Early evening in downtown KCMO (Kansas City, Missouri), the Jackson County Courthouse has that unmistakable 1930s confidence, a tall limestone tower rising over 12th Street with the kind of clean, vertical lines that make you stop even when the doors are locked for th enight. Completed in 1934, the courthouse is an impressive 295 feet tall with 22 floors, a height that puts it in the same general league as other Depression-era civil towers but noticeably shorter than Kansas City's flashier private skyscrapers of the era like the Power & Light Building (476 feet) and 909 Walnut (471 feet). You can see the clear Public Works Administration Moderne and Art Deco elements in the facade. It's the stripped-down classicism and geometric ornament with a vertical push that fits right into the skyline. The building was designed primarily by Wight & Wight and consulting architect Edward F. Neild, whose Shreveport Louisiana courthouse inspired then presiding judge Harry S. Truman's vision for the project. Neild was later commissioned to design the Truman Presidential Library, but died before it was completed. Walking around the exterior, you can see why Truman was proud of it. the carved limestone at the base, the rhythmic window grid and the restrained but confident massing all feel like a civic anchor rather than a showpiece. Jackson County itself was formed in 1826 and named for Andrew Jackson, then a US Senator and soon to be President. Even with the courthouse closed for the evening, the plaza and nearby blocks make it an easy stop with parking nearby, a quick walk around the tower, and a chance to take in one of KCMO's most important landmarks before heading out. [Review 814 of 2026 - 533 in Missouri - 25994 overall] read more

Jackson County Courthouse - Jackson County Courthouse, KCMO - Courthouses Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Never received cash assistance). Judge order child support. When I called 1866-313-9960 these people turnr off my child support while they work from home, . Didn't know the 1866 313 9960 has more power than Jackson county judge . Uneducated!! read more

Every employee is wearing a mask. Very intimidating and unpersonable, especially since if a person is sick, they should stay home instead of working in a mask. If a worker is not sick, the mask is pointless, so why the theater? And no, I'm not going to wear a mask either. The pandemic has been over for a long time. read more

Look -- I've had a driver's license and owned a car in four other states before I moved to KCMO. I have NEVER, EVER encountered this level of insanity in trying to get everything switched over. In fact, I haven't yet been to the DMV because I've been conducting a scavenger hunt all over town collecting my necessary documents. The courthouse stop was for the "statement of non-assessment," which, uh, to a non-resident means exactly...nothing. I dutifully checked the Jackson County website, and all I could locate was that new residents needed to appear in person, no mention of documents or process. Like a couple of idiots, the husband and I packed up all the paperwork we'd put together for the DMV proving our identities and that we live here now, drove around in circles looking for street parking for regular people (not for the police, as their HQ is right there), and walked a couple of blocks to show up around 11:15am. Of course, this being the new era of COVID-19, in addition to the "security theater" metal detector, there is now "health theater" in the form of (1) temperature check at the door, sticker to wear provided upon passing (2) questions about your symptoms, with a sign helpfully telling you to not to answer yes unless you want to be screened as positive, and (3) mask required for entry, but don't worry, lots of workers and other visitors aren't wearing them properly or just take them off after coming in the door. Then the line for property tax runs all the way down the hall and back up, with only a few people at a time let upstairs in the elevators, where you wait some more to talk to world's crabbiest receptionist. It took us TWO HOURS to reach the receptionist, at which point she rudely informed us that we needed proof that DID NOT previously live in Missouri -- which, again, makes no sense to someone not from here -- and ejected us. Armed with the proper documents, we returned a week later at 7:45am. It still took us over an hour after they opened at 8am to get through to the receptionist (who was even ruder and pettier than the previous one, yelling at everyone about where to stand in line), eventually sent back to a window, and actually receive our single piece of paper that this entire exercise was after. Of the ten windows, 4 were staffed and only 2 were taking customers, some of whom still didn't have their documents in order despite the receptionist, and the workers slowly and painfully typed everything in by hand, with multiple errors that we had to point out and correct. NO WONDER it took forever. Thanks to this process, we've wasted $4 in parking, close to 4 hours of time including driving, parking, walking, and waiting, and been exposed to who knows how many people. All this so that NEXT YEAR we can pay what the worker estimated as $75 in taxes, since our cars are not remotely new. It is now my goal to never buy or sell a vehicle as long as we live here, because I simply cannot do this again. read more

