Decatur Clerk of District Court
The primary clerk for Decatur County court case records is the Clerk of the District Court. The official Decatur County District Court page names Brooke Graham as Clerk of the District Court and Brenda Coryell as Deputy Clerk of the District Court. The same page identifies Jay E. Tate as Magistrate Judge for the 17th District. Decatur County is part of the 17th Judicial District with Norton, Graham, Osborne, Phillips, and Smith counties.
This court clerk office handles District Court case records for criminal, civil, domestic relations, divorce, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, care and treatment, juvenile, small claims, and traffic citations filed in District Court. Kansas CaseSearch is the statewide public search channel for district court case information, but the Decatur clerk is the local fallback for certified copies, file review, older records, records not online, and questions about courthouse terminal access.
Decatur County Clerk of the District Court
Clerk: Brooke Graham
Deputy Clerk: Brenda Coryell
3rd Floor, Decatur County Courthouse
P.O. Box 89
120 E. Hall Street
Oberlin, KS 67749
785-475-8107
dcdc@kscourts.org
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
What the Decatur Court Clerk Does
The Clerk of the District Court is not the same office as the Decatur County Clerk. The District Court clerk keeps case files for the Kansas trial court in Decatur County, accepts filings, collects court fees, helps route case-record requests, and issues official certified copies when a public or authorized record can be released. This is the office to use for District Court case numbers, document copy requests, probate file questions, divorce decree copies, and District Court traffic citation records.
- Maintains District Court case files for criminal, civil, domestic, probate, small claims, and traffic matters filed in Decatur County.
- Receives filings, fees, pleadings, proposed orders, and court documents for local District Court cases.
- Provides copy and certification channels for public records and records available to authorized parties.
- Serves as the local fallback when Kansas CaseSearch does not show a full document, older file, or certified copy option.
- Directs requesters to courthouse terminal access or clerk assistance when online access is incomplete.
The County Clerk is a separate county administrative office on the 2nd Floor. The county page names Nora Urban as County Clerk, with duties that include commissioner records, elections, bookkeeping, tax-roll certification, budget filings, personnel records, vacancy applications, county transportation bus administration, and notary services. The Register of Deeds is also separate and records land and real-property documents. Court record requests should go to the Clerk of the District Court, county administrative records to the County Clerk, and deed or recorded-document questions to the Register of Deeds.
Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is a court document copy issued with clerk certification. It may be needed for a divorce decree, probate order, judgment, name-change order, disposition, or other court paper that must be accepted by another agency, bank, title company, school, employer, or court. A printout from a public search result is not the same as a certified court document.
- Search Kansas CaseSearch or use existing paperwork to identify the Decatur County case number.
- Write down the party names, case type, filing year, and exact document needed, such as decree, journal entry, order, or letters.
- Contact the Clerk of the District Court by phone, email, mail, fax, or in person to confirm the document is public or available to you.
- Ask for the total cost, including per-page copy fees, certification, mailing, and any staff-time charges that may apply.
- Submit payment and delivery instructions, then pick up the copy, receive it by mail, or follow the clerk's stated process.
For sealed, expunged, juvenile, adoption, care-and-treatment, or protected personal information, the clerk may require proof of party status, attorney authority, a court order, or a different request process. Certified copies for vital certificates are different: Kansas Department of Health and Environment handles certified marriage and divorce certificates, while the Decatur District Court clerk handles local court decrees and court-file documents.
Records Request Form Fields
No Decatur-specific court records request PDF was located in the research. A clear written request still helps the clerk price the work and locate the correct file. Include enough detail for staff to distinguish the case from similar names and to know whether a plain copy, certified copy, or file review is being requested.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | No, but strongly preferred | Use CaseSearch, court papers, or notices to find it before requesting copies. |
| Party names | Yes | List full names and any former names known from the court case. |
| Case type | Yes | State whether the case is criminal, civil, divorce, probate, small claims, traffic, or another District Court type. |
| Document type | Yes | Name the document, such as decree, order, judgment, disposition, letters, or docket sheet. |
| Copy type | Yes | Say plain copy, certified copy, or file review. |
| Delivery method | Yes | Ask whether pickup, mail, email, or another method is available for that record. |
Use the 24-hour East door dropbox only when the clerk has confirmed what should be submitted and how payment or filing deadlines will be handled. The dropbox is useful, but it does not replace a fee quote, filing review, notarization requirement, or hearing instruction.
Decatur Court Clerk Fees
Kansas court records fee references list common copy, certification, mailing, and staff-time charges. Decatur County requesters should verify the current amount with the Clerk of the District Court before sending payment because the final cost depends on the document count, certification need, delivery method, and whether staff research is required.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain court record copy | $0.25 per page |
| Certified court document | $10.00 per document |
| Mail first five pages | $0.50 |
| Mail additional five-page sets | $0.25 each |
| Fax copies | $0.50 per page in Kansas district examples, with page limits to verify |
| Records custodian or clerical preparation | $20.00 per hour in quarter-hour increments in Kansas district examples |
| Professional staff time | $60.00 per hour in quarter-hour increments in Kansas district examples |
Other court filing fees vary by case type. Kansas fee sources list examples for probate estates, determination of descent, marriage licenses, small claims, limited actions, and civil filings. Ask the Decatur clerk for the current fee tied to the exact filing or record request rather than relying on a general schedule.
Common Clerk Forms
Decatur County did not publish a separate local court forms library in the research. The statewide Kansas Judicial Council legal forms hub is the main official form source for many self-represented court filings. The clerk can confirm whether a statewide form is accepted for a local filing and whether additional copies, a cover sheet, notarization, or a hearing notice are needed.
- Kansas Judicial Council forms - statewide court form categories for civil, probate, divorce, small claims, protection orders, and other filings.
- Adult expungement forms - arrest-only, conviction or diversion, and eviction record expungement options.
- Small estates affidavit - Kansas form route for qualifying personal property estates under K.S.A. 59-1507b.
- Kansas marriage license application - statewide online marriage license process handled through Kansas courts.
The form inventory in the research included adoption, adult name change, phone or video attendance, case filing cover sheets, chapter 60 civil actions, chapter 61 limited actions, child support and parenting time, divorce, probate, protection orders, small claims, poverty affidavits, and other categories. Some forms may not fit every case. Clerk staff can provide filing information, but they cannot give legal advice about which claim to bring or how a judge will rule.
Mail and Online Filings
Public case lookup starts with Kansas CaseSearch. It can help locate case information by case number, party name, business name, citation, or other available criteria, depending on the user's access role. The Decatur clerk should be contacted when the online result is incomplete, when a full document is needed, when certification is required, or when an older file is not visible online.
Request channels documented in the research include in person at the 3rd Floor court office, mail to P.O. Box 89, email at dcdc@kscourts.org, fax at 785-475-8170, phone at 785-475-8107, and the East door courthouse dropbox for documents outside counter hours. Formal open-records requests for county administrative records should go to the relevant county custodian, such as the County Clerk for commissioner records or the Register of Deeds for recorded land documents. District Court case document requests belong with the Clerk of the District Court.
Clerk separation: Brooke Graham's office handles Decatur District Court case records. Nora Urban's County Clerk office handles county administrative records. Kari Ketterl's Register of Deeds office handles recorded land documents.