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Kansas County
Barton County, Kansas
Cheyenne Bottoms - the most critical migratory bird stopover in the interior United States - from Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area (the largest interior marsh in the United States - 19,857 acres of wetland habitat at the great bend of the Arkansas River that serves as the most critical migratory bird stopover in the Western Hemisphere's interior - up to 45% of North America's shorebird population passes through Cheyenne Bottoms during spring migration, and the site has been designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention) and Barton County's oil and gas production heritage.
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Office: Barton County Emergency Management – Barton County Courthouse, 1400 Main Street, Room 102/108, Great Bend, KS 67530 | (620) 793-1919 | County cell (620) 786-4450 | Fax (620) 793-1983 | Email: [email protected]; Director Sean Kelly.
Sheriff: Barton County Sheriff’s Office – 1416 Kansas Avenue, Great Bend, KS 67530 | (620) 793-1876 | Fax (620) 793-1885 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Barton County Communications (non-emergency): (620) 793-1920.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-56, US-281, and KS-96 serve Great Bend, the county seat, in central Kansas along the Arkansas River’s great northward bend.
Notes: Barton County was formed in 1867. The historic Barton County Courthouse (built 1917-18, Modern Classical Eclecticism style) has served since Great Bend became county seat in 1867.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Barton County Courthouse – 1400 Main Street, Great Bend, KS.
Notes: Barton County is home to Cheyenne Bottoms, the largest wetland in the interior United States and one of the most significant migratory bird habitats on Earth. Spanning roughly 41,000 acres northeast of Great Bend, it is a critical stopover on the Central Flyway for shorebirds and waterfowl traveling between Canada, the Arctic, and as far south as South America – up to 600,000 shorebirds from dozens of species pass through during spring migration alone, and as many as 340-356 of Kansas’s 471-482 recorded bird species have been observed there. Cheyenne Bottoms is one of only 34 U.S. sites designated a Wetland of International Importance under the international Ramsar Convention, and Kansas is one of only two states (alongside Florida) with two such internationally recognized wetlands. The site is jointly managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks (Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, ~19,857 acres) and The Nature Conservancy (Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve, ~7,700-8,000 acres), with the Kansas Wetlands Education Center serving as its visitor and interpretive center.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Barton County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via bartoncounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Great Bend Public Library – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, and the National Wetlands & Wildlife Scenic Byway are the county’s premier and internationally significant outdoor attractions; the biennial Wings-N-Wetlands Birding Festival celebrates the site’s global importance.
Notes: The genuine global ecological significance of Cheyenne Bottoms – a Ramsar-designated Wetland of International Importance – is one of the most notable natural heritage facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Barton County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via bartoncounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Golden Belt Humane Society – 151 S. US Highway 281, Great Bend, KS 67530 | Mailing: PO Box 1653 | (620) 792-4297 | Email: [email protected]. Contracted to provide animal control for the City of Great Bend and unincorporated Barton County, with additional impoundment contracts covering Ellinwood, Claflin, and Pawnee Rock (no jurisdiction in Hoisington or Albert). Hours: Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 8:30 AM-5:30 PM.
Hoisington Animal Control – 109 East 1st Street, Hoisington, KS; separate city-run service.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Barton County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via bartoncounty.org.
NOTES: Barton County is the fifth county in the new Kansas Round 3 series, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine global ecological significance of Cheyenne Bottoms – a Ramsar-designated Wetland of International Importance – is one of the most notable natural heritage facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Barton County
Barton County is central Kansas’s most ecologically significant county – Cheyenne Bottoms at the great bend of the Arkansas River is the most critical migratory bird stopover in the interior of the Western Hemisphere.
Cheyenne Bottoms – jointly managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and The Nature Conservancy – hosts up to 45% of all North American shorebirds during spring migration. Hundreds of thousands of sandpipers, dowitchers, phalaropes, and other shorebirds concentrate here in one of the continent’s most spectacular wildlife events.
Great Bend (the county seat, population ~15,000) is the regional commercial hub and gateway to Cheyenne Bottoms.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Barton County Appraiser at 1400 Main Street, Suite 10, Great Bend, KS 67530, phone 620-793-1821. KS residential assessed at 11.5% of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Barton County District Court at 1400 Main Street, Great Bend, KS 67530, phone 620-793-1870, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
1400 Main St., Great Bend, KS 67530
(620) 793-1835
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
1400 Main St., Great Bend, KS 67530
(620) 793-1856
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1400 Main St., Great Bend, KS 67530
(620) 793-1835
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Barton County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Barton County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Barton County District Court 1400 Main Street, Room 306, Great Bend, KS 67530 (620) 793-1856 Barton County is in central Kansas, seated in Great Bend along the Arkansas River.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Kansas has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code, maintaining its own statutory framework under the Kansas Probate Code (K.S.A. Chapter 59). Kansas offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the total value of probate property, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $75,000 (raised from $40,000 effective July 1, 2023), available under K.S.A. 59-1507b. This transfers personal property only. If the decedent left a will, it must still be filed with the probate court even though it isn’t being formally probated.
Simplified Administration – under the Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 et seq.), the most common route for straightforward estates.
Formal Probate – supervised or unsupervised administration through the District Court for larger or more complex estates.
A will must be filed for probate within 6 months of death, or it may not be admitted, forcing the estate into intestate distribution.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Administration (if intestate) with the Barton County District Court.
The court admits the will (if any) and appoints the personal representative.
Notice to creditors is published per court order; creditors have a defined window to file claims.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and – under unsupervised administration – acts with reduced court check-ins.
Without a surviving spouse or children, Kansas intestate succession law (K.S.A. 59-501 et seq.) determines which blood relatives inherit.
After debts are paid, the personal representative distributes assets and files a final accounting; the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Court costs may be remitted for small estates under recent statutory changes.
Executor/administrator and attorney fees are generally reasonable-fee based rather than a fixed statutory percentage.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit can proceed relatively quickly; formal probate commonly takes several months to over a year.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
1400 Main St., Great Bend, KS 67530
(620) 793-1910
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
1400 Main St., Great Bend, KS 67530
(620) 793-1835
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1400 Main St., Great Bend, KS 67530
(620) 793-1835
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Barton County Health Department – confirm current contact via bartoncounty.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Great Bend
Population: 26,000
Area: 895 sq mi
Established: 1872
Tier: 3
Public Records
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