Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Kansas City is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, with about 516,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Kansas City offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for Kansas City, every one opened and checked, and lists 1 more whose site blocks automated checks.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Kansas City records are kept
- Kept by the City of Kansas City: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Jackson County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Jackson County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Kansas City City Clerk: council records and ordinances
The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for Kansas City.
- Website: kcmo.gov/city-hall/clerk (page title: City Clerk | CITY OF KANSAS CITY)
- Phone: (816) 513-6401
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Kansas City police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Kansas City police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Kansas City police records.
- Website: kcpolice.org/about/services/report-and-video-requests/record-and-vi...
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the site did not answer our automated check (HTTP 403); open it directly in a browser.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Jackson County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Kansas City City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: kcmo.gov/talk-to-us/contact-kcmo (page title: Contact KCMO | CITY OF KANSAS CITY)
- Phone: 800-340-3132
- Address: 3132 City Hall 414 E. 12th St., Kansas City, MO 64106
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Kansas City
Missouri public records law applies to the city government of Kansas City. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Other cities and towns in Jackson County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Jackson County. The Jackson County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
Kansas City Arrest Records
The Kansas City arrest records guide covers the agency that reports Kansas City's arrests to the FBI and the 10,022 arrests it reported for 2025. It also says where a person arrested in Kansas City is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.
Kansas City Records Guides
SearchSystems has nine more guides to Kansas City, each written from the city's own offices and figures: Kansas City warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Kansas City inmate search (the custody page of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), Kansas City criminal records (the court file, the Missouri criminal history and the local arrest records), Kansas City court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Kansas City police reports (which agency holds a report and what the Missouri Sunshine Law requires), Kansas City traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Kansas City DUI (the DWI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), Kansas City divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Kansas City property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Kansas City website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Kansas City offices listed above, and the city's own website is kcmo.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
Where do I find Kansas City city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at kcmo.gov/city-hall/clerk, phone (816) 513-6401. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Kansas City?
Kansas City cases are heard by the courts that serve Jackson County, and people arrested in Kansas City are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Jackson County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Kansas City?
From the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Missouri public records law applies to city governments.