Selling landlocked land in Kansas

How Kansas law handles land with no road access

A Kansas owner whose land is completely surrounded and has no public highway access can petition the county commissioners for one road across neighboring land. It is 40 to 100 feet wide, and the petitioner pays.

Statutory route: Petition to the board of county commissioners for a road to a landlocked parcel (K.S.A. 68-117).

Common-law route: Way of necessity recognized (Horner v. Heersche, 202 Kan. 250, 447 P.2d 811 (1968)); must be more than convenience.

Law: K.S.A. 68-117 (with K.S.A. 68-101 to 68-110, 68-115, 68-116). Court routes take time and cost money. Ask a local attorney.

Your options as a landlocked owner

• Ask a neighbor to sell or grant an access easement, in writing and recorded.
• Offer the land to the neighbor who borders it. They are often the most natural buyer.
• Use the Kansas legal route above to create access, then sell.
• Sell as-is to a cash buyer who accepts land without access.

Kansas land at a glance

• Average farm real estate value: $3,200 per acre (2026, USDA).
• Average property tax on farmland: about $8.56 per acre per year (2022 Census of Agriculture).
• Transfer tax: Kansas has no state deed or transfer tax. The former mortgage registration fee was repealed effective Jan 1, 2019.
• Seller disclosure: Licensed brokers must disclose known adverse material facts to buyers.

These are statewide averages, not an appraisal. See selling land in Kansas for county values, or try the land value estimator.

How a cash sale handles this

Liberty Acres is a family-owned cash land buyer. We buy land anywhere in the US, in any condition, including land with back taxes, inherited land and land with no road access. We pay back taxes and all closing costs, use no agents and charge no commissions, and close through a title company, escrow company or real estate attorney who pays you by wire or check.

Common questions