About the Register of Deeds

The Osage County Register of Deeds is an elected official who is required by the Laws of the State of Kansas to record all documents submitted by the public which are qualified to be recorded; maintain an up-to-date and accurate set of indexes that show the correct ownership of land in the entire county and perform all functions of a clerical and technical nature to accomplish that objective. It is a place where all transactions having to do with land including liens and mortgages are recorded and maintained so that the public is made aware of their existence. This is also a place where financing statements and security agreements are filed on personal property under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). In addition to records on real estate and personal property; the Osage County Register of Deeds Office maintains records of military discharges, old school records, and information on county cemeteries.

Our filing system requires to have a name, legal description, or sometimes the property address in order to retrieve records archived in the office. Some instruments are not subject to the Kansas Open Records Act or require special search documents to retrieve; at the time of your request, the Register of Deeds staff will inform you if any of these circumstances apply to the requested document. Requests may be made by telephone, fax, mail, email or in person at the Register of Deeds office. We are able to satisfy most document requests by the same methods in which they can be requested. Please remember that we are dealing with records that date back to the early 1800s so it can often take time to locate some of the older records.

Documents are usually recorded on the same day that they are received in the office. Each document goes through a multi-step process when it is filed. The document is evaluated on the basis of completeness, and compliance with state statutes, and then scanned for obvious errors. The proper fee is then assessed and no document is filed until the fee has been paid. After these steps are completed the documents are recorded in the proper reception books and indices. When the indexing is completed the document is reproduced digitally and as a hard copy; the original documents may then be sent back to their place of origin.

Some liens (mortgages, tax liens, etc.) filed against the property will be listed in the indices. To obtain specific information about the lien it is always best for you to look at the actual document. The Deeds office also handles personal property liens; Commonly referred to as UCCs (Uniform Commercial Code Filings) Federal and State Tax liens against real and personal property may also be on file in the Deeds office. However, all liens are not handled by the Register of Deeds. You should also check with the Osage County Clerk of the District Court, Motor Vehicles Department, Kansas Department of Human Resources, etc. for other lien filings.

The staff of the Osage County Register of Deeds Office can assist you in researching our archives. We are unable to do in-depth searches of the archives. In-depth searches are the realm of Title Companies, Attorneys, and privately contracted researchers. Our staff will answer simple questions concerning our records to inquiries made in person, by telephone, by fax, or by email. Remember not all county records are filed in the Register of Deeds office. If you have questions, which are beyond our scope, we will refer you to another office or a professional to insure the best results to your queries.

Land from other counties are not recorded in this office.  Only land in Osage County, Kansas is recorded in our office.

Title searches are completed by professional title examiners or abstractors who use the records in our office as well as searching records in other offices to determine if the title is good and clear.

Besides deeds, mortgages, and liens, there are oil and gas leases, plats of additions to the cities in Osage County, county school records, honorable discharges from the armed services, powers of attorney, and over several hundred different kinds of documents recorded and or filed in the office.

The office is located in the Osage County Courthouse at 717 Topeka Avenue in Lyndon, Kansas, on the second floor.