Judicial Branch says each courthouse has a computer reserved for public searches, and the Lane County courthouse is the local terminal location for Lane County District Court records.
Request Certified Lane County Copies
A certified copy is a clerk-issued copy that confirms the copy came from the official court file. It may be needed for a divorce decree, probate letters, judgment, order, disposition, name-change proof, or other legal use. A printout from Kansas CaseSearch may help identify the case, but online access is not the same as clerk certification.
- Find the case number in Kansas CaseSearch or from prior court papers if possible.
- Identify the exact document needed, such as decree, order, judgment, disposition, letters, or docket sheet.
- Call the Clerk of the District Court at 620-397-2805 to confirm copy fees, certification fees, payment method, and mail procedure.
- Submit the request in person or by mail using the court's PO box after confirming what information and payment are required.
- Ask whether the record is public, restricted, sealed, or available only after court approval.
Note: Court-copy fees were not located in Lane County's official research material, so confirm payment before mailing a request.
Lane County Request Fields
No Lane-specific District Court records request form was available in the research material. A written request should still give the clerk enough detail to locate the record without guessing. The more exact the case information, the easier it is for the clerk to distinguish people with similar names and identify whether the requested document is public.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Best if known | Use the exact Lane County District Court case number. |
| Party names | Yes | Include full legal names and role, such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, or respondent. |
| Case type | Helpful | State whether the file is civil, criminal, divorce, probate, traffic, small claims, or another type. |
| Document type | Yes | Identify decree, order, judgment, disposition, docket sheet, letters, or other document. |
| Certified or plain copy | Yes | Certification affects cost and processing. |
| Requester contact and return address | Yes | Needed for fee quotes, questions, and mailed copies. |
Lane County Clerk Fees
The research found a detailed Register of Deeds fee schedule, but it did not find a Lane County District Court copy-fee schedule. Do not apply land-record fees to court records. For court copies, certified copies, searches, and filing charges, call the Clerk of the District Court. For deeds, mortgages, plats, UCC filings, and recorded instruments, use the Register of Deeds fee table.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| District Court plain or certified case copies | Lane-specific fee not located; call 620-397-2805 |
| District Court public terminal search | Kansas courts provide courthouse public-search terminals |
| Deed or mortgage first page | $21 through Register of Deeds |
| Deed or mortgage additional page | $17 through Register of Deeds |
| Certified instrument of record | $13 through Register of Deeds |
| Copy of filed financing statement | $1 per page through Register of Deeds |
| Certified UCC copy add-on | $7.50 plus copying through Register of Deeds |
Clerk, County Clerk, Register
Lane County has several records offices at the same courthouse address, and they do different work. The court clerk handles District Court case files. The elected Lane County Clerk, Emily Porter, handles county administration, elections, county finances, payroll, and county paperwork. The Lane County Register of Deeds, Debra Panzner, handles land records, recorded instruments, plats, UCC filings, and related certifications.
- Use the Clerk of the District Court for court case records, certified court copies, and courthouse terminal questions.
- Use the County Clerk for county administrative records, election records, and county KORA request routing.
- Use the Register of Deeds for deeds, mortgages, releases, plats, UCC records, tax liens, and recorded instruments.
- Use Kansas court records request guidance for statewide court-record access rules.
The County Clerk page links to Kansas Open Records Act resources and an open-records request path. Court records remain governed by Kansas Judicial Branch public-access rules, court rules, KORA exemptions, and the local District Court file.
Mail, Online, and Terminal Access
Use Kansas Judicial Branch district court records guidance and Kansas Self-Help request records guidance to understand the statewide search and courthouse fallback channels. Kansas CaseSearch is the online public search tool for district court case information, while records not available through the portal may still be available at the courthouse. Certified copies and some documents require clerk action.
Mail requests should go to the correct office and PO box after fees are confirmed. District Court case requests go to Lane County District Court, PO Box 188. County Clerk matters use PO Box 788. Register of Deeds matters use PO Box 805. All three offices share the 144 S. Lane physical address in Dighton, so the PO box and office name help prevent misrouting.
For Lane County court records, the best sequence is: search CaseSearch, use the courthouse terminal if the online record is incomplete, then ask the Clerk of the District Court for certified copies or documents that the public portal does not show.