How to Search Crawford County Court Records
Crawford County District Court records start with the Kansas district court access system and the two local court counters. The county court-case information page says specific district court cases may be accessed in person at district court buildings or online through the Kansas District Court Record Search website, and it notes that online access has a fee. Kansas Judicial Branch announced CaseSearch as the newer public district court search tool in 2025, so remote searches should begin with Kansas CaseSearch when the goal is public district court case information or documents.
The Crawford County court case information page is the county source for the local access route.
That county page matters because CaseSearch is only one channel, while courthouse terminals, written requests, and division-specific records still control many local searches.
- Identify the case type first: criminal, civil, domestic, traffic, probate, juvenile, tax warrant, lien, marriage license, or municipal ordinance.
- Search Kansas CaseSearch for public Crawford County District Court case information.
- If the search is about a hearing date rather than a file copy, check the county docket PDF page before ordering records.
- Use the local division clue when available: the county says cases ending in "P" are in Pittsburg and cases ending in "G" are in Girard.
- For copies or older files, send a written request to the likely court division and include the case number if known.
- If the matter is a city traffic or ordinance case, contact Pittsburg Municipal Court or Girard Municipal Court instead of assuming it is a District Court file.
The Kansas CaseSearch portal is the statewide entry point for public district court lookup.
If a Crawford County case does not appear online, the missing result may reflect access limits, older records, restricted documents, migration timing, or a case filed in a municipal court rather than proof that no record exists.
| Search Channel | Best Use | Local Crawford County Note |
|---|---|---|
| CaseSearch | Remote public district court case lookup | Use for District Court cases when public information is available online. |
| Docket PDFs | Current hearing schedules | Shows judge calendars, hearing types, parties, attorneys, and case numbers. |
| Girard District Court | Criminal, juvenile, older domestic, older probate, marriage licenses, liens, adoptions | County lists the District Court office on the third floor of the courthouse. |
| Pittsburg District Court | Civil, traffic, small claims, limited actions, domestic, fish and game, post-1996 probate | The Judicial Center handles many civil and traffic-related filings. |
| Municipal Court | City ordinance and city traffic cases | Pittsburg and Girard municipal matters may not be District Court records. |
The Crawford County Judicial System
Kansas uses District Court as the trial court of general jurisdiction. Crawford County is part of the 11th Judicial District with Cherokee and Labette counties. The county's judicial district page reports six district judges, one magistrate judge, and about 12,000 cases per year across the district, including criminal, civil, juvenile, traffic, probate, treatment, and other matters. Appeals from Kansas district courts generally move to the Kansas Court of Appeals and then, when review is available, the Kansas Supreme Court.
The Crawford County 11th Judicial District page identifies the local district and links court resources.
Because Crawford County has District Court locations in both Girard and Pittsburg, the district page is a useful starting point before choosing a courthouse contact.
Case flow: Municipal Court for city matters > District Court for county trial matters > Kansas Court of Appeals > Kansas Supreme Court. Federal criminal, civil, bankruptcy, and federal statutory cases are separate and fall within the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, with Crawford County listed in the Fort Scott Division.
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| District Court | Kansas trial court of general jurisdiction | Criminal, civil, domestic, juvenile, probate, small claims, traffic, fish and game, liens, tax warrants, and related trial matters. |
| Municipal Court | City court for local violations | Pittsburg and Girard traffic, environmental, and ordinance violations when filed by the city. |
| Kansas Court of Appeals | Intermediate state appellate court | Appeals from district courts when state appellate jurisdiction applies. |
| Federal Courts | Separate federal system | Federal crimes, federal civil cases, bankruptcy, and federal appeals. |
Crawford County Courthouses
Crawford County court access is practical only when the correct building is identified. The Girard Division is at the Crawford County Courthouse, 111 East Forest Street, 3rd Floor, Girard, Kansas 66743, phone (620) 724-6212. The Pittsburg Division is at the Crawford County Judicial Center, 602 North Locust, Pittsburg, Kansas 66762, phone (620) 231-0380. The county lists Girard hours as 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed through lunch, and Pittsburg hours as 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., open through lunch.
The Girard District Court page gives the courthouse address, filing categories, written-request rules, and local fee information.
Girard is especially important for felony and misdemeanor criminal filings from 1991 forward, some older criminal filings, juvenile, older domestic, marriage licenses, tax warrants, tax liens, mechanic's liens, adoptions, pre-1996 probate, naturalization, and hospital liens.
The Pittsburg Judicial Center page identifies the second District Court location and its filing categories.
Pittsburg is the likely starting point for civil, bad-check criminal, limited actions, small claims, traffic, fish and game, juvenile tobacco, probate from 1996 forward, and domestic records.