Staff is rude and not helpful. Not sure how these people qualified for their jobs. I feel sorry for anyone that has to go here

I LOVE KANSAS CITY and the people here. I HATE THEIR GOVERNMENT. Why are most of the staff clueless, mean, apathetic, and unfriendly? It's like entering the twilight zone. Well, if you move in state, good luck. They sure don't like outsiders. They make it really anal to get your car registered, plated, etc. You have to go to this courthouse to prove you haven't lived here so that you don't owe taxes on personal property. How draconian. So, I had to go through a METAL DETECTOR and empty my pockets 3 times that day. Man, was I PO'd. Perhaps that's why they have the metal detectors LOL. So, I see the secretary, who's rather nice. I take a seat and wait. I'm seen by this woman who is quite mean. I've done all the research and I brought all my paperwork. She's like, UNACCEPTABLE. Turns me away. I go home and get what she wants. Not good enough. GET THIS: She wants 3 consecutive car registrations for the last 3 years starting in January. So, I dig up my last 3 (6 yrs worth as MA does it every 2 yrs). She won't accept them. I have to dig up bills from January for the last 3 yrs. Now, consider this: I just moved cross country, tossed unneccessary paperwork. I haven't completely unpacked and you have 30 days to do this. VERY UNREASONABLE. I go online and find 3 yrs worth of stuff she wants. Not easy. I use the printer in my business office (lucky to have one in my condo since my printer isn't unpacked). I come back. Wait 45 minutes. Thank G-d, I don't see the same woman a 3rd time. I see another one who is really nice, friendly and conversational. If I can dig up here name, I'll put in here as she was amazing. She accepts my paperwork and I have a tax waiver. The other woman apparently is well known as one of the sore points of the office and I hope never to have to do business with her again. She made a coworker of mine's wife cry. I felt like crying after going back 3 times to prove I haven't lived here. Isn't proof that I was assessed taxes in MA and registered, etc. good enough? I can understand red tape and bureacracy, but there is no need to be mean. It's people like that give government a bad name. I shiver at the thought of coming back here. Let's hope I can do everything online for taxes! read more

Every experience here has been just miserable. I don't say that lightly. Every process I have had to go through is unnecessarily bureaucratic, and if you do not have all the information the first time the staff are not clear and not interested in helping understand what is missing and why they can't serve you. I had to go in multiple (4) times to get my car registered in MO when I moved from out of state and every time there was a new additional reason why they couldn't process then and there. read more

Trying to pay personal property taxes was a pain. Thursday evening about 4:30pm. There wasn't a wait really. The service by the people was actually good! But their system is just TERRIBLE. I got my property tax bill fine after chatting with the staff and next I had to pay it. First, they don't accept VISA, which is mind boggling, its 2014 and you're a government establishment, you have the money to get the systems in place, hell even the DMV accepts VISA. But the real knife in the stick is that you can pay with VISA online?! So they have a computer setup in the department where you can pay your bill online instead of pay the clerk at the window. How rediculous, I thought. But whatever I'll play your stupid game. I log onto this computer and get everything filled out and get to the end to click confirm payment, then nothing happens and the screen doesn't respond, finally the connection times out. It does this twice and I never get an 'official tax receipt' by the time the second one happens its 5pm and they are getting ready to close. Frustrated I leave and go home. Check my bank account and sure enough i've been charged twice so I'll have to dispute that with my bank. This is a problem that was solved in 1985, get a grip Courthouse, you might as well use an apple point of sales system. read more

