Cambridge, Nebraska Public Records

The Furnas County County Court, also located at 912 R Street, Beaver City, NE 68926, phone (308) 268-4145, has jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes, traffic violations, civil cases under $60,000, small claims matters up to $3,900, preliminary hearings in felony cases, and guardianship proceedings. Cambridge does not maintain a separate municipal court. Nebraska offers online access to court records through the Nebraska Judicial Branch's online case search at https://www.nebraska.gov/justice/ (select 'Case Search'), where users can search by party name, case number, or attorney for cases filed in District and County Courts statewide, though some sealed or confidential records are not available online. Certified copies of court documents cost $1.50 per page plus a $1.00 certification fee per document. Court filing fees vary by case type: District Court civil filing fees start at $158.00, County Court civil actions cost $86.00 to file, and small claims filing fees are $54.00. Marriage dissolution (divorce) filings in District Court require a $158.00 filing fee plus additional costs for service of process.

Property owners can search assessment information including parcel numbers, legal descriptions, assessed valuations, and property characteristics; however, Furnas County does not currently offer a comprehensive online property search portal, and most inquiries require in-person visits or phone calls to the Assessor's Office. The Furnas County Register of Deeds, located at 912 R Street, Beaver City, NE 68926, phone (308) 268-4145, records and maintains all land documents including warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, mortgages, satisfaction of mortgages, mechanic's liens, easements, and other instruments affecting real property title. Document recording fees are established by Nebraska statute: the first page of most documents costs $15.00 to record, with each additional page costing $3.00. Certified copies cost $1.50 per page. To conduct a property search by address or owner name, requesters should contact the Register of Deeds office directly; staff can perform grantor/grantee index searches for a fee. Furnas County does not currently maintain a public online GIS parcel viewer, though some property information may be available by direct inquiry. All recorded documents from approximately 1871 forward are maintained at the courthouse, with older records indexed in bound volumes.

Major employers in the Cambridge area include Cambridge Public Schools (part of the Cambridge Public Schools district serving approximately 250 students), local grain elevators and agricultural cooperatives such as the Cambridge Grain Company, and the McCook Grain Company which operates facilities in the region. The Medicine Creek Dam and Harry Strunk Lake, located northeast of Cambridge, provide recreational opportunities that support seasonal tourism and related service businesses including convenience stores, fuel stations, and outdoor recreation suppliers. Estimated median household income in Cambridge and surrounding rural Furnas County areas is approximately $48,000 to $52,000, below the Nebraska state median. The village has experienced gradual population decline consistent with trends in rural Great Plains communities, with younger residents often relocating to larger regional centers such as McCook (20 miles west), Holdrege, or Hastings for employment and educational opportunities. Recent economic development has focused on maintaining agricultural infrastructure, supporting small businesses along the Highway 6/34 corridor, and leveraging proximity to Medicine Creek Reservoir for outdoor recreation-based economic activity. Wind energy development in southwestern Nebraska has created some construction and maintenance jobs, though large-scale wind farms are primarily located in adjacent counties.

Cambridge does not operate its own municipal police department; law enforcement services for the village are provided by the Furnas County Sheriff's Office, located at 912 R Street, Beaver City, NE 68926, phone (308) 268-4145. The Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction over all unincorporated areas of Furnas County as well as Cambridge and other small villages without dedicated police forces. Residents can request police reports, incident reports, and accident reports by visiting the Sheriff's Office in person or submitting written requests. Nebraska State Patrol also provides law enforcement services along U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 34, which pass through Cambridge, and can be reached at (308) 535-8047 for the Troop D headquarters in North Platte. For arrests and jail bookings, the Furnas County Sheriff's Office maintains a detention facility at the same Beaver City address. Inmate information including current bookings, charges, bond amounts, and booking dates can be obtained by calling (308) 268-4145 during business hours; Nebraska does not maintain a unified statewide online inmate search, so requests must be directed to the county facility. Public records requests in Nebraska are governed by the Nebraska Public Records Statutes, specifically Nebraska Revised Statutes § 84-712 et seq., which require government agencies to provide access to public records within four business days unless an exemption applies. Requesters should submit written requests describing the records sought with reasonable specificity, and agencies may charge reasonable fees for copying and staff time exceeding one hour.

