Coffey County District Court Overview
Kansas district courts are the state's general trial courts. In Coffey County, District Court handles criminal, civil, domestic, probate, juvenile, traffic, small claims, and other trial-level matters unless a narrower municipal court has jurisdiction over a city ordinance violation or municipal traffic case. Coffey County belongs to the Fourth Judicial District with Anderson, Franklin, and Osage counties. Appeals from Kansas district courts generally go to the Kansas Court of Appeals, with the Kansas Supreme Court serving as the state's court of last resort and exercising direct review in selected categories.
The Coffey County District Court is located in the Coffey County Courthouse at 110 S. 6th, Suite 102, Burlington, KS 66839. The District Court phone is 620-364-8628, fax is 620-364-8535, and hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Coffey County's general courthouse address is 110 S. 6th Street, Burlington, KS 66839-1789, and the county homepage lists the general county phone as 620-364-2191. The Fourth Judicial District site is hosted on Franklin County's website, but Coffey County links to it as the official district court resource.
The official Fourth Judicial District landing page is the regional court source for Coffey County. Its source is the Fourth Judicial District page.
The district page provides the regional context for Coffey County's trial court and related district resources.
Coffey County Court and Judge Table
Coffey County does not have separately numbered district courts. The available official Coffey page identifies one District Court location and lists judicial officers serving Coffey-related matters. Chief Judge Taylor Wine is identified as presiding Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday hearing domestic, criminal, and probate. District Judge Eric W. Godderz is identified as presiding over Chapter 60 civil cases. Magistrate Judge Kara L. Reynolds is listed with the Coffey clerk phone. Burlington Municipal Court is included as the local ordinance comparison point because Kansas lower courts in this project are municipal courts.
| Court or Judicial Officer | Address | Phone | Role Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffey County District Court | 110 S. 6th, Suite 102, Burlington, KS 66839 | 620-364-8628 | District court clerk, case records, filings, public terminals, court payments. |
| Chief Judge Taylor Wine | Coffey County District Court / Fourth Judicial District | 620-364-8620 | Presiding Wednesday-Friday for domestic, criminal, and probate matters. |
| District Judge Eric W. Godderz | Fourth Judicial District | 785-448-6889 | Presides over Chapter 60 civil cases. |
| Magistrate Judge Kara L. Reynolds | Coffey County District Court | 620-364-8628 | Magistrate judge listed for Coffey County. |
| Burlington Municipal Court | City Hall, 1013 N. 4th, Burlington, KS 66839 | 620-364-5334 | City ordinance and municipal traffic matters; municipal court clerk Lisa Birney listed by city. |
District Court vs. Municipal Court
Kansas does not place Coffey County trial work into county court or justice court categories. The practical local distinction is District Court versus Municipal Court. District Court handles state-law criminal charges, felony cases, most civil cases, domestic and divorce matters, probate, juvenile, small claims, district traffic cases, and appeals or judgments within the trial-court system. Municipal Court handles city ordinance violations and municipal traffic matters, such as cases routed through Burlington Municipal Court.
| Feature | District Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|
| Coffey County example | Coffey County District Court, Fourth Judicial District | Burlington Municipal Court at City Hall |
| Main record types | Criminal, civil, domestic, probate, juvenile, district traffic, small claims | City ordinance and municipal traffic matters |
| Search path | Kansas CaseSearch, Fourth Judicial District dockets, public access computers, clerk | Municipal court clerk and city-linked payment portal where available |
| Domestic and probate | Yes, through District Court functions | No local source showed municipal domestic or probate jurisdiction |
| Payments | District Court Public Access Portal, clerk office, or Centralized Court Payment Center | Burlington has an official NIC/OTC online municipal payment portal |
| Appeal path | Generally Kansas Court of Appeals unless direct Supreme Court jurisdiction applies | Depends on municipal case procedure and state law |
How a Case Moves Through the Coffey County System
Case movement depends on case type. For felony cases, the Coffey County Attorney material gives a concrete path: law enforcement investigates, a report is filed with the County Attorney, the prosecutor reviews sufficiency of evidence and makes a charging decision, a felony charge is filed in District Court, and the defendant is served by arrest warrant or summons. The first appearance covers the charge, penalties, counsel, next appearance date, and bond. A preliminary hearing follows in felony matters.
Felony criminal flow: Investigation › County Attorney review › Complaint filed in District Court › Arrest warrant or summons › First appearance › Preliminary hearing › Arraignment or plea path › Motions, disposition, trial, sentencing, or post-conviction activity.