Disclaimer: the one star you see here is only there because it is needed to write a review. I went in his morning to renew my car registration and it was the absolute worst! The people working there are unaware of how things should be done and are horribly rude! I understand that there's a process to follow for tax-related stuff but there's no need to be rude when you talk me through it. My case was a little complicated having moved counties in the last year but the staff there was uncooperative and unhelpful when I explained my situation to them. They refused to understand my situation. I ended up wasting half of my morning without getting anything in return. Frankly, the whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth. I'd recommend you rather go to the DMV in Raytown or the courthouse in Independence. Hopefully the folks there won't be as terrible. read more

My wife and my occasion to visit the Jackson County Courthouse was a little happier than some so my review is skewed somewhat but we did go through the same gauntlet to get in and the transients on the street so I see their point. We just needed a marriage license. We checked in, filled out the forms, received a sincere smile and congratulations, paid our fee (wth is a marriage license necessary?), and were on our way. But still we got the feeling everyone there hated their job. read more

So, the people here may not have the best customer service, especially over the phone, but in my experience at the Personal Property Assessment Dept, they get shit done! I went in here on Sept 2nd-the dreaded first of the month for anyone having to deal with anything country government related-and much to my surprise, found a mostly empty lobby. A guy that came in after said the lobby had been packed full an hour earlier and before he could finish that sentence, I was called back to the associates. Less than a 15 minute wait. Mind Blown. I went to the counter and the lady, while not overly smiley or excited about life (can you blame her for that given the work she does?) was quick and even though she walked away for 3 minutes without telling me what she was doing, I was in and out of that part of the room in less than 5 minutes. I went to go pay at the cashier counter and the lady, instead of just telling me that she can't take my visa, she pointed me to the computers and very kindly described to me what to do and sent me on my way. Guys, she actually made eye contact and smiled. Mind Blown a second time. Overall this whole visit took under 45 minutes. Shocked, I walked to my car hoping that someone would be able to use the extra 30 minutes I had plugged the meter for. My pleasure since my visit was so painless. read more

I just moved from out of state, and in order for register my car, I needed a simple piece of paper showing I don't owe taxes. Easy said. WRONG! I walked in and the line was only 3 people long. I thought for sure I'd be in and out. When I got to the counter, I told the clerk why I was there. Once she saw I didn't have everything I needed, she instantly became rude and condescending. Luckily there was a Kinkos that was walkable to print the documents needed. When I came back, it was during their lunch time which is 11-2pm. I ended up waiting over an hour just for a piece of paper. This is a side of KC I'd prefer never to experience again. May the odds be ever in your favor when you go. read more

