Stafford County
Register of Deeds

209 North Broadway
St. John, Kansas 67576

Business Hours
8 am - 5 pm
Monday - Friday
CLOSED HOLIDAYS

Lu Ann Brister, Register of Deeds
Beth Keesling, Register of Deeds Deputy

Emails:
Lu Ann Brister
Beth Keesling

Phone: (620)549-3505
FAX: (620) 549-3505

The Register of Deeds office is the county office where transactions involving real estate are recorded, such as deeds, mortgages, mortgage assignments and releases, oil and gas leases and related instruments, affidavits of various types, mineral deeds, sale of oil and gas royalty, powers of attorney, affidavits of equitable interest, plat additions, military discharges, and federal and state tax liens.

The Register of Deeds office became the custodian of the school records from the disbanded office of County Superintendent. Per County Resolution No. 09-R-07, custody of all school records was transferred to the Stafford County Historical Society. These records may be accessed at the Stafford County Museum.

This office also files statements under the new Revised Article 9 (UCCs) and mechanic liens on personal property.

All records in this office are open to the public with the exception of the Kansas Real Estate Sales Validation Questionnaire, which is a closed record (with a few exceptions) by state statute. Copy charges are $0.50 for all copies. Faxed copies are billed at $1.00 per page and $.50 for each page if printout necessary. Copies of records from 1973 to present can be emailed at a charge of $0.25 for each page. 

USE OF DIGITAL CAMERAS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE REGISTER OF DEEDS.

General Recording Requirements

Instruments must contain original signatures (both signers and notary public), be notarized, contain a Stafford County legal description, and be accompanied by the proper filing fee. Photocopies can not be recorded unless they are certified copies from another recording office with an original certificate attached.

Deeds and Affidavits of Equitable Interest must be accompanied by a Kansas Real Estate Sales Validation Questionnaire or have the exemption typed on the face of the deed. The exemptions are found in K.S.A. 79-1437e. They are

(1) Recorded prior to the effective date of this act;
(2) made solely for the purpose of securing or releasing security for a debt or other obligation;
(3) made for the purpose of confirming, correcting, modifying or supplementing a deed previously recorded, and without additional consideration;
(4) by way of gift, donation or contribution stated in the deed or other instrument;
(5) to cemetery lots;
(6) by leases and transfers of severed mineral interests;
(7) to or from a trust, and without consideration;
(8) resulting from a divorce settlement where one party transfers interest in property to the other;
(9) made solely for the purpose of creating a joint tenancy or tenancy in common;
(10) by way of a sheriff's deed;
(11) by way of a deed which has been in escrow for longer than five years;
(12) by way of a quit claim deed filed for the purpose of clearing title encumbrances;
(13) when title is transferred to convey right-of-way or pursuant to eminent domain;
(14) made by a guardian, executor, administrator, conservator or trustee of an estate pursuant to judicial order;
(15) when title is transferred due to repossession.
(16) made for the purpose of releasing an equitable lien on a previously recorded affidavit of equitable interest, and without additional consideration.

When a real estate sales validation questionnaire is not required due to one or more of the exemptions provided in subsection (a), the exemption shall be clearly stated on the document being filed.

Filing fees are to be paid at the time of filing and are set by state statute K.S.A. 28-115.

Fees

Effective July 1,2002, K.S.A. 28-115 has revised the state law to increase filing fees statewide.

$8.00	For recording deeds, mortgages, or other instruments of writing, for first page (not to exceed legal size page, 8 1/2" by 14"
$4.00	For second page and each additional page or fraction thereof
$20.00	Recording town plats, for each page
$5.00 +$2.00	Recording Release of Mortgage or Assignment of Mortgage per page of Release or Assignment. Example - 1 page Release, Releasing 1 Mortgage is $7.00 ($5.00 + $2.00)
$1.00	Certified copy of any instrument of record, plus additional $0.50 per page of instrument
$20.00	For filing notices of tax liens under the Internal Revenue laws of the United States (fee includes a $15.00 U.C.C. filing fee provided by K.S.A. 79-2617)
$20.00	For filing releases of tax liens, certificates of discharge, under the Internal Revenue laws of the United States or the revenue laws of the State of Kansas.
$5.00	For filing liens for materials and services under K.S.A. 58-201, and amendments thereto

No fee shall be charged or collected for any filing made by the department of revenue as required under the provisions of the Kansas inheritance tax act, and amendments thereto.

