Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Kansas · Flint Hills · #455
Riley County, Kansas
At the edge of the Flint Hills where the Kansas River bends south, Riley County holds Kansas State University, Fort Riley - one of the Army's largest installations - and the Konza Prairie, one of the largest undisturbed tallgrass prairie preserves in the world, in a county whose identity is shaped by education, military, and grassland ecology in roughly equal measure.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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.
Office: Riley County Emergency Management – 2030 Tecumseh Road, Manhattan, KS 66502 | (785) 537-6333 | Fax (785) 537-6338. Now operates as one division of a combined Emergency Management/EMS/Fire District #1 department; has responded to national events including Hurricane Katrina and the 2007 Greensburg tornado. Administers 911 fund and coordinates CERT and WARN storm-spotter volunteers.
Police: Riley County operates a consolidated city-county law enforcement agency, the Riley County Police Department – 1001 S. Seth Childs Road, Manhattan, KS 66502 | (785) 537-2112 (non-emergency, ext. 0); Police Director Brian Peete. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-24 and K-18 serve Manhattan, the county seat, nicknamed “The Little Apple,” in northeastern Kansas.
Notes: Riley County, established August 25, 1855, is named for Bennet C. Riley, a Mexican-American War general who later served as the 7th governor of California. The first Territorial Capital of Kansas was located within present Riley County’s boundaries, at the former town of Pawnee – a site now inside Fort Riley.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Riley County Courthouse – Manhattan, KS.
Notes: Riley County is home to Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army installation spanning 101,733 acres across Riley and Geary counties, and to Kansas State University. Within Fort Riley, Camp Funston holds a genuinely significant – and sobering – place in world history: it was one of 16 Army training camps built after the U.S. entered WWI, processing nearly 56,000 soldiers at its peak. In March 1918, Camp Funston recorded some of the earliest documented cases of what became the 1918 influenza pandemic, likely carried there by draftees from Haskell County, Kansas, where a local physician had already flagged an unusually severe flu outbreak weeks earlier. As soldiers deployed from Camp Funston to other domestic bases and then to Europe, the outbreak spread with them, contributing to a pandemic that ultimately killed tens of millions worldwide – more than the military and civilian deaths of WWI combined. This history is presented here factually, given both its genuine historical and public-health significance.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Riley County Veterans Affairs – Riley County Armed Forces Memorial (patio, honoring veterans twice yearly) – confirm current contact via rileycountyks.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Manhattan Public Library (Manhattan) – built with a $5,000 Manhattan Library Association fundraising effort plus a $10,000 Andrew Carnegie grant, opened 1904.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fort Riley (including historical museums on post) and Kansas State University are the county’s premier institutional and heritage anchors.
Notes: The genuine, historically significant role of Camp Funston in the 1918 influenza pandemic is presented here factually, given its public-health importance.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Riley County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via rileycountyks.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
T. Russell Reitz Regional Animal Shelter (operated by Prairie Paws Animal Shelter since December 2023) – 605 Levee Drive, Manhattan, KS 66502 | (785) 587-2783 | Email: [email protected]. Serves City of Manhattan and Riley County; does NOT serve Fort Riley or Junction City. Operating since 1988; 2019 renovation added an on-site surgery suite in partnership with K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Riley County Humane Society – Mailing: PO Box 1202, Manhattan, KS 66505 | (785) 776-8433 | Email: [email protected]. All-volunteer group with no physical facility; not licensed to accept strays (refers those to T. Russell Reitz).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Riley County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via rileycountyks.gov.
NOTES: Riley County is the fifth county in the thirteenth Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, historically significant role of Camp Funston in the 1918 influenza pandemic is presented here factually, given its public-health importance. 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 Riley County
Riley County has two dominant institutions that shape everything about it. Kansas State University, with about 22,000 students and nationally ranked programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and engineering, anchors Manhattan’s economy and culture. The university’s College of Veterinary Medicine is consistently among the nation’s top five, and K-State’s extension service has influenced Kansas agricultural practice for more than a century. Manhattan has built a college-town identity that distinguishes it clearly from the surrounding rural Flint Hills – independent restaurants, a renovated downtown, arts venues, and the Kansas Arts Commission’s programming give the city cultural depth beyond what its population alone would support.
Fort Riley, immediately west of Manhattan, is one of the largest Army installations in the United States and home to the 1st Infantry Division – the “Big Red One,” the oldest continuously serving division in the U.S. Army, with combat deployments in every major American conflict since World War I. The base employs thousands of military and civilian personnel and generates an economic impact that significantly supplements the university’s contribution. The Konza Prairie Biological Station – an 8,616-acre tallgrass prairie preserve jointly managed by K-State and The Nature Conservancy – is one of the most important ecological research sites in North America, supporting decades of fire ecology and grassland biodiversity research.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Kansas assesses residential property at 11.5% of appraised value. Property owners may appeal to the County Appraiser and then to the Board of Tax Appeals. Kansas offers a homestead property tax refund for residents 55 or older or disabled with household income below $40,500. Kansas has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging
401 Houston Street, Manhattan, KS 66502
Phone: (785) 776-9294
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Riley County residents.
Senior Services
North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging
401 Houston Street, Manhattan, KS 66502
Phone: (785) 776-9294
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Riley County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
110 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 537-6380
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
110 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 537-6350
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
110 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 537-6380
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Riley County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Kansas State University Hale Library, Manhattan, holds significant regional historical materials.
Local societies
No dedicated Riley 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
Riley County District Court, 21st Judicial District 100 Courthouse Plaza, P.O. Box 158, Manhattan, KS 66502 (785) 537-6364
Riley County was founded August 25, 1855, named for General Bennet C. Riley. Its seat, Manhattan (nicknamed “The Little Apple”), is home to Kansas State University.
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 Riley 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
110 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 537-2112
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
110 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 537-6380
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
110 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 537-6380
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Riley County Health Dept
(785) 776-4779
KS DCF — North Central Region
(785) 537-6300
KS Medicaid (KanCare)
(800) 792-4884
Mercy Manhattan Medical Center
mercy.net/manhattan (quality regional hospital)
KU Medical Center (Kansas City)
kumc.edu (accessible for specialty care)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Riley County Health Department – confirm current contact via rileycountyks.gov (recently reorganized).
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Manhattan
Population: 75,000
Area: 609 sq mi
Established: 1855
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Riley County facilities via Amazon.
