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Kansas County
Rooks County, Kansas
Webster Reservoir and North-Central Kansas wheat - from Webster Reservoir (the state reservoir on the North Fork Solomon River near Stockton provides fishing, camping, and water recreation in the otherwise flat northwest Kansas landscape - the reservoir's walleye and bass fishing draws anglers to this remote part of the state) to Rooks County's wheat and cattle economy (the county's rolling plains support winter wheat and cattle operations that define north-central Kansas's agricultural character along the South Fork Solomon River corridor).
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Office: Rooks County Emergency Management – 803 S. Elm Street, Stockton, KS 67669 | (785) 425-8268 | Email: [email protected].
Sheriff: Rooks County Sheriff’s Office – 803 S. Elm Street, Stockton, KS 67669 | Mailing: PO Box 193 | (785) 425-6312 | Fax (785) 425-6853; Sheriff Gary Knight. Hours: 8 AM-5 PM (24-hour dispatch).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-183 and K-18 serve Stockton, the county seat, in north-central Kansas; K-18 runs through the small community of Codell.
Notes: Rooks County was established February 26, 1867, formally organized November 26, 1872, named for Private John C. (Daquaivion) Rooks of the 11th Kansas Cavalry Regiment, who died at the Battle of Prairie Grove during the Civil War.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rooks County Courthouse – 115 N. Walnut Street, Stockton, KS (built 1923, Classical Revival style, designed by Frank C. Squires, National Register of Historic Places since 2002).
Notes: The tiny Rooks County community of Codell holds a genuinely remarkable – and Ripley’s Believe It or Not!-featured – place in American weather history. Codell was struck by a tornado on the exact same date, May 20, in three consecutive years: 1916, 1917, and 1918, each storm larger and more destructive than the last. The final 1918 tornado, arriving after dark, tore through the middle of town, destroyed most of its homes, businesses, churches, and school, and killed several residents (some accounts cite 8, others 10). The town never fully recovered, and “Cyclone Day” became a genuine local tradition of vigilance each May 20th; in 2018, on the storm’s 100th anniversary, Codell dedicated a memorial tornado sculpture at the former high school site. Meteorologists nationwide still study Codell’s case as an extraordinary statistical fluke. This history is presented here with care, given the real loss of life involved. In Plainville, the county’s largest city, longtime school principal C.E. Rarick went on to become president of Fort Hays Kansas State College (today Fort Hays State University), with Rarick Hall on that campus named in his honor; Plainville football coach Jack Hartman later became a legendary Kansas State University basketball coach, inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Rooks County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via rookscountyks.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Stockton Public Library; Plainville Public Library – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Rooks County Historical Museum (Frank Walker Museum, 921 S. Cedar, Stockton, (785) 425-7217) and the Codell Cyclone Day Memorial are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, nationally studied meteorological phenomenon of Codell’s three consecutive same-date tornadoes is presented here with care, given the real loss of life involved.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Rooks County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via rookscountyks.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
⚠️ No confirmed dedicated Rooks County animal shelter was found in current sourcing. Residents should contact the Rooks County Sheriff’s Office, (785) 425-6312, for current animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Rooks County Noxious Weed / Road & Bridge Department – confirm current contact via rookscountyks.gov.
NOTES: Rooks County is the sixth and final county in the thirteenth Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, nationally studied meteorological phenomenon of Codell’s three consecutive same-date tornadoes is presented here with care, given the real loss of life involved. ⚠️ 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 Rooks County
Rooks County is north-central Kansas’s Webster Reservoir and Solomon River wheat county – the state reservoir’s recreational fishing and the county’s productive wheat plains define a community where Stockton provides governmental services to agricultural communities between Hays and Norton.
Stockton (the county seat, population ~1,300) is Rooks County’s governmental and commercial hub, a north-central Kansas wheat town on US 183.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Rooks County Appraiser at 115 N. Walnut Street, Stockton, KS 67669, phone 785-425-6686.
Courts & Legal
Rooks County District Court at 115 N. Walnut Street, Stockton, KS 67669, phone 785-425-6718, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
115 N. Walnut, Stockton, KS 67669
(785) 425-6391
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
115 N. Walnut, Stockton, KS 67669
(785) 425-6718
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
115 N. Walnut, Stockton, KS 67669
(785) 425-6391
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rooks County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Rooks County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Rooks 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
Rooks County District Court, 23rd Judicial District 115 North Walnut Street, P.O. Box 532, Stockton, KS 67669
Rooks County was founded February 26, 1867, named for a private who died in the Civil War. Its largest city, Plainville, differs from its seat, Stockton. The Rooks County Courthouse (Classical Revival, National Register of Historic Places) sits in Stockton.
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 Rooks 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
115 N. Walnut, Stockton, KS 67669
(785) 425-6717
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
115 N. Walnut, Stockton, KS 67669
(785) 425-6391
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
115 N. Walnut, Stockton, KS 67669
(785) 425-6391
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Rooks County Health Office – (785) 425-7352. Rooks County Health Center – Plainville, (785) 688-4401.
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