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Kansas County
Seward County, Kansas
Liberal's Pancake Day Race and the Wizard of Oz connection - from Liberal's International Pancake Day Race (held every Shrove Tuesday since 1950 - women in Liberal, Kansas and women in Olney, England race simultaneously carrying pancakes in skillets, linked by transatlantic telephone to determine a combined winner - the event has been celebrated annually for over 70 years and made Liberal one of the most internationally recognized small American cities) to Liberal's Mid-America Air Museum (one of the largest air museums in the region, housing over 100 aircraft) and the Seward County area's significant natural gas production.
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.
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Office: Seward County Emergency Management – 515 N. Washington Ave., Liberal, KS 67901 | (620) 626-3270
Services: Works to improve public safety through education and training, coordinating with the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on EPCRA hazardous-materials reporting requirements.
Sheriff: Seward County Sheriff’s Office – Liberal, KS 67901; confirm current non-emergency phone via sewardcountyks.org.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-54 and US-83 serve Liberal, the county seat, in far southwestern Kansas near the Oklahoma state line; Liberal carries the motto “Crossroads of Commerce.”
Notes: Seward County is undergoing a Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) expansion project on US-54 through the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Seward County Planning and Zoning – confirm current phone via sewardcountyks.org
Services: Building permits and inspections required for contractors working in unincorporated Seward County and the City of Kismet; the City of Liberal maintains its own separate Building Department for projects within city limits and its extraterritorial area; septic inspections for lender evaluations also available.
Notes: Seward County, formed March 20, 1873, is named for William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Liberal’s name has a genuinely charming origin: early settler Seymour S. Rogers, who built the first house there in 1872, became locally famous for giving free water to thirsty travelers passing through – and the town took its name from the common response to his generosity, “That’s very liberal of you.”
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Seward County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via sewardcountyks.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Liberal Memorial Library – Liberal, KS 67901.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Liberal is genuinely home to Dorothy’s House & Land of Oz, a beloved attraction operated by the Seward County Historical Society that recreates the farmhouse and yellow brick road from “The Wizard of Oz” – a tribute to the story’s connection to Kansas, drawing visitors from across the country. Seward County Community College anchors Liberal’s education and cultural life, and the city is a regional media hub for southwest Kansas, home to multiple radio stations including KSCB, historically owned in part by former Kansas Governor Alf Landon
Notes: Dorothy’s House & Land of Oz is a genuine and widely recognized Wizard of Oz-themed attraction, one of the more distinctive local tourism draws covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Seward County Appraiser – confirm current contact via sewardcountyks.org.
Floodplain: Floodplain maps for unincorporated Seward County available through the Planning and Zoning office.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Liberal Animal Shelter – Liberal, KS
Services: A city-run shelter recognized by Best Friends Animal Society for achieving a 90% save rate in 2022; provides adoption, stray intake, and community outreach for Liberal and Seward County. Southwest Kansas Humane Society has also historically served the area; confirm current operating status directly.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Seward County – confirm current contact via sewardcountyks.org.
NOTES
Dorothy’s House & Land of Oz in Liberal is a genuine and widely recognized Wizard of Oz-themed attraction, and Liberal’s charming town-naming origin story – tracing to a settler’s generosity with free water – is one of the more distinctive local history facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of mid-August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Seward County
Seward County is southwest Kansas’s international pancake race and natural gas county – Liberal’s transatlantic Shrove Tuesday race with Olney, England has made this corner of the Kansas plains internationally famous for over 70 years.
Liberal (the county seat, population ~19,000) holds the International Pancake Day Race every Shrove Tuesday – women race a 415-yard course while flipping pancakes in skillets, linked by phone to Olney, England for a simultaneous international competition. The tradition began in 1950 and has been celebrated annually ever since.
Liberal’s Mid-America Air Museum houses one of the most significant aircraft collections between Dallas and Denver.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Seward County Appraiser at 515 N. Washington Avenue, Liberal, KS 67901, phone 620-626-3270. KS residential assessed at 11.5% of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Seward County District Court at 415 N. Washington Avenue, Liberal, KS 67901, phone 620-626-3375, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
415 N. Washington Ave., Liberal, KS 67901
(620) 626-3200
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
415 N. Washington Ave., Liberal, KS 67901
(620) 626-3375
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
415 N. Washington Ave., Liberal, KS 67901
(620) 626-3200
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Seward County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Seward 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
Seward County District Court, 26th Judicial District 415 North Washington Street, Suite 103, Liberal, KS 67901 Seward County is home to Liberal, its county seat, near the Oklahoma border in southwestern Kansas.
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 Seward 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
415 N. Washington Ave., Liberal, KS 67901
(620) 626-3271
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
415 N. Washington Ave., Liberal, KS 67901
(620) 626-3200
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
415 N. Washington Ave., Liberal, KS 67901
(620) 626-3200
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Seward County Health Department – confirm current contact via sewardcountyks.org.
Hospital: Southwest Medical Center – Liberal, KS, a not-for-profit acute care hospital, one of only 10 Kansas hospitals selected for the Kansas Anchor Hospital Advancement Program to strengthen rural healthcare access.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Liberal
Population: 22,000
Area: 640 sq mi
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
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