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Office: Chautauqua County Emergency Management – 215 N. Chautauqua Street, Sedan, KS 67361 | (620) 725-5883; Director Cody Collier. Residents can sign up for the CAPSOL mass notification alert system.
Sheriff: Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office – 215/218 N. Montgomery Street, Sedan, KS 67361 | (620) 725-3108; Sheriff Richard A. Newby.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Non-emergency dispatch: (620) 725-3108.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-166 and KS-99 serve Sedan, the county seat, in southeastern Kansas along the Oklahoma border.
Notes: Chautauqua County was established March 25, 1875, named for Chautauqua County, New York, the birthplace of Kansas politician Edward Jaquins, who was instrumental in the county’s creation.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Chautauqua County Courthouse – 215 N. Chautauqua Street, Sedan, KS (built 1917-18, Classical Revival style).
Notes: Sedan holds two genuine claims to fame. It is the birthplace of Emmett Kelly (born 1898), the world-famous circus performer who created the beloved hobo clown character “Weary Willie” during the Great Depression; the Emmett Kelly Museum, housed in the historic Sedan Opera House, honors his life and career (Kelly himself attended its 1967 dedication). Downtown Sedan is also encircled by the “World’s Longest Yellow Brick Road” – a walkway of roughly 10,000-20,000 individually purchased and inscribed bricks recognized by the World Record Academy, representing every U.S. state and nearly 30 foreign countries, with a special VIP section featuring names like Bob Hope and Elizabeth Taylor.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Chautauqua County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via chautauquacountyks.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Sedan Public Library – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Emmett Kelly Museum, the World’s Longest Yellow Brick Road, and historic downtown Sedan are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, record-recognized Yellow Brick Road alongside Emmett Kelly’s birthplace connection make Sedan one of the most distinctive small-town destinations covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Chautauqua County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via chautauquacountyks.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Chautauqua County Animal Shelter (Friends of Chautauqua County Animal Shelter, Inc.) – 921 KS-99, Sedan, KS 67361 | Mailing: PO Box 232 | (620) 216-0022 | Email: [email protected]. Small-town no-kill shelter; moved into a new facility (funded by three donor families) in December 2022. Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM-noon, door locked – ring the doorbell; weekends/evenings by appointment.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Chautauqua County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via chautauquacountyks.com.
NOTES: Chautauqua County is the third county in the second Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, record-recognized Yellow Brick Road alongside Emmett Kelly’s birthplace connection make Sedan one of the most distinctive small-town destinations 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 Chautauqua County County
Chautauqua County is southeast Kansas’s Chautauqua Hills and Caney River cattle and oil heritage county – the transitional hill country between the Flint Hills and Osage Plains and the early 20th-century oil production that diversified the county’s ranching economy define a small community where Sedan serves the surrounding agricultural families in the southeast Kansas interior.
Sedan (the county seat, population ~800) is Chautauqua County’s governmental hub on US 166, a southeast Kansas community whose Chautauqua Hills setting, cattle heritage, and courthouse anchor its identity near the Oklahoma border.
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Chautauqua County Appraiser at 215 N. Chautauqua Street, Sedan, KS 67361, phone 620-725-5870. KS assessed at 11.5% of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Chautauqua County District Court at 215 N. Chautauqua Street, Sedan, KS 67361, phone 620-725-5800, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
215 N. Chautauqua St., Sedan, KS 67361
(620) 725-5800
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
215 N. Chautauqua St., Sedan, KS 67361
(620) 725-5870
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
215 N. Chautauqua St., Sedan, KS 67361
(620) 725-5800
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Chautauqua County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Chautauqua 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
Chautauqua County District Court, 14th Judicial District 215 North Chautauqua Street, 3rd Floor, P.O. Box 306, Sedan, KS 67361 (620) 725-5870 Chautauqua County is on the Oklahoma border in south-central Kansas, seated in Sedan.
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 Chautauqua 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
215 N. Chautauqua St., Sedan, KS 67361
(620) 725-5810
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
215 N. Chautauqua St., Sedan, KS 67361
(620) 725-5800
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
215 N. Chautauqua St., Sedan, KS 67361
(620) 725-5800
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Chautauqua County Health Department – confirm current contact via chautauquacountyks.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Sedan
Population: 3,400
Area: 639 sq mi
Established: 1875
Public Records
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