Find the right office in Riley 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 Riley County records
Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
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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.
Police Departments. Riley County Police Department provides the consolidated county service. Its Records Division publishes routes for incident reports, crash reports and local background checks. Use the Police Records service instructions.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Riley County Police Department lists 1001 S. Seth Child Road, Manhattan, Kansas 66502. Contact the Records Division at 785-537-2112, extension 0, for records inquiries. Its posted records hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. The Records Division explains that the Kansas Open Records Act governs most departmental records and that access depends on the requested record. See the department's Police Records instructions. The Special Investigative Unit conducts investigations including narcotics activity. Read its investigative responsibilities. K-9 teams support departmental operations under Patrol Division supervision. See the canine unit's role.
Arrest Records. Riley County Police Department publishes arrest summaries and accepts requests for agency records through its Records Division. A summary and a full incident report are different products. Read the Police Records instructions.
Mugshots & Booking Photos. Address requests for Riley County Police records to its Records Division. The published arrest summaries are separate from the underlying agency records, and availability depends on the requested material and access rules. Check the department's records-request guidance.
Abandoned mine records
Old mine workings in Riley County
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
What is on record in Riley County
Producing when recorded
1
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
53
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
quarry, gravel pit, open pit mine or quarry, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated
The mine records hold 1 mine site inside the county: 1 site producing when the record was made; the old survey maps add 53 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.
Riley 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
Riley County lies on the edge of 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 Riley County
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 172 investigations in Riley County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $3,509,217 in back wages agreed for 1,978 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.
The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 140 on the Riley County record; 52 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 115 more with smaller records are on the Kansas wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.
Riley County records through the consolidated police and courthouse offices
Begin with Riley County Police for local agency records
Riley County Police Department describes a consolidated county service. Its history explains that the former Sheriff's Office and the Manhattan and Ogden police departments combined on January 1, 1974, when those separate offices were abolished. Use the department history to understand the current countywide structure. A request addressed to a separate present-day Riley County Sheriff would therefore start with the wrong office description.
Choose the record within the consolidated department: an incident report, a crash report, a local background check or custody information. The Records Division publishes request methods and product-specific charges. A court judgment remains a court record even when the case began with a Riley County Police investigation. Preserve the incident number and court case number separately so each custodian can identify its own portion of the matter.
Check the report type and the scope of a local background check
Police Records is available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. Requests can be made in person, by mail, by fax or by email, with inquiries to 785-537-2112, extension 0. The agency lists $5 for an incident report and $10 for a background check covering Riley County. The Police Records instructions define these local products. That local background-check price is not a statewide criminal-history fee.
Crash reports filed after January 1, 2018, except fatalities, are offered through the department's linked Crashdocs service. Earlier reports remain a direct request to the department. Its daily arrest summaries stay published for a 48-hour period, so a missing older summary should not be treated as evidence that no report exists. Select the report type, date and reference when requesting a record. Source: rileycountypolice.org
Identify the land collection and its historical scope
The Register of Deeds offers public access terminals and a subscription service for remote land-record searches. Its description says the subscription includes land records dating to 1853, with index and document images, and separately lists school-record access before 1962 among its research services. Read the Register of Deeds collection and access description. These dates describe particular county collections rather than statewide court-search coverage.
For a recorded instrument, retain the parties, recording reference and any linked description before ordering a copy. A search result may identify a document without answering every question about the property. If you need a certified copy, ask the office about that product after identifying the instrument. Historical school records, land records and a modern event certificate should also be requested by their own series names so staff can direct the inquiry.
Arrange courthouse access for the Register of Deeds
The Register of Deeds is at 110 Courthouse Plaza, second floor, Room B202, Manhattan, telephone 785-537-6340. It posts Monday through Friday hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but also states that building doors are locked at noon on Fridays. Visitors are instructed to telephone for access. Plan a Friday visit around that building-entry instruction rather than assuming the published office hours alone describe entry. Source: rileycountyks.gov
Tell the office whether you need a public terminal, a recorded copy or document submission. Bring the recording citation or other search details already available and ask about the payment method for the requested service. For recording, the county publishes preparation instructions covering originals, notarization, the legal description and supporting forms. Review the document-recording instructions before taking a new instrument to the counter. Copy research and a new filing require different preparation.