Crawford County Courthouse / Girard Division
111 East Forest Street, 3rd Floor
Girard, KS 66743
(620) 724-6212
crawfordcountykansas.org
Crawford County Judicial Center / Pittsburg Division
602 North Locust
Pittsburg, KS 66762
(620) 231-0380
crawfordcountykansas.org
Crawford County Sheriff and Jail
225 N Enterprise Drive
Girard, KS 66743
Sheriff (620) 724-8274
Jail (620) 724-8853
crimewatch.net
Types of Court Records Available in Crawford County
Crawford County District Court records include criminal, civil, domestic, probate, traffic, fish and game, juvenile, limited action, small claims, tax warrant, lien, adoption, marriage-license, and naturalization material. The record category and filing date control the office that is most likely to help. Criminal docket entries may show first appearances, arraignments, pleas, preliminary examinations, probation violations, revocations, and sentencing. Civil records may include petitions, answers, motions, notices, orders, judgments, garnishments, and hearing notices.
- Criminal records - Filed charges, prosecutor activity, pleas, dispositions, sentencing orders, probation, and revocation events are District Court records, while jail bookings are separate custody records.
- Civil and small claims records - Pittsburg lists civil, limited action, and small claims filings, including judgments and collection-related documents when filed in court.
- Family and divorce records - Domestic files are District Court records; certified divorce certificates come from KDHE rather than the court counter.
- Probate Division of District Court records - Probate is not a separate county court; pre-1996 probate is listed for Girard and 1996-forward probate is listed for Pittsburg.
- Traffic records - District Court handles county/state traffic matters, while Pittsburg and Girard Municipal Courts handle city traffic and ordinance violations.
Crawford County Dockets and Hearing Calendars
Docket PDFs are a faster tool when the question is "when is the hearing?" rather than "what is in the full file?" Crawford County's docket page links current judge-specific PDF calendars. Research sample dockets showed court headers for Crawford-Girard County District Court and Crawford-Pittsburg District Court, judges, dates, hearing times, case numbers, case styles, party connections, prosecutor or public defender fields, hearing types, and appearance method.
The Crawford County dockets page is the county source for judge calendar PDFs.
Dockets are calendars, not full pleadings or orders, so a docket entry can point to the case number and event but does not replace a court record request.
What Crawford County Court Records Show
Common fields include the case number, court division, judge, party names, attorney connections, filing type, event log, document entries, disposition, and financial items such as fines, fees, costs, restitution, bond, or payment status when those details are part of the case record. Criminal public dockets commonly use State of Kansas vs. defendant formatting. Domestic and probate records may use petitioner and respondent or decedent and petitioner roles. Public view may redact personal identifiers, protected addresses, victim information, juvenile material, medical or mental-health details, sealed items, and expunged records.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Local identifiers can show division clues, including county-noted P for Pittsburg and G for Girard. |
| Filing Date | When the case or document entered the court record. |
| Parties | State, plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, decedent, protected person, or other case participants. |
| Event Type | Hearings such as first appearance, arraignment, plea, preliminary examination, sentencing, status conference, probation violation, or revocation. |
| Disposition | The outcome of a charge, claim, motion, or case when entered by the court. |
| Documents | Pleadings, motions, orders, judgments, decrees, inventories, notices, warrants or returns when public, and other filed items. |
Public Access Laws for Crawford County Court Records
Kansas public access is broad but not unlimited. Court records, county administrative records, jail records, and criminal-history checks each follow different channels. For Crawford County court records, the practical path is CaseSearch, courthouse access, or a written District Court request. For county administrative records held by the County Clerk, use the County Clerk's public-records request process. For jail custody information, use the CRSO inmate portal or sheriff channels. For certified marriage or divorce certificates, use KDHE.
Key Statutes and Rules:
K.S.A. 45-220 - Sets procedures for requesting access to or copies of public records.
K.S.A. 45-221 - Lists records that are not required to be disclosed and requires separating closed material from open material when possible.
Kansas Supreme Court Rule 22 - Governs public electronic access to district and appellate case records.
K.S.A. 21-6614 - Covers expungement of certain convictions, arrest records, and diversion agreements.
K.S.A. 59-1507b - Authorizes Kansas small estate affidavits in qualifying estate situations.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Restricted Crawford County records may include juvenile offender files, child-in-need-of-care records, adoption files, sealed records, expunged records, mental-health proceedings, medical or treatment records, criminal investigation records, correctional details beyond what law allows, victim identifying information, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, and personal information whose release would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. Adoption is listed under the Girard filing categories, but it should not be treated as an ordinary public search category.