All fees enumerated in this section, except those charged for the filing of liens and releases of tax liens under the internal revenue laws of the United States, shall be due and payable before the register of deeds shall be required to do the work. If the register of deeds fails to collect any of the fees provided in this section, the amount of the fees at the end of each quarter shall be deducted from the register's salary. The register of deeds shall bill the United State Internal Revenue Service on the last day of each month for the amount of fees accrued in the filing and releasing of federal tax liens.If the name or names of the signer or signers or any notary public to any instrument to be recorded are not plainly typed or printed under the signatures affixed to the instrument, the register of deeds shall charge and collect a fee of ($1.00) in addition to all other fees provided in this section.

If sufficient space is not provided for the necessary recording information and certification on a document, such recording information shall be placed on an added sheet and such sheet shall be counted as a page. The document shall be of sufficient legibility so as to produce a clear and legible reproduction thereof. If a document is judged not to be of sufficient legibility so as to produce a clear and legible reproduction, such document shall be accompanied by an exact copy thereof which shall be of sufficient legibility so as to produce a clear and legible reproduction thereof and which shall be recorded contemporaneously with the document and shall be counted as additional pages. The register of deeds may reject any document which is not of sufficient legibility so as to produce a clear and legible reproduction thereof.

Genealogy Information

The Register of Deeds office has an index of all instruments recorded against a specific piece of property in Stafford County. If you do not know the exact legal description, there are alphabetical index books to deeds that may be searched by names. However, in Kansas, if a person inherits an interest in real estate, there will not necessarily be a deed recorded in this office. Probate cases would need to be searched in the office of the Clerk of the District Court.

In addition to the records in the Stafford County Courthouse, our county has three other genealogical resources sites.

Stafford County Historical & Genealogical Society and Stafford County Museum
The physical and mailing address is 100 North Main, Stafford, Kansas 67578. The telephone number is 620-234-5664.

The Stafford Co. Historical & Genealogical Society's museum library/office is open 9am-3:30pm weekdays. The "official" hours for the other three museum buildings are from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, but tours are available by asking at the museum office any time during office hours and by special appointment on the weekends.

Email for the Curator is: mjhathaway61@earthlink.net

Resources at the museum include Stafford County cemetery records, obituaries of county residents, Stafford County and Town history books (some available for purchase), Stafford County census records, and a large collection of genealogy books and publications.

Ida Long Goodman Memorial Library
This is a combined city-school library located in St. John. The address is 406 N. Monroe, St. John, Kansas 67576. The phone number is 620-549-3227. Regular hours during the school term are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and closed on Sundays and most holidays. Summer hours are Monday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on Saturday, Sunday and most holidays.

The following newspapers are available on microfilm at this library:

Stafford County News: May 24, 1888
The Sun: Jan. 20, 1885 through June 19, 1888
County Capital: Jan. 21, 1887 through Nov. 14, 1935
Seward Independent: Aug. 18, 1887 through July 31, 1890
St. John Advance: April 10, 1888 through June 29, 1893
St. John Weekly News: July 26, 1888 through Oct. 30, 1890
St. John News (successor to The Sun and St. John Advance): July 26, 1888 through current
Wichita Independent: Nov. 17, 1888 through July 1, 1889
Stafford County Rustler: Feb. 14, 1889 through May 22, 1890
Hudson Herald: June 29, 1915 through Dec. 28, 1944
St. John Capital: Feb. 2, 1954 through Jan. 31, 1967

The library has an alphabetical card file containing individual death, birth, and marriage announcements as appeared in the St. John News. These files are from the late 1880s through 1940. The alphabetical card contains the date the obituary, birth announcement, or marriage notice appeared in the paper. You may then look at the microfilm for that issue to find the particular notice. For marriages it is beneficial to know both the maiden and married names. PLEASE NOTE: This card file contains only those deaths, births, and marriages that appeared in the St. John News. This is not a complete listing of deaths, births, marriages in Stafford County. The library staff may assist with genealogical research.

Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library
This library is located at 108 N. Union St., Stafford, Kansas 67578. The phone number is 620-234-5762. The library hours are Monday 2 p.m. through 6 p.m.; Tuesday 2 p.m. through 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. through 9 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m. through 12 p.m., 2 p.m. through 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. through 9 p.m.; Thursday 2 p.m. through 6 p.m.; Friday 2 p.m. through 6 p.m.; and Saturday 2 p.m. through 6 p.m. The library is closed on Sundays and holidays.

 

Passport Services

The Register of Deeds is now able to process passport applications for the U.S. Department of State. U.S. citizens planning international travel may apply for their passports Monday through Friday during regular office hours at the Register of Deeds office.

Register of Deeds, Lu Ann Brister, and Deputy Register of Deeds, Beth Keesling, are registered passport agents. Application forms and information are available in the office. Passport photos will be offered at an additional charge of $10.00; however, citizens may bring their own photo in if it meets passport requirements.

Click Here for current U.S. Passport fees.