What to Do When Someone Dies in Elk County, Kansas

When someone dies in Elk County, Kansas, an estate that needs probate is opened with the District Court in Howard, for a $131.50 filing fee.

The first days Funeral homes Probate Serving as executor Property and debts Taxes and benefits Attorneys

The First Days After a Death in Elk County

A certified copy of the death certificate from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment costs $20, and each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $20.

Who controls the funeral and the burial or cremation follows an order set by law: surviving spouse, then surviving adult children, then surviving parent. An agent the person named in advance comes before that order. Cremation carries no statutory minimum waiting period.

Vital Records Office Record

Kansas Department of Health and Environment - Office of Vital Statistics

Elk County · State vital records office

Phone

1-785-296-1400

kdhe.vitalrecords@ks.gov

Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM (except holidays)

Office

Curtis State Office Building, 1000 Southwest Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-2221

Website

Vital records page →

Certified copies

From Kansas Department of Health and Environment - Office of Vital Statistics

Mail

Office of Vital Statistics Curtis State Office Building 1000 Southwest Jackson Suite 120 Topeka, KS 66612-2221

Phone

1-785-296-1400Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM (except holidays)

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

Coroner or Medical Examiner Record

Coroner

Elk County · 13th Judicial District

Serves this county

District Coroner (13th Judicial District)

Published contact

None published by the county. The office is created by K.S.A. 22a-226(a), (b).

Verified November 4, 2026 · Source

ToolsWhat Do I Do When Someone Dies? · How Do I Settle an Estate? · How Many Death Certificates Do I Need? · How Much Does a Funeral Cost?

Funeral Homes in Elk County

Elk County has 1 funeral home or crematory, in Howard.

Countryside Funeral Home

206 E Washington, Howard, KS 67349

Howard location of Countryside Funeral Home, serving the town since 2007, with cremation at the operator's own crematory in Fredonia. The Howard building has 8,500 square feet.

Branch locationCremation

1-620-374-2381

Funeral homes in Elk County →

Probate in Elk County

Probate cases in Elk County are filed with the District Court in Howard, in the 13th Judicial District. The same 13th Judicial District also serves Butler County and Greenwood County. Opening probate costs $131.50 in Kansas, the same at every court.

Probate in Kansas typically takes 9 months to 15 months. In Kansas, estates valued at $75,000 or less skip probate with the Small Estates Affidavit. Creditors have 4 months to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.

Probate Court Record

Elk County District Court

Elk County · 13th Judicial District

Phone

1-620-374-2370

informek@kscourts.org

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 12:30 PM-4:30 PM

Office

127 North Pine, Howard, KS 67349

Website

Court website →

E-filing

Required for attorneys

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

Court forms packet

Open in Google Maps

E-filing

Required for attorneysKansas-licensed attorneys must file every document electronically through Kansas Courts eFiling. Self-represented filers file paper documents and do not register for an eFiling account.

Self-represented filing

AllowedSelf-represented filers may file in person at the clerk's office, by mail, by fax or in the court drop box. A filing left in the drop box by 4:00 p.m. is filed that day. Court staff empty the drop box at 8:00 a.m. each weekday, and it also takes payments.

Accepted payment

At the counterCash, Check, Money order, Credit card, Debit card.At the counter the clerk takes cash, checks, money orders and credit or debit cards. Filings sent by mail or left in the drop box are paid by check or money order, and fax filings by credit or debit card.

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

Fee and Accounting Rules in Elk County

Clerk copy and research fees. Copies are at least $0.50 a page, faxed copies $1.00 a page, certification $1.00 a document and authentication $3.00 a packet. Records research is at least $12.00 an hour, and a copy of a recorded hearing is $50.00.

What Probate Costs in Elk County

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Kansas costs an estimated $25,212, counting the court fee, the executor's and the attorney's pay, the bond and publication.

State

Real Estate

Other Assets

Debts & Liabilities

Assets Passing Outside Probate

Date of Death

Estimate the cost of probate

Enter the estate value to see Kansas attorney fees, executor fees, court costs and the timeline.

Examples:

General information about probate costs, not legal or financial advice. Fee bases vary by state and may use gross estate, personal property, inventory value or net property after debts. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.

Free formsSmall Estate Affidavit →

ToolsDo I Need Probate? · How Much Does Probate Cost? · Who Inherits Without a Will? · What Is the Estate's Personal Property Worth for Probate?

Serving as Executor in Elk County

The court's appointment comes as Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). A person can apply for the appointment without a lawyer. An estate can be administered independently of court supervision. A bond is required by default before letters issue, and a will can waive it.

Notice to creditors is published in a newspaper for 3 consecutive weeks, and known creditors are sent it directly. The estate inventory is due within 30 days of appointment. An executor is paid reasonable compensation from the estate. Probate attorneys are paid reasonable compensation from the estate.

State

County

Estate Value

Date of Death

Is There a Will?

YesNo

Is the Surviving Spouse the Only Heir?

YesNo

Complicating Factors

Includes real estate or investments

Business assets or out-of-state property

Disputed will, creditors, or family conflict

Minor or special needs beneficiaries

See whether you can file probate yourself

Enter the estate value to see whether Kansas lets a self-represented person open probate, what the court requires, and what each route costs.

General information about filing probate without a lawyer, not legal advice. Both routes are priced by the probate cost estimator on the same estate; the attorney fee is the one line that differs. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.

Filing Rules in Elk County

Public court files are reviewed by appointment. Court files open to the public are reviewed by appointment with the clerk, in a designated room in the courthouse; give the case number when asking. Requests for information are made in writing, and the clerk has three business days to respond.

Free formsRenunciation of Executor →Notice to Creditors →Estate Inventory →Estate Closing →

ToolsHow Do I Get Letters Testamentary? · Can I Self-File Probate? · How Much Can an Executor Charge? · What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

Homes, Accounts and Debts in Elk County

A deed from the personal representative, an affidavit that records a death, or a court order is recorded with the Register of Deeds for Elk County. Recording a 2-page document there costs $38 in recording fees, before any form fee the office adds. In Kansas a grant to two or more owners, including spouses, creates a tenancy in common unless its language makes clear that a joint tenancy was intended. Where no estate is administered, a surviving joint tenant may also ask the district court to determine the death and the passing of title.

The estate's bank account can be at any bank, in any state. Property the state holds as unclaimed for the person who died is claimed from the Kansas State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division. An estate that cannot pay every debt pays them in an order set by statute, in 4 classes.

Recording Office Record

Register of Deeds

Elk County

Phone

1-620-374-2472

Hours

Monday-Thursday 7:00 AM-5:30 PM (closed Friday)

Office

127 North Pine Street, Howard, KS 67349

Open in Google Maps

Mail

P.O. Box 476 Howard, KS 67349

Fax

1-620-374-5020

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Free formsAffidavit of Death →Letter of Instruction →Digital Assets Recovery Letter →

ToolsWhat Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies? · How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies? · How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property? · What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?

Taxes and Benefits

There is no estate tax and no inheritance tax in Kansas. The final state income tax return for the year of death is K-40. The federal estate tax exempts the first $15,000,000 per person.

Social Security pays a one-time death payment of $255 to a surviving spouse who lived in the same household, or else to a spouse or child entitled to survivor benefits for the month of death. A family allowance of up to $75,000 can be paid from the estate to support the family during administration.