Montgomery County Docket Basics
A court docket is the court's schedule or event log. In Montgomery County, the word can refer to a hearing calendar posted by the 14th Judicial District dockets page, or to the docket entries inside a case record on Kansas CaseSearch. A calendar helps a person find when and where a hearing may occur. Docket entries show what has already been filed, ordered, scheduled, continued, or decided in a case.
The difference is practical. A daily docket may list a case for hearing, but it may not show the motion, order, complaint, sentencing journal entry, or proof of service that caused the setting. A full court record may include those documents, subject to public access limits. Dockets are best for tracking progress. Full case records are better for legal review, certified copies, and document history.
- Docket
- A chronological list of case events or a hearing schedule.
- Disposition
- The final or current outcome of a case or charge.
- Journal entry
- A Kansas court order that records a ruling, judgment, or sentence.
- Continuance
- A postponement of a hearing or trial date.
Montgomery County Calendar Search
The local District Court calendar path starts with the 14th Judicial District. The district includes Montgomery County and Chautauqua County, with Montgomery County District Court offices in Independence and Coffeyville and another district office in Sedan for Chautauqua County. Local court materials say each hearing docket is located on the calendar. They also warn that special settings may not be listed, so an absent listing does not prove a hearing is canceled.
For a hearing day, the better practice is to check the local docket page, review any CaseSearch docket entries, and confirm with the clerk if the matter is urgent, sealed, newly scheduled, or specially set. Court offices may also post emergency alerts on the local court homepage. The research file noted an example alert about a July 6, 2026 Coffeyville jury trial not going, which shows why a same-week calendar check is useful before travel.
- Open the 14th Judicial District dockets page and use the calendar link for the local hearing docket.
- Match the court location to the case or notice, usually Independence or Coffeyville for Montgomery County District Court.
- Use CaseSearch to review case docket entries by case number or party name when the calendar listing is not enough.
- Call the Clerk of the District Court if the case involves a special setting, sealed matter, last-minute change, or missing calendar entry.
- For city ordinance or municipal traffic hearings, check the appropriate municipal court rather than the District Court calendar.
Note: Special settings may not appear on the public calendar, so direct clerk confirmation can be necessary.
Montgomery County Docket Entries
CaseSearch can show docket entries within a public District Court case record. These entries can include filings, hearing settings, orders, judgments, warrants, plea events, sentencing events, payment activity, probation review, and collection activity when those details are part of the public record. Kansas Supreme Court Rule 22 controls which public electronic records appear, so the online entry list may be narrower than the clerk's complete file.
The research did not include a captured live Montgomery County District Court case detail page. The field inventory below uses official Kansas public access guidance and the Montgomery County research inventory for typical court-record content. It should be read as a practical docket-entry guide, not as a guarantee that every field appears on every public case.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Entry Date | The date the event, filing, order, hearing, or payment activity was entered on the case record. |
| Event Type | A short label such as motion filed, order entered, hearing scheduled, continuance, plea, sentencing, or warrant issued. |
| Party or Actor | The party, attorney, prosecutor, court, or clerk action tied to the entry when that information is public. |
| Hearing Date | The date and sometimes time or setting type for a scheduled court event. |
| Document Reference | A link or document title if electronic document access is allowed for that record. |
| Outcome | A ruling, disposition, judgment, sentence, recall, dismissal, or other result when entered by the court. |
District and Municipal Dockets
Montgomery County District Court dockets are not the same as municipal court dockets. Kansas District Courts are general-jurisdiction trial courts. They hear civil, criminal, divorce, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, mental health, juvenile, small claims, protection order, and District Court traffic matters. Montgomery County is in the 14th Judicial District with Chautauqua County. District judges and a district magistrate judge hear matters across the district.
Municipal courts are limited local courts for city ordinance violations, commonly traffic and other minor offenses. The Kansas Judicial Branch explains that municipal judges hear cases without juries, and appeals may go to District Court. For Montgomery County users, municipal fallback most often means Independence, Coffeyville, or Caney. A ticket or notice from a city police department may belong there even if the person lives in Montgomery County.
- Montgomery County District Court in Independence handles District Court matters at 300 E. Main Street, Suite 201.
- The Coffeyville District Court office handles Montgomery County District Court work at 102 W. 7th Street, 3rd Floor.
- Independence Municipal Court handles alleged city ordinance violations within Independence city limits.
- Coffeyville Municipal Court handles Coffeyville city ordinance violations and lists a municipal court office at 1206 W. 11th Street.
- Caney Municipal Court publishes a local court calendar and identifies a first Tuesday monthly docket.
Docket or Case Record
A docket is usually the fastest way to learn what has happened or what is scheduled. A full case record is needed when the actual pleading, order, judgment, or certified copy matters. Montgomery County court users often need both: the docket to find the event and the clerk request to obtain the document that supports it.
| Need | Docket | Full Case Record |
|---|---|---|
| Format | List of events or calendar settings | Documents, pleadings, orders, notices, and case file material |
| Best Use | Track status, hearing dates, continuances, and dispositions | Review legal filings, prove an order, or request certified copies |
| Access | Often online through CaseSearch or the local calendar | May require written request, terminal search, fees, or clerk review |
| Limits | May omit special settings or restricted events | May be sealed, redacted, non-electronic, or unavailable to the public |
Read Montgomery County Dockets
Docket terms are short because they are built for court tracking, not plain-language summaries. A motion is a request asking the judge to act. A summons is a notice requiring a response or appearance. A journal entry records a Kansas court order. A plea is the defendant's answer to a criminal charge. A warrant entry may show that a warrant was issued, recalled, or served, but active warrant status should not be assumed from an old docket line without checking with the court or law enforcement.
Payment and collection entries can appear in criminal, traffic, and restitution matters. The 14th Judicial District payment page says court costs, fines, fees, and restitution can be paid by mail, in person, or online when eligible. If unpaid amounts are sent to collections, the local court says payments must go to the collection agency and clerk staff cannot accept them. Those financial entries do not replace the judgment or sentencing document, but they help explain why a case still has activity after disposition.
Some docket questions require more than the online case list. Kansas Judicial Branch materials say each court has a public computer reserved for case information and court records at the courthouse. That terminal route can help when a public user cannot locate an older case, when a docket entry is visible but the supporting document is not online, or when the user needs to compare calendar information against the court file. If a document copy is needed, Kansas request-court-records guidance points users back to a written request. For Montgomery County, that written request should identify the case number, party names, hearing date, docket-entry date, and the document or order sought.
Restricted matters may show little or nothing in public docket tools. Child in Need of Care records are closed to the public under local FAQ guidance. Juvenile offender, protection, domestic, adoption, care and treatment, sealed, and expunged matters may also be limited by Kansas court rules or court order. A missing public docket entry may reflect a privacy rule rather than a clerical error.
Montgomery County Docket Help
The Clerk of the District Court is the local point for District Court docket questions that cannot be resolved online. The Independence office lists public hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Coffeyville court office keeps the same public hours. For calendar calls, provide the case number, party name, hearing notice date, court location, and the type of case if known.
For a municipal case, use the city court. Coffeyville publishes a municipal court phone number, fax number, clerk name, and weekday office hours. Caney identifies the court clerk and the monthly docket timing. Independence municipal materials describe the court as handling alleged city ordinance violations inside city limits. That local split is the main reason a Montgomery County court docket search should not stop at one District Court source.
Montgomery County District Court
300 E. Main Street, Suite 201
Independence, KS 67301
620-330-1070
Coffeyville District Court Office
102 W. 7th Street, 3rd Floor
Coffeyville, KS 67337
620-251-1060