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Kansas County
Butler County, Kansas
El Dorado's oil heritage and Wichita's largest suburb - from the El Dorado oil field (discovered in 1915, the El Dorado field was one of the most significant oil discoveries in Kansas history - at its peak production it was one of the largest oil fields in the United States, and the Crude Oil Refinery in El Dorado supplied aviation fuel that played a critical role in World War I) to Andover's status as one of Wichita's fastest-growing suburban communities and El Dorado State Park's 8,000-acre reservoir recreation.
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Office: Butler County Emergency Management/Communications – (316) 733-9796. Emergency Communications Center (established 1995) is the primary 911 answering point for 18 emergency response agencies countywide, dispatching 50,000+ calls annually.
Sheriff: Butler County Sheriff’s Office – 141 S. Gordy Street, El Dorado, KS 67042 | (316) 322-4254 | Non-emergency (316) 320-1294; Sheriff Monty Hughey, a Butler County native. Detention Facility: 701 S. Stone Road, El Dorado, KS | (316) 322-4160.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Butler County is Kansas’s largest county by land area (~1,472 square miles).
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-54 and US-77 serve El Dorado, the county seat, on the Walnut River in south-central Kansas.
Notes: El Dorado (Spanish for “golden land”) was platted in 1868 and became the first city in Kansas to adopt the commission-manager form of government, in 1917.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Butler County Courthouse – El Dorado, KS.
Notes: El Dorado is the site of a genuinely landmark event in American petroleum history: the October 1915 discovery of the El Dorado oil field via the Stapleton No. 1 well, drilled after the city hired retiring State Geologist Erasmus Haworth to map the area – the first major U.S. oil deposit found through systematic geological survey rather than haphazard drilling. The discovery triggered explosive growth, with El Dorado’s population surging from about 3,000 to over 10,000 within three years; by 1918 the field alone produced nearly 29 million barrels of oil, close to 9% of the entire nation’s output, fueling both WWI and the rise of motor transport. Empire Gas & Fuel Company built “Oil Hill” northwest of town to house up to 8,000 workers, reportedly the largest company town in the world at the time. The Stapleton No. 1 well site is preserved as a small park, and the Kansas Oil Museum in El Dorado documents this heritage alongside a Kansas Oil and Gas Legacy Gallery honoring more than 125 figures from the state’s oil history.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Butler County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via bucoks.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
El Dorado Public Library – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Stapleton No. 1 oil well site, the Kansas Oil Museum, and the former Oil Hill townsite are the county’s premier heritage attractions; Butler Community College is also based in El Dorado.
Notes: The genuine, nationally significant El Dorado oil boom – the first field discovered through scientific geology – is one of the most consequential pieces of American petroleum history covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Butler County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via bucoks.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
El Dorado Animal Control and Shelter – 222 E. Locust Street, El Dorado, KS 67042 | (316) 322-8844 | Email contact: Jennifer Bell; Mailing: PO Box 792. City-run shelter serving El Dorado and surrounding Butler County; 72-hour stray hold required by state law before adoption. Fees: cats $75-115, dogs $120-150 (includes spay/neuter, rabies vaccine, heartworm test, city license). Hours: Mon-Thu 9 AM-4 PM, Fri 9 AM-noon, closed Sunday.
Butler County Animal Response Team (BU CART) – volunteer disaster-response team for animal evacuation/sheltering during emergencies, coordinated through Emergency Management, (316) 733-9796.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Butler County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via bucoks.gov.
NOTES: Butler County is the first county in the second Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, nationally significant El Dorado oil boom – the first field discovered through scientific geology – is one of the most consequential pieces of American petroleum history covered 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 Butler County
Butler County is south-central Kansas’s oil heritage and Wichita exurban county – the El Dorado oil field’s World War I significance and Andover’s rapid suburban growth define two very different eras of county prosperity.
El Dorado (the county seat, population ~13,000) grew from the 1915 oil discovery into one of south-central Kansas’s most economically significant cities. The Kansas Oil Museum documents the field’s history. El Dorado State Park – 8,000 acres on El Dorado Reservoir – provides boating, camping, and fishing.
Andover (population ~14,000) on the Wichita eastern edge has grown rapidly as one of the metro’s most sought-after suburban communities, with highly rated schools and residential development.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Butler County Appraiser at 205 W. Central Avenue, Suite 102, El Dorado, KS 67042, phone 316-322-4220. KS residential assessed at 11.5% of appraised value. Appeal to County Appraiser.
Courts & Legal
Butler County District Court at 205 W. Central Avenue, El Dorado, KS 67042, phone 316-322-4370, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
205 W. Central Ave., El Dorado, KS 67042
(316) 322-4340
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
205 W. Central Ave., El Dorado, KS 67042
(316) 322-4370
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
205 W. Central Ave., El Dorado, KS 67042
(316) 322-4340
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Butler County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Butler 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
Butler County District Court, 13th Judicial District 201 West Pine Street, Suite 101, El Dorado, KS 67042 (316) 322-4370
Butler County was founded August 25, 1855, named for Senator Andrew Pickens Butler. It is Kansas’s largest county by total area. The 1908-1909 Butler County Courthouse (Romanesque Revival, National Register of Historic Places) remains in operation.
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 Butler 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
205 W. Central Ave., El Dorado, KS 67042
(316) 322-4240
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
205 W. Central Ave., El Dorado, KS 67042
(316) 322-4340
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
205 W. Central Ave., El Dorado, KS 67042
(316) 322-4340
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Butler County Health Dept
(316) 321-9200
KS DCF — South Central Region
(316) 321-6100
KS Medicaid (KanCare)
(800) 792-4884
Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital (El Dorado)
sbahealth.com (quality community hospital)
Wesley Medical Center (Wichita)
wesleymc.com (major regional Level I Trauma)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Butler County Health Department – confirm current contact via bucoks.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: El Dorado
Population: 65,000
Area: 1,441 sq mi
Established: 1859
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Butler County residents.
