Kansas, county records

Elk County, Kansas Public Records

Find the right office in Elk County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Elk County records

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Official

State records

Kansas Fictitious Business Names Filings

The Kansas Secretary of State's business services search corporations, LLCs and other registered entities and check whether a name is available. Kansas keeps no statewide filing for sole proprietor trade names.

kansas.gov
Open official site Kansas Fictitious Business Names Filings

Local record guide

About public records in Elk County

County profile

Elk County at a glance

State
Kansas
County seat
Howard
Population
2,483
Area
650 sq mi
Founded
1875
Cities and towns
5

Elk County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Elk County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order in Elk County, including patrolling the unincorporated areas, managing Elk County jail, and processing arrests.

Police Departments. In addition to Elk County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement in Elk County is supported by municipal police departments in cities such as Howard and Longton.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Elk County Sheriff's Office, located at 215 East Pine Street in Howard, Kansas 67349, provides primary law enforcement services throughout Elk County's unincorporated areas and assists municipal departments when needed. Inmate information for Elk County Jail can be obtained by calling the Sheriff's Office directly during business hours, as Elk County does not currently maintain an online inmate roster due to its small size and limited detention capacity. Municipal law enforcement is provided by local police departments in the incorporated cities, though some smaller communities rely exclusively on the Sheriff's Office for police services. The Howard Police Department serves the county seat, while other communities may contract with the Sheriff for law enforcement coverage. Kansas public records law, specifically the Kansas Open Records Act (K.S. 45-215 et seq.), guarantees public access to most arrest records, booking logs, and incident reports unless exempted by specific statute.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Elk County are maintained by Elk County Sheriff's Office. Residents and attorneys can request arrest records through the Sheriff's Office, usually by submitting a formal request in compliance with the Kansas Open Records Act.

Jail & Inmate Records. Inmate lookup services are available through the Sheriff's Office, allowing family members and legal representatives to find information about those currently detained.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Elk County are taken and retained by Elk County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office or online databases that compile such information.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Elk County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Elk County

Processing plants, not workings
1
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
13
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
quarry
Maps surveyed
1962 to 1975

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 1 mine site inside the county: 1 processing plant, which is not a working; the old survey maps add 13 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. Underground coal mining in Kansas was concentrated in Cherokee and Crawford Counties.

Longton Howard Grenola Moline N 10 miles
Elk County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. The small open circles with a name are the towns and the pale shapes around the edge are the neighbouring counties, both from the Census Bureau. Hover a dot for its name.
Kansas mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Elk County (1 shown, 13 unnamed on the map)

Elk County sits over the Western Region coal field and the coal there is medium and high volatile bituminous, worked underground in many places. The two federal files record a shaft, an adit or a deposit where one was drawn on a survey sheet or catalogued as a site; neither file carries the outline of the workings, so the counts above are not the measure of what was mined under this county. The record that shows it is the mine map, held by KDHE Abandoned Mine Land Program and linked below.

Kansas abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Labor Department file

Wage and hour cases in Elk County

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 4 investigations in Elk County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $41,700 in back wages agreed for 17 workers. The county is the one the Census Bureau puts each employer's ZIP code in. Snapshot of April 22, 2026; a case here is a finding by the Division, not a court judgment.

Investigations closed
4
Back wages agreed
$41,700
Workers due back wages
17
Civil money penalties
$0
Employers on the record
2
EmployerCityCasesBack wagesWorkers
Elk, County OfHoward3$41,14213
Sheriff's DepartmentHoward1$5584

Every employer on the Elk County record, by back wages agreed; 1 employer has have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record in this row. The Kansas wage theft records page ranks the whole state.

Straight answers

Elk County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Elk County, Kansas?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Elk County Sheriff or a city police department in Elk County. Ask that agency for its record.

How do I get a criminal background check in Elk County, Kansas?

The Kansas criminal history record comes from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Central Repository. Name based search online at www.kansas.gov/kbi/criminalhistory (no longer by mail or walk in), or a certified or fingerprint based request to the KBI. Fee: $20.00 for a name based online search; $30 for a certified name based check; $35 for a fingerprint based Kansas check.

How can I look up sex offenders in Elk County, Kansas?

Search the Kansas Offender Registry (KBI), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Elk County, Kansas?

Register with the county election officer (the county clerk, or the appointed election commissioner in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties) or through the Kansas Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. Registration books close 21 days before an election.

How do I look up property records in Elk County, Kansas?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Elk County are kept by the Elk County Register of Deeds. Property values are set by the county appraiser, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Elk County, Kansas?

Certified birth and death certificates for Kansas come from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Office of Vital Statistics. Walk in at 1000 SW Jackson Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-2221 (Curtis State Office Building), by regular or priority mail, by telephone, or online through VitalChek, all listed by the Office. Fee: $20 for each certified copy (the first $20 is a five year record search fee that includes one copy if the record is found).

How do I find business license records in Elk County, Kansas?

Business entity filings are searched with the Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services. Businesses should check with the county and city where they operate for local permits and licenses; many trades need state agency licenses.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.