Kansas expungement is petition-based. A person normally files in the court that handled the case or arrest record, identifies the case or arrest, cites the statutory basis, and addresses eligibility and completion of sentence or diversion. If expungement is granted, public access may be limited, but certain agencies and statutory users can still have access under Kansas law.
Crawford County Court Records Fees
The county's Girard courthouse and Pittsburg Judicial Center pages both state that all record-search requests need to be in writing, copies are 25 cents per page, and the hourly search fee is $12.00. The research did not locate an official Crawford County certified court-copy certification fee, so that amount should be confirmed with the Clerk of the District Court before ordering certified documents.
The Crawford County Clerk page is the county source for Lisa Lusker's County Clerk office and its separate public-records request channel.
The County Clerk request form is useful for county administrative records such as genealogy information, voter registration lists, payroll reports, or records held by the County Clerk, but it is not a substitute for District Court case-file requests.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| District Court plain copies | $0.25 per page |
| District Court search time | $12.00 per hour |
| Written request | Required for staff record searches |
| Case number | Recommended because it speeds processing |
| Marriage license | $85.50 through Kansas courts |
| KDHE marriage or divorce certificate | $20 per certified copy |
| KBI name-based criminal history | $30 Kansas.gov purchase price |
| Certified court-copy certification fee | Not located in official Crawford County research |
Criminal Cases, Warrants, and Jail Records
Criminal case files and jail records answer different questions. A jail booking record may show that a person was booked into the Crawford County Jail, but it does not prove conviction. A District Court criminal file shows what the prosecutor filed, how charges moved through court, and what disposition or sentence was entered. Crawford County Attorney Reina Probert's office prosecutes Kansas criminal-law violations, juvenile offender matters, child-in-need-of-care and protection cases, treatment proceedings, appeals, and victim/witness services.
No Crawford County-specific public active warrant search portal was located in the research. For bench warrants, check the underlying District Court case or contact the correct court division. For municipal warrants, contact Pittsburg Municipal Court or Girard Municipal Court. For arrest-risk questions, call the Sheriff's Office at (620) 724-8274 or the jail at (620) 724-8853 rather than relying only on web results.
The Crawford County Sheriff CRIMEWATCH page names Sheriff Billy Tomasi and links jail, forms, tips, alerts, app access, and law-enforcement feeds.
The Crawford County contact directory lists court, sheriff, jail, traffic clerk, county attorney, and county office contact entries.
The official directory and sheriff pages help separate court contacts from jail, sheriff, traffic clerk, and county attorney contacts when a record question crosses offices.
The CRIMEWATCH Mobile app is documented in the research through Apple and Google Play listings. It can show participating-agency arrests, wanted items, cases, incidents, maps, alerts, and tip submission, but the research did not establish that the jail roster itself is app-only.
Traffic Tickets and Payment Records
Crawford County traffic records may be District Court records or municipal records depending on the citation. The county's Pittsburg District Court division lists Traffic, Fish and Game, and Juvenile Tobacco. Pittsburg Municipal Court handles city municipal traffic at the Beard-Shanks Law Enforcement Center, 201 N Pine Street, with Wednesday court sessions. Girard Municipal Court handles traffic, environmental, and ordinance violations and states that no jury trials are conducted.
The Central Payment Center violation search is the Kansas payment search page for payable traffic, criminal, juvenile offender, and fish and game matters.
The payment portal can be searched by citation or case number with date of birth, driver's license with state, or name with date of birth, but a payment search is not the same as a full District Court case file.
| Topic | Court Traffic Record | State Driver Record |
|---|---|---|
| Holder | District Court or Municipal Court | Kansas Department of Revenue or motor vehicle record system |
| Purpose | Resolve or inspect a ticket case | Check driving privilege, history, suspensions, or restrictions |
| Search Route | CaseSearch, court clerk, Central Payment Center, or municipal court | Kansas.gov MVR subscriber portal or KDOR status check |
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Division of District Court
Crawford County marriage licenses are handled through the Kansas online marriage application process, and the county marriage page states completed licenses are first filed with the Clerk of the District Court in the county where issued before being forwarded to Vital Statistics. Certified marriage certificates and certified divorce certificates are issued by KDHE, not by the local court file counter. Divorce pleadings, decrees, parenting plans, and domestic case docket entries are District Court records.
Probate is handled in the Probate Division of District Court rather than a stand-alone probate court. The local split is important: Girard lists probate prior to 1996, and Pittsburg lists probate from 1996 forward. Estate files can include petitions, wills, letters, inventories, accountings, creditor notices, sale or transfer orders, final settlements, guardianships, conservatorships, trust-related filings, and claims against estates. Guardianship, conservatorship, minor, medical, or financial details may be restricted or redacted.
