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Office: Elk County Emergency Management – 127 N. Pine Street, Howard, KS 67349 | Mailing: PO Box 623 | Office (620) 374-3597 | Cell (620) 252-9578 | Fax (620) 374-5020; Director Erica Cordell.
Sheriff: Elk County Sheriff’s Office – 100 N. Cedar Street, Howard, KS 67349 | Mailing: PO Box 127 | (620) 374-2108 | Fax (620) 374-2483; Sheriff John Walker.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-160 and KS-99 serve Howard, the county seat, in southeastern Kansas.
Notes: Elk County was established March 25, 1875, named for the Elk River, formed by splitting the former Howard County into Elk and Chautauqua counties.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Elk County Courthouse – 127 N. Pine Street, Howard, KS (built 1907, Richardsonian Romanesque/Italian Renaissance Revival style, National Register of Historic Places since 2009).
Notes: Elk County is home to the genuinely delightful small town of Elk Falls, which proclaims itself the “World’s Largest Living Ghost Town” – its population has declined steadily from a peak of 513 in 1880 to roughly 100-120 residents today, yet the town remains active with a pottery shop, bed and breakfast, and the historic 1930s Rock Garden. Elk Falls also styles itself the “Outhouse Capital of the World,” hosting an annual Outhouse Tour every year on the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving, where creatively decorated outhouses draw visitors alongside live music and crafts. The town’s namesake waterfall and the 1892 Pratt Truss Bridge (National Register of Historic Places, 1994) are additional local landmarks.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Elk County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via elkcountyks.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Howard Public Library (Howard) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Elk Falls (the waterfall, Pratt Truss Bridge, and Rock Garden), the Elk River Hiking Trail, and the annual Howard rodeo (every July) are the county’s premier outdoor and quirky-heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine “World’s Largest Living Ghost Town” and “Outhouse Capital of the World” distinctions for Elk Falls are among the most delightfully offbeat facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Elk County Appraiser’s Office – 225 E. Washington, Howard, KS 67349 | (620) 374-2490. Hours: Mon-Thu 7 AM-5:30 PM (Treasurer to 5 PM), closed Fri-Sun.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
⚠️ No confirmed dedicated Elk County animal shelter was found in current sourcing (only a veterinary clinic, Elk County Veterinary, 1228 State Highway 99, Howard, KS, (620) 374-2401). Residents should contact the Elk County Sheriff’s Office, (620) 374-2108, for current animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Elk County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via elkcountyks.org.
NOTES: Elk County is the fourth county in the fourth Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine “World’s Largest Living Ghost Town” and “Outhouse Capital of the World” distinctions for Elk Falls are among the most delightfully offbeat facts covered in this project. ⚠️ Animal services could not be confirmed and are flagged for follow-up rather than smoothed over. 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 Elk County County
Elk County is southeast Kansas’s southern Flint Hills tallgrass prairie and Elk River ranch county – the native grass pastures burned annually to maintain ecological health and the Elk River’s wooded bottomland define a less-visited corner of the Flint Hills where Howard serves the county’s ranching families in authentic tallgrass prairie country.
Howard (the county seat, population ~600) is Elk County’s governmental hub on US 160, a southeast Kansas Flint Hills community whose tallgrass prairie ranching, Elk River access, and courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Elk County Appraiser at 127 N. Pine Street, Howard, KS 67349, phone 620-374-2660. KS assessed at 11.5% of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Elk County District Court at 127 N. Pine Street, Howard, KS 67349, phone 620-374-2490, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
127 N. Pine St., Howard, KS 67349
(620) 374-2490
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
127 N. Pine St., Howard, KS 67349
(620) 374-2211
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
127 N. Pine St., Howard, KS 67349
(620) 374-2490
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Elk County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Elk 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
Elk County District Court, 13th Judicial District 127 North Pine Street, P.O. Box 306, Howard, KS 67349 (620) 374-2370
Elk County was founded March 25, 1875, named for the Elk River. The 1907 Elk County Courthouse (Renaissance style, National Register of Historic Places) sits in Howard.
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 Elk 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
127 N. Pine St., Howard, KS 67349
(620) 374-2195
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
127 N. Pine St., Howard, KS 67349
(620) 374-2490
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
127 N. Pine St., Howard, KS 67349
(620) 374-2490
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Elk County Health Department – confirm current contact via elkcountyks.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Howard
Population: 2,400
Area: 647 sq mi
Established: 1875
Public Records
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