I agree 100% with David's review below. I had the exact same scenario(s) as David. I've come to love Kansas City after moving here from California. This is by no means a review of the general people in Kansas City but stems from the rules & regulations of the state of Missouri and how they deal with titling & registering their car and how the tax documentations. It's also mainly about the staff at the Jackson County Courthouse. Read David's review below as well, as you will see that this probably happens to many people. I always do my research so I am prepared whenever I go to any DMV. The Missouri Revenue's website tells me what I need and all I'm missing is a statement of non-assessment, which is basically a document from the Missouri government that I don't owe any taxes for the state of Missouri. You can only get this document in person at the assessment department at the Jackson County Courthouse. Their hours are from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday which is very inconvenient for any ordinary 8-5 worker. Of course the courthouse has no instructions on their website as to what items you need to bring in order to get this document... I leave work an hour early and drive 30 minutes to the courthouse without a clue of what to bring. I attempted to call the department but hung up after 20 minutes of elevator music. I go to the ground floor entrance and the guards look at me like I'm bothering them and I ask where the assessment department is. They tell me it's on the first floor, which helps no one since they don't point it out or even tell you that you're NOT on the first floor. When I arrive at the assessment department, there is no sign where you should be going whatsoever. I go to the first person I see and tell them what I need and she yells at me to go to the receptionist. Thanks lady, but yelling isn't necessary. I go to the receptionist who is the first friendly person I have so far met and her face turns into a sadness as she already knows how difficult the process will be for me. She gives me a paper and tells me what to bring with me, great, so why wasn't this on the website? Beats me, but I leave and sift through piles of paperwork to find some sort of proof that I wasn't a resident of Missouri SPECIFICALLY for the last two years of January 1. OR I can bring car registrations from the past THREE years. Who really keeps their old car registrations? Why is that even necessary, unless you're a pack rat... Credit card statements aren't available online for more than a year, go figure, but thankfully my bank keeps all my statements. The next day, I leave work early to get to this hell hole once again. The guards are a little nicer on the first floor entrance and the same friendly and sympathetic receptionist is there to take my name down. I am given the same exact witch of a lady that David A. is talking about. She looks so miserable that I somewhat feel sorry for her, until I see the other employees around her who are smiling and conversing with one another. Damn, this lady must despise her job, or despises people in general. I give her what the paper asks and she looks up at me and says, "where's your registration?" Well I left it in my car because no where does it say that I needed my CURRENT registration. I already know in my head that I won't make it, seeing as it's 4:55pm and they close in 5 minutes. Who has the time to run back to the parking garage across the street, go through the metal detectors AGAIN, and make it back in time? I tell her this hoping she would shed some decency and at least let me come in after 5pm. Nope, she started ignoring me once I told her I didn't have my registration. I stomp out with steam coming out of my ears and the receptionist feels so sorry for me but she can't do anything about it. I slam the door and say in a hushed but audible sound "I hate this place." I currently haven't been able to get that statement of non-assessment, but asked if someone else can do it for me. The receptionist said that they could so we will have to wait and see what happens. It's ridiculous how many steps you have to go through to get your car titled and registered. Do that many people try and cheat the system by changing their address to a non-Missouri address on January 1 so they can evade paying property tax? I just don't understand all these hurdles. Trust me, it doesn't take this much to title and register your car in Kansas or California. read more

I went to the assessors/collector department on8/17/2021 to pay taxes and get a receipt to get our vehicle license. I have never been with so much disrespect. When I walked in there wasn't anyone waiting. I went to a counter where a receptionist was and a woman came out of the office and told me I had to wait in the chair across the room because there was a person ahead of me but he went to the restroom. I asked her how long he would be gone, she didn't have an answer. I said "so I have to wait indefinitely?" I said it will only take her a couple of minutes to print a paper. Then the lady doing her job said I'll take care of her. But the guy that went to the restroom came back so I stepped out away from the window and let him finish. But that wasn't good enough for that "manager". She was angry with me and called the police guard. He stood in the doorway to scare me. Then a different woman that finally printed out the papers I needed was very mean with the way she talked me.She said we owed on 2 different accounts she handed me one and said I had to pay it first. So I Paid and the woman told me I had to go back to that first woman to get the other paper to pay the one I came there for. So I had to leave the collectors line But thankfully the hateful woman carried the paper 5 feet to the collector so I didn't loose my place in line. I finally got it done and left. And also How is it that the assessors office is closed for a whole week? That's what the "manager" told me when I got there that if I was changing anything that I would have to wait. read more

This has to be the worst place on the planet. I bought a car after June 1 last year and didn't have to pay property tax on it. I got a renew notice for my tags. Says on the notice and my car title when I bought the car. I have a statement printed off from Jackson County Tax Office stating I didn't have to pay taxes. BUT the DMV wants a Waiver Statement signed by someone in the Accessors office! One piece of paper and I'm sitting here for over an hour to get it! read more

I needed a statement of non-assessment to get registered in MO. I bought a car and the previous title holder signed the back of the title and crossed their name out and then resigned. The first lady told me I need an affidavit because of the error. She sent me to the DMV to see if they would accept it and create a new title in my name. Well, three hours later, the DMV tells me that one line through an error on a title is fine. So I go back to their office and the next lady does not even question it and accepts it. I spend three hours doing this nonsense because one person was incorrect and did not bother to check with someone else. I think they need better training. read more

I guess no one is really "a fan" of the courthouse, but I'll just say that I had to go here to get some boring business taken care of and I was pleasantly surprised at how courteous the lady at the counter was. I got everything done pretty quickly and didn't run into any confusion or problems. read more