Kansas Name Change Petition
In Kansas an adult files a name change petition in the district court of the county where they live, after living in the state at least 60 days. Newspaper publication is required only if the court directs it. Attorney review available.
Introduction
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name; in Kansas a district judge signs the order that makes the new name official. Kansas puts this power in a single short statute, K.S.A. 60-1401, which lets a district court change the name of any person, and even a township, town or city, at the cost of the petitioner and without affecting any legal right. You file in the county where you live, and the petition must allege just three things under K.S.A. 60-1402(a): that you have been a Kansas resident for at least 60 days, the reason for the change, and the exact name you want. Kansas is unusual in leaving notice of the hearing to the judge's discretion. Under K.S.A. 60-1402(b) the court may direct that notice go out by registered or certified mail to the parties of interest, or by publication, so no Kansas petitioner is automatically forced to advertise the request in a newspaper. Only when the judge orders publication does notice run once a week for three consecutive weeks in a county newspaper (K.S.A. 60-307(d)). At the hearing the judge grants the change on being satisfied that the petition is true and that there is reasonable cause for it (K.S.A. 60-1402(c)). Because the district court acts without affecting any legal right, a new name cannot erase an existing debt or obligation. Once the order is entered, the clerk of the district court issues the certified copies that carry your new name. DocDraft builds your Kansas name change petition from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
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Key Things to Know
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A name change petition is the court paper an adult files to take a new legal name; once a Kansas district judge signs the order, the new name is official.
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Kansas vests this power in the district court alone. K.S.A. 60-1401 lets it rename any person, township, town or city, at the cost of the petitioner and without disturbing any legal right.
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You file where you live, alleging 60 days of Kansas residency plus the reason and the exact name wanted (K.S.A. 60-1402(a)).
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Kansas has no blanket newspaper mandate. The district judge chooses whether the hearing is noticed by mail or by publication (K.S.A. 60-1402(b)).
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Mail means registered or certified letters to the parties of interest; publication, if directed, runs once a week for three consecutive weeks in a Kansas county newspaper (K.S.A. 60-307(d)).
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The judge signs off only after finding the allegations true and reasonable cause shown (K.S.A. 60-1402(c)); a brief hearing settles that.
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Filing costs fall on the petitioner (K.S.A. 60-1401), a fee waiver is available, and the clerk of the district court issues certified copies of the reasonable-cause order that carry your new Kansas name.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Name Change Petition in Kansas, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Name Change Petition guide walks through them.
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Kansas Requirements for Name Change Petition
District Court in Your County of Residence
An adult name change in Kansas is filed in the district court of the county where the petitioner resides. The district court has authority to change the name of any person within the state at the cost of the petitioner without affecting any legal right (K.S.A. 60-1401), and the petition is filed in the county in which the petitioner resides (K.S.A. 60-1402(a)).
Sixty-Day Residency and Venue
The petition must state that the petitioner has been a resident of the state of Kansas for at least 60 days, and it is filed in the county where the petitioner resides (K.S.A. 60-1402(a)). This 60-day statewide residency period is a fixed statutory requirement, so file only after you have lived in Kansas for at least 60 days.
Notice by Mail or Publication, at the Court's Discretion
Kansas does not automatically require newspaper publication. Service of notice of the hearing may be made either by mail or by publication, in the discretion of the court (K.S.A. 60-1402(b)). If the court directs publication, the notice runs once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper in the county where you file (K.S.A. 60-307(d)); if the court directs mail, notice goes by registered or certified mail to parties of interest.
Present Name and Proposed New Name
The petition must state the name desired along with the petitioner's present legal name, so the court can change the name from the present name to the proposed name in its order (K.S.A. 60-1402(a)). State the exact new name you are requesting.
Reason for the Change
The petition must state the reason for the change of name (K.S.A. 60-1402(a)). At the hearing the judge must be satisfied that there is reasonable cause for changing the name before ordering the change (K.S.A. 60-1402(c)), so state your reason clearly and honestly.
Good Faith and No Fraud
State that the change is made in good faith and not to defraud a creditor, evade a legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or for any unlawful purpose. The change is made at the cost of the petitioner and without affecting any legal right (K.S.A. 60-1401), and the judge grants it only on finding reasonable cause (K.S.A. 60-1402(c)).
Hearing and the Judge's Order
Kansas sets the matter for a hearing. If upon hearing the judge is satisfied as to the truth of the allegations of the petition and that there is reasonable cause for changing the name, the judge shall so order (K.S.A. 60-1402(c)). The hearing is usually brief when the paperwork is complete and no one objects.
Certified Copies After the Order
After the order changing your name is signed, order certified copies from the clerk of the district court and use them to update Social Security, your Kansas driver's license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available if you cannot afford it.