Norton County Clerk Contact
For court records, Norton County's primary clerk is the Clerk of the District Court. The personnel page names Janelle Morel as Chief Clerk Administrator and Delaine Sullivan as Trial Court Clerk II. The office is on the third floor of the Norton County Courthouse and handles District Court record access, public terminal searches, file-stamped court documents, copy requests, and certifications.
The personnel source for the court office is the Norton County District Court personnel page.
Clerk of the District Court
Chief Clerk Administrator: Janelle Morel
Trial Court Clerk II: Delaine Sullivan
Norton County Courthouse, 3rd Floor
105 S. Kansas Avenue, P.O. Box 70
Norton, KS 67654
785-877-5720
Fax: 785-877-5722
Email: ntdc@kscourts.gov
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Norton County Court Clerk Duties
The Clerk of the District Court creates and maintains the accurate and durable record of the District Court. Norton County explains that filed cases receive a case type with a consecutive number designation. The court record tracks papers filed, process requests issued, returns made, appearances, orders, verdicts, judgments, and payments in chronological order on the date each event occurs.
- Maintains District Court files for civil, criminal, domestic relations, probate, juvenile, small claims, traffic, and fish and game cases.
- Preserves filed papers and applies filing date and time stamps.
- Provides public terminal access for records that are open to the public.
- Responds to specific records requests by fax, mail, email, or in person.
- Quotes copy, research, and certification costs before sending records.
The District Court FAQ source is the Norton County District Court FAQ.
Request Norton County Certified Copies
A certified copy is a court copy with the clerk's official attestation that it is true. Certified copies are often needed for appeals, agency filings, name changes tied to divorce decrees, probate proof, or other legal uses. Norton County sends documents after payment is received, so the request should be specific enough for staff to find the correct record and quote the correct amount.
- Identify the Norton County District Court case number if possible.
- List the party names, case type, and exact document needed, such as decree, order, judgment, letters, or docket entry.
- Send the request by fax, mail, email, or in person to the Clerk of the District Court.
- Wait for the clerk's response within three business days after the office receives the request.
- Review the total cost for copies, certification, and any larger-request research fee.
- Pay the quoted amount before expecting documents to be sent.
Norton County Request Fields
Norton County did not publish a separate downloadable court-record request form in the inspected sources. The local request is instruction based. The most important rule is specificity, because a broad request for all records on a person can be slower and may include restricted or unrelated material.
| Field | Required Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester contact information | Practical requirement | The clerk needs a way to send the cost quote and records. |
| Case number | Requested if known | Norton County asks requesters to include the case number when possible. |
| Party names | Needed when case number is unknown | Names help staff locate the correct case file. |
| Specific documents | Required by instruction | Ask for named documents rather than a vague whole-file search. |
| Delivery method | Practical requirement | State whether pickup, mail, fax, or another route is needed. |
| Certification request | Optional | Say clearly when a certified copy is needed. |
| Payment method after quote | Required before delivery | Records are sent after payment is received. |
Norton County Clerk Fee Schedule
The researched local fee schedule covers searches on the public access terminal, printed pages, larger-request research time, and certification. Filing fees that were not located in the provided research are not listed.
| Item | Fee or Rule | Source Note |
|---|---|---|
| Public access terminal search | No fee | Search at the Clerk of the District Court office during business hours. |
| Printed documents | $0.25 per page | Applies to printed terminal records or request copies. |
| Larger-request research fee | $5.00 may be assessed | Norton County says larger requests may trigger this fee. |
| Certification | $1.00 per certification | Charged for the clerk's certification of a document. |
County Clerk and Deeds Distinction
The elected Norton County Clerk is a separate county administrative office. Craig Renner serves as Clerk and Election Official. That office handles Board of County Commissioners records, elections, voter registration, fiscal services, tax-roll administration, audits, and Kansas Open Records Act education. It is a useful office for county-government records, but it is not the custodian of District Court case files.
The Register of Deeds is also separate. That office records deeds, mortgages, oil and gas leases, easements, surveys, UCC financing statements, liens, powers of attorney, corporation papers, and military discharge records. The Register of Deeds page states that records are not available online and notes restrictions for real estate sales validation questionnaires and military discharges.
The Register source is the Norton County Register of Deeds page.
Norton County Court Services
Court Services is related to District Court work, but it is not the clerk's records counter. The 17th Judicial District Court Services office supervises adult offenders in Decatur, Norton, Graham, Phillips, Smith, and Osborne counties. It also prepares court-directed reports, including bond supervision, predispositional reports, and presentence investigation reports.
The official Court Services source is the 17th Judicial District Court Services page.