For more detail, use marriage and divorce records and Probate Division of District Court records.
Specialty Courts and Supervision Programs
The 11th Judicial District has a Recovery Court serving Crawford, Cherokee, and Labette counties. The program is described as court-supervised and comprehensive for non-violent offenders with substance use disorders, providing structure, accountability, treatment, and recovery resources. Research also found 2023 and 2024 reports about Drug Treatment Court development and a pilot Recovery Court incentive program involving local mental-health providers, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department, and the 11th Judicial District.
Community Corrections covers Cherokee, Crawford, and Labette counties and provides intensive supervision for adult felony clients meeting the target population under K.S.A. 75-5291. The county describes supervision tools such as frequent officer contact, drug testing, risk assessment, and connections to substance abuse, housing, employment skills, and cognitive or antisocial thinking-pattern services. These programs are not ordinary public-record lookup tools, but they can affect probation, diversion, revocation, sentencing, and case outcomes.
History of Crawford County Courts
Crawford County was created in 1867 from the northern half of Cherokee County and named for Governor Samuel J. Crawford. Girard became the county seat in December 1868. The first courthouse was a frame building north of the square with county offices on the first story and District Court on the second. A Victorian Gothic courthouse followed in 1889, but cracking and a leaning southwest tower led to offices moving in 1920 and demolition of the old structure.
The current courthouse was dedicated June 1, 1922. County history describes it as a three-story building of Carthage stone, 123 feet by 97 feet, with substantial marble interior use. The third floor is devoted to courtrooms, jury rooms, judges' rooms, the Clerk of District Court, and computer room. Renovations in the 1990s replaced HVAC systems, cleaned and repaired exterior stone, applied sealer, and replaced more than 90 original windows.
The Crawford County official homepage provides county navigation, courthouse hours, and links into court and record offices.
The county homepage is useful for confirming current office navigation before moving from historical courthouse context to live court and records access.
How to Interpret Crawford County Court Records
Read the court, division, and case number before reading the event. A criminal docket entry showing "State of Kansas vs." a named defendant identifies a court case, while a jail roster entry identifies custody activity and does not imply conviction. A charge can be amended, dismissed, diverted, or resolved by plea or trial. A docket can show a hearing such as preliminary examination, plea hearing, sentencing, probation violation, or revocation without attaching the underlying document.
- Docket
- A chronological list of case events, hearings, and filings.
- Disposition
- The recorded outcome of a charge, claim, or case.
- Bench warrant
- A warrant issued by a judge, often after failure to appear or failure to comply.
- Diversion
- A prosecutor-approved program that can avoid conviction if completed.
- Expungement
- A court order limiting public access to eligible records under Kansas law.
- Small estate affidavit
- A Kansas probate tool authorized by K.S.A. 59-1507b for qualifying personal property situations.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
Online court, jail, and payment records can lag behind official action. A paid traffic case may still require court confirmation before a warrant or license issue clears. A jail roster status can change quickly. CaseSearch may omit sealed, restricted, older, not-yet-migrated, or document-limited material. Docket PDFs show schedules but not every pleading, order, or disposition. When legal rights, travel, employment, housing, custody, or bond decisions depend on the result, verify with the originating court, sheriff, jail, KDHE, KDOR, KBI, or municipal court.
Note: Confirm critical Crawford County records directly with the originating office before relying on online search results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which court handles Crawford County probate records?
Probate is handled by the Probate Division of District Court. Crawford County's local pages split probate by date: Girard lists probate before 1996, and Pittsburg lists probate from 1996 forward. Search CaseSearch first when public information is available, then send a written request to the correct division if copies or staff search are needed.
Where are Crawford County criminal court records filed?
Girard lists felony and misdemeanor criminal filings from 1991 forward and some older criminal matters. Pittsburg lists bad-check criminal matters. The County Attorney prosecutes Kansas criminal-law violations in District Court, and public docket PDFs can show hearing events, prosecutor entries, defense counsel, case numbers, and hearing types.
Are Crawford County arrest records the same as court charges?
No. Arrest and jail records show booking or custody information. Court charge records show what the prosecutor filed in District Court and how the charges moved through the case. A jail booking does not imply conviction, and court charges can be amended, dismissed, diverted, or resolved by plea, trial, or other disposition.
How do written court record requests work?
The county's District Court pages state that all record-search requests need to be in writing. Include the full name, case number if known, approximate filing date, case type, desired documents, contact information, and the division likely to hold the file. Copies are listed at 25 cents per page, with a $12 hourly search fee if staff search time is required.