Rawlins County Clerk Office
Rawlins County has a split local records structure. Court case records are maintained by the Clerk of the District Court. County administrative records, county commission minutes, election duties, county seal duties, budget work, tax rolls, passport acceptance appointments, and county clerk records sit with the County Clerk. Land records and recorded instruments sit with the Register of Deeds. For court-record users, the primary clerk named in the state structure map is the Clerk of the District Court.
The Clerk of the District Court is Wendy Holmdahl. The office is on the 3rd floor of the Rawlins County Courthouse at 607 Main St., Suite F, Atwood, KS 67730. The phone number is 785-626-3465, and the fax is 785-626-3350. This office is the court-record contact for civil, criminal, probate, divorce, traffic, small claims, and other district court case files filed in Rawlins County.
The first image assigned to this page comes from the Rawlins County County Clerk page, which shows the separate county administrative clerk role.
Rawlins County Clerk of the District Court
Clerk: Wendy Holmdahl
Rawlins County Courthouse, 3rd Floor
607 Main St., Suite F
Atwood, KS 67730
785-626-3465
Fax: 785-626-3350
Courthouse hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Rawlins County Clerk Duties
The Clerk of the District Court handles the court-record side of local government. The 15th Judicial District records page directs a person who needs a court record to submit a written request to the Clerk of the District Court in the county where the case was filed. The clerk's office also helps with courthouse terminal access, filings, copies, certified documents, and the record details needed to locate a case.
Because the county has separate offices, the correct request path depends on the record. A divorce decree, criminal judgment, civil order, probate filing, traffic case file, or small claims record is a District Court matter. County commission minutes, election records, budgets, mill levy sheets, passport appointments, and many county administrative functions are County Clerk matters. Deeds, mortgages, releases, plats, easements, UCC filings, military discharges, and liens are Register of Deeds matters.
- Court case records: Clerk of the District Court, 607 Main St., Suite F, Atwood.
- County administrative records: County Clerk Rachel Finley, phone 785-626-3351.
- Land and recorded instruments: Register of Deeds Janice Bohme, phone 785-626-3172.
- Payable traffic and fish and game matters: Kansas Central Payment Center when eligible.
- Online case information: Kansas CaseSearch, subject to Rule 22 and access limits.
Request Certified Rawlins County Copies
A certified copy is a court copy authenticated by the clerk as an official copy. Certified court records may be needed for legal proceedings, name changes, appeals, agency filings, estate work, or proof of a judgment. A printed online result is not the same as a certified document. The request should say whether a plain copy or certified copy is needed and should name the document as clearly as possible.
The records request can be mailed, hand-delivered, emailed to the Clerk of the District Court, or submitted using the Kansas Open Records Act request form for court records. The 15th Judicial District says record requests are responded to within 72 hours. Fees may include copy charges, certification charges, transmittal costs, staff time, professional employee time, and third-party charges when needed. The requester must pay the cost before the record is released.
- Identify the case number if known, plus party names, case type, filing year, and the document requested.
- Decide whether a plain copy, certified document, mailed copy, faxed copy, pickup copy, or emailed delivery is needed.
- Submit the written request to the Rawlins County Clerk of the District Court by the available request channel.
- Wait for the cost estimate or response, then pay required fees before the clerk releases the record.
- Review the copy for the requested certification or document type before using it for a filing or agency purpose.
Rawlins County Request Form Fields
The Kansas Open Records Act request form for court records asks for the court, requester information, preferred delivery method, the record description, and a commercial-use certification. The form works best when the record description is specific. A request that names the case number, parties, record type, dates, and exact documents is easier to process than a broad name-only request.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one court | Yes | Select Kansas Supreme Court, Kansas Court of Appeals, county district court, or other. |
| Name and mailing address | Yes | Full requester name and mailing information. |
| Phone, fax, and email | Phone likely yes, fax optional, email useful | Email is needed if email delivery is requested. |
| Preferred method of receiving records | Yes | Email, mail, pickup in person, or fax. |
| Records requested | Yes | Be specific about case number, party names, dates, record type, and documents. |
| Commercial purpose certification | Yes when applicable | Certification relates to commercial-use restrictions under Kansas law. |
| Signature and date | Yes | The requester signs and dates the form. |
Rawlins County Clerk Fees
The 15th Judicial District publishes the court-record request fee schedule used for District Court record requests. These fees apply to court records, not to County Clerk administrative records or Register of Deeds recordings. Larger requests, older files, or broad electronic requests may require staff time, professional employee time, or third-party assistance charges.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Plain copies | $0.25 per page |
| Certified document | $10.00 per certified document |
| Mail transmittal | $0.50 for the first five pages, then $0.25 for each additional five pages |
| Fax transmittal | $0.50 per page, 15-page limit |
| Records custodian / clerical time | $20.00 per hour, charged in quarter-hour increments |
| Professional employee time | $60.00 per hour, charged in quarter-hour increments |
| Third-party assistance | Third-party charges may be imposed if needed to respond to the request |
The public-records statute image assigned to this page comes from the Kansas public records statute index, which includes the KORA provisions that frame public-record access and fees.
Rawlins County Related Offices
The County Clerk page names County Clerk Rachel Finley and Deputy County Clerk Renee Sagel. The County Clerk office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached at 785-626-3351. The office keeps county commission minutes, contracts and seals, county budget and tax records, election records, voter registration rolls, candidate filings, petition signature verification, and other statutory county records. It is also a Passport Acceptance Facility by appointment only.
The Register of Deeds records warranty deeds, transfer on death deeds, quitclaim deeds, mortgages, releases, affidavits, death certificates, surveys, subdivision plats, easements, military discharges, UCC filings, security agreements, and liens. Janice Bohme is listed as Register of Deeds, with email rcrod@rawlinscounty.org, PO Box 201, Atwood, KS 67730, and phone 785-626-3172. Probate and estate users may need both the District Court file and recorded real estate documents.
The Register of Deeds image assigned to this page comes from the Rawlins County Register of Deeds page.
Rawlins County Clerk Access Paths
Online access starts with Kansas CaseSearch for public district court case information and documents allowed by Rule 22. Payable traffic, criminal, juvenile offender, and fish and game matters may also be searched through the KSCourts Central Payment Center. Each courthouse in the 15th Judicial District has a computer reserved for public searches of cases and records in that court. In-person access for Rawlins County court files is through the Clerk of the District Court on the 3rd floor of the courthouse.
Mail, hand-delivery, email, and fax are also part of the access chain. Fax transmittal is possible under the fee schedule, with a 15-page limit and the Rawlins County District Court fax listed as 785-626-3350. If the request is for county administrative records instead of court case records, use the County Clerk. If it is for deeds, liens, plats, mortgages, or similar recorded instruments, use the Register of Deeds.
The helpful-phone image assigned to this page comes from the Rawlins County helpful phone numbers page, which lists courthouse department numbers.
