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Kansas County
Clay County, Kansas
Milford Lake's eastern gateway and the Republican River valley - from Milford Lake (Kansas's largest reservoir at 16,000 acres sits just west of Clay County - the Republican River that feeds Milford flows through Clay County, providing the agricultural water and recreational connectivity that links the county to Kansas's premier boating destination) to Clay Center's well-maintained courthouse square and Clay County's productive grain and livestock agricultural economy in the transition zone between the Flint Hills and the High Plains.
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Office: Clay County Emergency Management – 703 2nd Street, Clay Center, KS 67432 | (785) 632-5802.
Sheriff: Clay County Sheriff’s Office – Mailing: 539 Lincoln Avenue, Clay Center, KS 67432 | (785) 632-5601 | Fax (785) 632-3278.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-24 and US-77 serve Clay Center, the county seat, along the Republican River in north-central Kansas.
Notes: Clay County was established in 1862. Clay Center was first settled in May 1862 by brothers John and Alonzo Dexter, who later donated the land for the county courthouse; one of their original log cabins still stands at the Clay County Museum, reportedly the oldest building in town.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clay County Courthouse – Clay Center, KS.
Notes: Clay Center holds a notable geographic distinction: it sits at the calculated midpoint between New York City and Los Angeles, with both coastal cities roughly 1,224 miles away in opposite directions – a small-town point of local pride. The town straddles the Republican River, with Huntress Creek (a tributary) running through it, and hosts the annual September Piotique Festival celebrating the arrival of fall with a car show, parade, crafts, and food.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Clay County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via claycountykansas.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Clay Center Public Library – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Dexter Park (featuring a children’s Safari Run and band shelter) and the Clay Center Aquatic Center are the community’s recreational hubs; the Clay County Museum preserves an original 1862 Dexter cabin.
Notes: The Clay Center midpoint-of-America geographic fact is a distinctive small-town point of pride covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Clay County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via claycountykansas.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Clay County Animal Rescue & Education Center (CCARE) – 109 S. 4th Street, Clay Center, KS 67432 | (785) 777-2522 | Email: [email protected]. No-kill, dog-only nonprofit shelter operating since 2016, taking in 250+ dogs annually. Hours: Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat 1-6 PM, closed Tue and Sun.
City of Clay Center Animal Shelter – separate municipal shelter; $75 refundable spay/neuter deposit, $25 non-refundable adoption fee; contact via city hall for hours/appointments.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Clay County Landfill/Recycling – confirm current contact via claycountykansas.org.
NOTES: Clay County is the seventh and final county in the second Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for 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 Clay County
Clay County is north-central Kansas’s Republican River agricultural county – a productive grain and livestock community in the transition zone between the Flint Hills and the High Plains, with easy access to Milford Lake recreation.
Clay Center (the county seat, population ~4,100) is one of north-central Kansas’s most complete small county seat communities – a well-maintained courthouse square, local businesses, and agricultural services anchor a rural community that has maintained more vitality than many comparable Great Plains counties.
The Republican River valley’s farmland produces excellent corn, soybeans, and wheat yields on the deep, well-watered soils of north-central Kansas.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Clay County Appraiser at 712 5th Street, Clay Center, KS 67432, phone 785-632-2517. KS residential assessed at 11.5% of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Clay County District Court at 712 5th Street, Clay Center, KS 67432, phone 785-632-2554, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
712 5th St., Clay Center, KS 67432
(785) 632-3443
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
712 5th St., Clay Center, KS 67432
(785) 632-3443
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
712 5th St., Clay Center, KS 67432
(785) 632-3443
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clay County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Clay 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
Clay County District Court, 21st Judicial District 724 5th Street, Suite 204, P.O. Box 203, Clay Center, KS 67432 (785) 632-3443
Clay County shares the 21st Judicial District with Riley County. The 1900-1901 Clay County Courthouse (National Register of Historic Places) sits in Clay Center.
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 Clay 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
712 5th St., Clay Center, KS 67432
(785) 632-2254
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
712 5th St., Clay Center, KS 67432
(785) 632-3443
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
712 5th St., Clay Center, KS 67432
(785) 632-3443
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Clay County Health Dept
(785) 632-3139
KS DCF — North Central Region
(785) 632-5626
KS Medicaid (KanCare)
(800) 792-4884
Clay County Medical Center
ccmckansas.org (Clay Center — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clay County Health Department – confirm current contact via claycountykansas.org.
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