Civil flow: Petition filed › Service › Answer or response › Motions or discovery › Hearing or trial › Judgment › Collection, post-judgment motions, or appeal when available.
Traffic and ordinance flow: Citation issued › Identify whether it belongs in District Court or Municipal Court › Search or contact the correct clerk › Pay, contest, or appear by the due date › Address failure-to-appear, warrant, or license consequences through the issuing court.
Civil, Domestic, Probate, and Criminal Work
Coffey County District Court case types include criminal court records, charges filed after arrest, traffic court records, civil records, domestic and divorce records, probate records, marriage-related court records, juvenile matters, care-and-treatment matters, protective-order matters, small claims, appeals, and judgments. The court table in the research file links Judge Godderz to Chapter 60 civil cases and Judge Wine to domestic, criminal, and probate matters in Coffey County. Small claims under $10,000 use a simplified district court process, and the research captured filing fees for two small-claims bands.
Domestic case access has a special limitation. The Fourth Judicial District says online searches will not provide case information on divorce, visitation, support, and paternity cases. Those records can only be obtained by visiting local courthouses. Probate is also a District Court function, with older probate records prior to 2/15/01 indexed on the Fourth Judicial District old marriage and probate page. Juvenile and care-and-treatment records are sensitive and may be restricted by Kansas law and court rules.
Court Calendar and Public Case Access
The main online route for Coffey County District Court case information is Kansas District Court CaseSearch at casesearch.kscourts.gov. Official portal materials identify search options such as case number, party name, business name, citation, and role-dependent criteria. Fourth Judicial District docket PDFs provide a local calendar route. The court's docket instructions say to open the docket PDF and use Ctrl+F or Edit > Find to search by party, attorney, judge, case number, date, or related text.
Sample Coffey docket fields captured in the research include party caption, connection, party name, attorney name, prosecutor, defendant, judge, hearing date, hearing time, case number, hearing type, and notes or comments. Observed case-number formats include CF-2024-CR-000095, CF-2026-CR-000030, 2018-TR-000190, and 2019-CR-000073. Observed hearing types include arraignment, status, probation violation status, motion, disposition, review hearing, sentencing, status conference, waiver of preliminary hearing and plea, and expungement.
The Fourth Judicial District e-filing page explains the district's electronic filing route. Its source is the district e-filing page.
E-filing supports filing activity, while public users still rely on CaseSearch, docket PDFs, public terminals, and clerk contact for record access.
Fourth Judicial District Rules and Region
Coffey County is one county location in Kansas's Fourth Judicial District, alongside Anderson, Franklin, and Osage counties. Local rules for the Fourth Judicial District are relevant to filing, practice categories, and clerk-file availability. The research notes that Fourth Judicial District local rules were amended effective 06-27-2025. Users should check the current district rules before relying on older printed copies or third-party summaries.
The Fourth Judicial District also maintains resources for court payments, court case information, court calendars, ADA information, electronic filing, small claims, marriage licenses, and old marriage/probate records. This district-wide structure is why some Coffey County official court links point to Franklin County-hosted pages. Those pages are still official for Coffey County District Court because Coffey County government links to them as the District Court resource.
The ADA information source is the Fourth Judicial District ADA Information page.
The ADA page is useful for courthouse access planning, though the research did not locate a detailed Coffey courthouse entrance or parking policy.
Municipal Court and Local Access Notes
Municipal Court is the lower court category identified for Coffey County in the State Court Structure Map. Burlington Municipal Court has official city support: City Hall is at 1013 N. 4th, PO Box 207, Burlington, KS 66839, phone 620-364-5334, and the city lists Utility Billing/Municipal Court Clerk Lisa Birney. Burlington public notices list Municipal Court on the second Thursday of each month at 5 p.m. at City Hall. The city also links to an NIC/OTC online Municipal Court payment portal.
Other Coffey County cities have city hall contacts, but the research does not support treating every city matter as a Burlington Municipal Court case without verification. Gridley, Lebo, LeRoy, New Strawn, and Waverly have official city contacts in the research file. A person with a local citation should read the ticket, identify the court named on it, and call the listed court or city clerk before assuming the case is in District Court.
For courthouse visits, map the District Court to 110 S. 6th Street in Burlington and confirm parking or entrance details before a hearing because the research did not locate an official courthouse garage, lot map, meter rate, validation policy, or security screening list. Coffey County Public Transportation is available to county residents from 520 Cross Street, phone 620-364-1935, and riders should call by noon the day before service. The system lists three lift-equipped buses and allows service animals only.