Our office is happy to provide voter registration forms and registration drive instructions. By law you should return completed registrations within five (5) days from signature on the registration form. Additionally, remember that voter registration now ends twenty-one (21) days before the…

Please visit our Ways to Vote page. You will find information on Advance Voting by Mail, Permanent Advance Voting and Military & Overseas Voting.

There are several ways to register to vote:

If you have a valid KS Driver License or KS State ID you may go to the Kansas Secretary of State's website. Complete the online registration application. The record will pull your DL or State ID signature and attach to your application…

On election night the general public are welcome to come to the second floor of the Douglas County Courthouse on election night to observe the process of tallying the results from advance ballots and precincts.  You may access election results, whether official or unofficial, at our Results…

1. Make sure you are a resident of the district that you are considering running for, especially during periods of redistricting that may move district lines to unfamiliar locations.
2. The Douglas County Election Office has established the Election Research Gateway that will provide…

Please visit our Candidates & Elected Officials page. You will find information in the Campaign Report Archives for current and past candidates.

Yes. You will be asked to complete a provisional ballot, and will complete a new registration form with your new name. Your registration will be researched. If everything is found to be valid, and you are indeed registered, your ballot will count.

False. All provisional ballots are researched thoroughly and all valid provisional ballots will be counted and added to the final totals (whether the race is close or not).

If you reside in Douglas County, KS and registered to vote at least twenty-one days before the upcoming election then yes, you may vote. If you have moved from another county in Kansas within thirty (30) days before an election, and did not reregister in Douglas County, you may return to your…

The law provides for registrants who have move within the thirty days of an election and have not updated their registration. These voters may either: 

• go to their old polling place, complete an Affidavit of Former Precinct Resident (FP-1 form) and vote or
• go to their…

You still need to submit a Declaration of Intention to run for office, and you have a $1 filing fee to pay to the Election Office. You will also need to complete a Statement of Substantial Interest form. If you do not anticipate raising or spending more than $500 in your campaign, you can fill…

1. Please visit our Become a Candidate page.  You will find the information and forms needed to file for county office.

The Election Research Gateway contains all financial disclosure of campaign receipts and expenditures. The County Clerk's Office is in the process of posting to the Gateway all Statements of Substantial Interest of all candidates and elected officials of Douglas County, but in the meantime, all…

Visit the Your Voter Information page.  Here you may look up your registration and see your polling place and sample ballot; or you may go to the Polling Place Directory and type in your address to find you polling place.  

Provisional ballots are for voters and poll workers alike that encounter issues with an attempted vote, usually involving the voter's registration status. i.e. change of address, name change, name not listed in poll book, went to wrong precinct etc. All provisional ballots are researched…

Fireworks are allowed at public parks and lakes in the county. These are the prohibited areas:

1.  within 1,000 feet of any hospital, sanitarium or infirmary; or
2.  within 100 feet of any Fireworks Stand; or
3. into, under, from, or on a car or vehicle,…

Only one residence is allowed per land tract.

A recent change to the zoning regulations has allowed an option to create additional housing while maintaining the rural character of unincorporated Douglas County. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) are intended to provide an independent living…

No accessory building can be constructed on a lot unless the construction of the primary dwelling has been permitted. An accessory use must be accessory to a primary use. 

An existing vested residential parcel with less than the minimum acreage required in the Douglas County Zoning Regulations may be eligible to be sold as a residential parcel if the Douglas County sanitation requirements are met. Specific properties should be discussed with the county sanitarian…

Each building lot is required to have it's own driveway and meet the county road classification standards for road frontage. Sharing a driveway would constitute a private road, which is no longer permitted.

All buildings/accessory buildings require a building permit.

The only structures exempt from this process are:

• Any building or structure erected and used strictly for agricultural purposes, would be exempt from building permit requirements by meeting the Ag Exemption…

Click this link for a guide that will help you locate and utilize the Douglas County Property Viewer. Would you like to research, or learn more…

Vendors may apply for a fireworks permit by submitting a site plan, proof of sales tax, legal description and property owner's name to the County Zoning & Codes Department. The sale of fireworks or use of fireworks is allowed on July 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of each year only. 

Addresses are not assigned to vacant parcels.  Addresses are assigned by the Zoning and Codes Department when a landowner applies for a residential or commercial building permit.  Addresses are typically based on the location where the entrance meets the public road. Note that an…

Building Permit fees are determined by the valuation. For example, the permit for a $100,000 residence would be $993.75. Please click this link for all Zoning and Codes fees. For more information, contact the Zoning & Codes Department at 3755 E 25th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044, Phone:…