Online ordering is available through the VitalChek service at https://www.vitalchek.com with additional processing fees; standard processing time is approximately 6-8 weeks, while expedited service (3-5 business days) is available for an additional fee. Birth records are confidential for 50 years and available only to the registrant, immediate family members, or legal representatives with proper identification. Death records are public after 50 years. Marriage licenses for Cambridge residents are issued by the Furnas County Clerk, located at 912 R Street, Beaver City, NE 68926, phone (308) 268-4145. The marriage license fee is $15.00, and there is no waiting period in Nebraska. Divorce decrees are court records maintained by the Furnas County District Court and are generally public unless sealed by court order. Marriage records dating back to the county's organization in 1873 are available through the County Clerk's office. Requesters must provide valid photo identification and demonstrate eligibility to receive confidential records; applications require completion of the appropriate state form with notarized signature for records less than 50 years old.

Furnas County does not maintain a separate fictitious business name (DBA) registry; trade name filings are processed through the Nebraska Secretary of State. Business entity formation and registration in Nebraska, including corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships, and trade names, are managed by the Nebraska Secretary of State, Business Services Division, located at 1445 K Street, Suite 2300, Lincoln, NE 68509. Online business entity searches are available free of charge at https://www.nebraska.gov/sos/corp/corpsearch.cgi, where users can search by business name, registered agent, or officer to view entity status, formation date, registered agent information, and principal office address. New LLC formation costs $100.00 plus a $10.00 recording fee; corporations pay $60.00 to $100.00 depending on authorized shares. Trade name registration costs $100.00. Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) lien searches and filings are also processed through the Nebraska Secretary of State; UCC searches can be conducted online at https://www.nebraska.gov/apps-sos-edocs/ for a fee of $5.00 per debtor name. Business personal property is assessed by the Furnas County Assessor at 912 R Street, Beaver City, NE 68926, phone (308) 268-4116; business owners must file annual personal property returns listing equipment, inventory, and fixtures subject to taxation.

Cambridge voters are served by the Furnas County Clerk/Election Commissioner, located at 912 R Street, Beaver City, NE 68926, phone (308) 268-4145. The County Clerk's office administers all federal, state, county, and municipal elections for Cambridge and all Furnas County precincts. Nebraska residents can register to vote online at https://www.nebraska.gov/apps-sos-voter-registration/ through the Nebraska Secretary of State's website, or by submitting a paper voter registration application available from the County Clerk, public libraries, and motor vehicle offices. The voter registration deadline in Nebraska is 6:00 p.m. on the third Friday preceding any election (18 days before Election Day for most elections). Voters must provide a valid Nebraska driver's license or state ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Cambridge, as an incorporated village, holds municipal elections on the first Tuesday in November of odd-numbered years for village board trustees and other village offices; the next Cambridge municipal election will be held on November 4, 2025. To find their assigned polling place, Cambridge residents can use the Nebraska Voter Registration lookup tool at https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/VoterView, or contact the Furnas County Clerk at (308) 268-4145. Election records that are public in Nebraska include voter registration lists (available for purchase for political purposes), campaign finance reports filed with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (viewable at https://www.nebraska.gov/nadc/), candidate filings and statements, precinct-level election results, and abstract of votes. In the November 2024 presidential election, Furnas County reported approximately 3,200 registered voters with turnout of approximately 75-78%, consistent with high rural turnout typical in presidential election years. On November 3, 2026, Cambridge and Furnas County voters will decide several important races: Nebraska's gubernatorial election (Governor Jim Pillen's term expires in 2027, so the 2026 race will determine the next governor), all of Nebraska's three U.S. House seats (Cambridge is in Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District currently represented by Adrian Smith), one Nebraska State Legislature seat for Legislative District 44 (Nebraska's unicameral legislature elects members in even-numbered years to four-year terms), and various county offices including Furnas County Commissioner, County Clerk, County Assessor, Register of Deeds, and Sheriff. Nebraska voters may request an early voting ballot (formerly called absentee ballot) for any reason; applications are available from the County Clerk starting approximately 120 days before each election and must be received by 6:00 p.m. the second Friday before Election Day. Early voting ballots can be requested online at https://www.nebraska.gov/apps-sos-voter-registration/ or by contacting the Furnas County Clerk at (308) 268-4145.