Use the received-date schedule and the correct document category
Riley County's 2026 recording schedule lists $21 for the first page of an ordinary deed, mortgage or other qualifying instrument and $17 for each additional page. It states that fees depend on the date received by the office rather than the date the document was executed. Mortgage assignments and releases have a separate schedule. Use the current recording schedule and document category when asking for a quote.
The separate copy chart lists $1 per page for ordinary instrument copies and $13 per document for certification in addition to copy charges. Delivery methods and plats have their own entries. The copy-fee chart separates these components. Do not compare the recording price with a certified-copy total as though they were the same service. State the page count, required certification and delivery method so the office can identify the full requested product.
Request judicial papers through the District Court Clerk
Riley and Clay counties make up the 21st Judicial District. Riley County District Court lists 100 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, telephone 785-537-6364, and describes civil, criminal, domestic, probate and other trial-court matters. The county court description identifies the judicial record route. Its address is different from the Register of Deeds at 110 Courthouse Plaza.
Use the case number, court division and document title when asking for a judgment, order or other filing. If an online search supplies only a docket entry, ask the Clerk for the underlying document and its copy options. Identify any certification required by the recipient before paying. A police report, a court disposition and a state certificate of a divorce event describe different records, even when they relate to the same people.
Keep a state event certificate separate from recording services
The Kansas Office of Vital Statistics publishes a $20 base price for each certified birth copy, with method-specific processing charges for online, telephone and app orders. Its main birth-certificate instructions describe mail and walk-in options and explain the record-search component of the fee. Use the state birth-certificate ordering instructions for that product. The state service should not be priced from a local recording schedule.
For a family-history inquiry, decide whether the evidence needed is a state event certificate, a historical school record or a document previously recorded with the county. The Register of Deeds recording schedule includes an entry for recording a death certificate, which is a different transaction from obtaining a certified death record from the issuing vital-record authority. When seeking a quote, name the transaction and the custodian rather than asking only for a certificate fee. Source: rileycountyks.gov
Where to go
Riley County offices that hold the records
Each office below was read on its own site. A field the office does not publish is left out rather than filled in from a directory.
Riley County Register of Deeds
Recorded land instruments, public terminals, subscription access and listed historical school records.
Address
110 Courthouse Plaza, second floor, Room B202, Manhattan, KS 66502
Phone
785-537-6340
Hours
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; building doors locked at noon Fridays, call for access
How do I get a criminal background check in Riley 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 Riley County, Kansas?
How do I register to vote in Riley 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 Riley County, Kansas?
Deeds and other recorded land documents in Riley County are kept by the Riley 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 Riley 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 Riley 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.
Does Riley County have a separate current Sheriff's Office for local records?
The Police Department's history says the Sheriff's Office and the Manhattan and Ogden police departments were consolidated into Riley County Police Department on January 1, 1974, with the former offices abolished. Read the consolidation history.
Can I enter the Riley Register of Deeds building on Friday afternoon?
The office posts weekday hours through 5 p.m. but says building doors are locked at noon on Fridays. Call 785-537-6340 for access. Read the Friday building-entry instruction.
How far back does Riley County describe its remote land-record collection?
The Register of Deeds says its subscription service includes land records dating to 1853. That is a land-record collection statement, not a statewide court-search date. See the collection description.
Which date controls Riley County recording fees?
The current schedule says the office applies fees based on the date it receives the document, not the date the document was executed. Check the received-date instruction.
What are Riley County's ordinary deed recording page charges?
The 2026 schedule lists $21 for the first page and $17 for each additional page of an ordinary deed or qualifying instrument. Other instrument categories have separate entries. Read the applicable recording category.
How is a certified Riley County deed copy priced?
The copy chart lists $1 per ordinary document page plus $13 certification per document. Delivery and other product-specific charges may be separate. See the copy-fee chart.
Does the Riley County Police background check cover all Kansas records?
No. The department describes its $10 background check as covering Riley County and directs broader statewide inquiries to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Read the background-check scope.
Which counties are in Riley County's judicial district?
Riley and Clay counties form the 21st Judicial District. Riley County District Court lists 100 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, telephone 785-537-6364. Use the county court contact.
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.