Register of Deeds Details Office History and Requests Continued Tech, Staffing Support
Dickinson County Register of Deeds Rose gave commissioners a presentation on the history and operations of her office, noting it is one of the oldest elected offices in Kansas, with county recording offices dating to the territorial period as early as 1855.
She showed commissioners the first deed ever recorded in Dickinson County, dated February 23, 1859, covering 165 acres east of Detroit. She noted the land included the platted town of Newport, which served as the county seat before it was moved to Abilene in 1862.
Rose said the office houses 578,225 pages of documents representing 167 years of county history. She explained that the office began electronic indexing in late 2019 and stopped recording in numeric ledger books, and described the e-recording platform (Simple File) used by banks, title companies, and attorneys. She noted staff review every document for statutory requirements but do not provide legal advice, determine legal sufficiency, or check for fraud, though the office offers a property fraud alert service that roughly 225 people have signed up for.
Rose clarified that recording fees, set by state statute and consistent statewide, go to the county general fund rather than directly to her office, while technology fund money is returned to support tech needs and is shared with the county clerk and treasurer. She said recording a document at the office costs about $21.
Her only request of the commission was continued support for technology preservation and staffing needs, describing the office's work as both daily service and long-term infrastructure. Commissioners praised the professionalism and accuracy of the office staff.
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