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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Within Atwood city limits, Atwood City Police hold primary jurisdiction; the Sheriff’s Office covers unincorporated areas and serves civil process.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-36 and K-25 meet in Atwood, the county seat, in the far northwestern corner of Kansas near the Nebraska border.
Notes: Rawlins County was organized May 25, 1881, named for General John A. Rawlins, an adjutant to Ulysses S. Grant who later served as Secretary of War. Atwood was founded in 1875 by T.A. Andrews and J.M. Matheny, originally spelled “Attwood,” and won the 1881 county-seat election over rival Danube (later Ludell).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rawlins County Courthouse – 607 Main Street, Atwood, KS.
Notes: Rawlins County is the genuine birthplace of Rudolph “Rudy” Wendelin, born in the small community of Herndon. Wendelin studied art and architecture at the University of Kansas before becoming the U.S. Forest Service’s official illustrator and draftsman, where he created hundreds of paintings of Smokey Bear for the National Forest Fire Prevention Campaign – the longest-running public service advertising campaign in American history, originally created by artist Albert Staehle in 1944. Rawlins County’s Sacred Heart Catholic-founded hospital dates to 1950, and the county remained legally “dry” (no liquor by the drink) until voters approved the change in 2002, decades after the statewide constitutional amendment passed in 1986. The Minor Sod House (c. 1907-08) and Atwood’s 1907 Shirley Opera House are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Rawlins County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via rawlinscounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Atwood Public Library (Atwood) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Rawlins County Historical Museum, the historic Shirley Opera House, and Lake Atwood are the county’s premier heritage and outdoor attractions.
Notes: The genuine connection to Smokey Bear illustrator Rudy Wendelin is a distinctive piece of American advertising and conservation history covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Rawlins County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via rawlinscounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No confirmed dedicated Rawlins County animal shelter was found in current sourcing; the Rawlins County Sheriff’s Office, (785) 626-3865, handles animal control matters directly for the county.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Rawlins County Landfill – contact Corey Castens, (785) 626-3071 or (785) 626-6223. Winter hours (from Nov. 1): Tue/Thu 12-5 PM, Sat 9 AM-5 PM. Summer hours (from May 1): Tue/Thu/Sat 9 AM-5 PM.
NOTES: Rawlins County is the first county in the thirteenth Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine connection to Smokey Bear illustrator Rudy Wendelin is a distinctive piece of American advertising and conservation 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 Rawlins County County
Rawlins County is northwest Kansas’s Prairie Dog State Park and Beaver Creek wheat and cattle county – the reservoir providing recreation in a vast agricultural landscape and the shortgrass plains near Nebraska define a remote community where Atwood serves the county’s farming families in the northwest Kansas interior.
Atwood (the county seat, population ~1,200) is Rawlins County’s governmental hub on US 36, a northwest Kansas agricultural community whose Prairie Dog State Park, wheat economy, and courthouse anchor its identity near Nebraska.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Rawlins County Appraiser at 607 Main Street, Atwood, KS 67730, phone 785-626-3465. KS assessed at 11.5% of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Rawlins County District Court at 607 Main Street, Atwood, KS 67730, phone 785-626-3465, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
607 Main St., Atwood, KS 67730
(785) 626-3351
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
607 Main St., Atwood, KS 67730
(785) 626-3755
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
607 Main St., Atwood, KS 67730
(785) 626-3351
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rawlins County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Rawlins 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
Rawlins County District Court, 15th Judicial District 607 Main Street, Suite F, P.O. Box 257, Atwood, KS 67730 (785) 626-3465
Rawlins County was founded March 20, 1873, named for General John Aaron Rawlins. Its seat, Atwood, was named after Attwood Matheny, an early town founder.
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 Rawlins 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
607 Main St., Atwood, KS 67730
(785) 626-3258
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
607 Main St., Atwood, KS 67730
(785) 626-3351
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
607 Main St., Atwood, KS 67730
(785) 626-3351
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Rawlins County Public Health Department – (785) 626-3968. Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM-5 PM. Rawlins County Health Center – (785) 626-3211; Clinic (785) 626-3241.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Atwood
Population: 2,500
Area: 1,069 sq mi
Established: 1880
Public Records
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