Land for Sale in Chase County, KS
Chase County sits in the heart of the Kansas Flint Hills: 778 square miles of tallgrass ranch country with 2,572 residents (2020 census), about 3 per square mile, and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Land here is pasture and ranch land, and the Flint Hills are managed with fire. This guide covers burning rules, water rights and what to check.
Chase County at a glance
- County seat and largest city: Cottonwood Falls. Other cities: Strong City, Cedar Point, Elmdale and Matfield Green.
- 2020 population 2,572; about 778 square miles; about 3.3 people per square mile.
- The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was established in the county in 1996.
- The Cottonwood River flows through the county.
- Highways: US 50 and K-177 and K-150.
The Chase County land market
Chase County is ranch and grass country. Most sales are pasture tracts from a few hundred to thousands of acres, plus smaller recreation and hunting parcels and homesites near Cottonwood Falls and Strong City. Value depends on the grass, water, fences and cross-fencing, ponds and hay ground. Large ranches operate here, and prescribed burning maintains the pastures.
Burning rules in the Flint Hills
Burning the prairie each spring is standard practice. Because Flint Hills burning has contributed to ozone exceedances in Kansas City and Wichita, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Smoke Management Plan limits open burning in April in the Flint Hills counties, while still allowing prairie and CRP burning, with case-by-case exceptions. As a buyer, expect to plan burns around those rules and local fire officials, and ask what burn history and mowed firebreaks the land has. Also ask whether a neighbor's burning affects your use.
Water rights
In Kansas, every use of water must be under a valid, state-approved water right, and water rights are treated as real property. Rights that were in use before the 1945 water appropriation act are called vested rights and are senior to later appropriations. Ranch ponds, stock wells and domestic use have their own rules, so ask for the water rights and well records for a parcel. I could not confirm which, if any, groundwater management district covers Chase County, so check with the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Water Resources.
Access, zoning and minerals
Many ranch tracts are reached by gravel county roads, and some by private lanes, so confirm recorded legal access. I could not confirm Chase County's zoning status, so ask the county. Ask whether minerals and wind or pipeline easements convey, and whether any conservation easement or grazing lease affects the land.
Before you buy land in Chase County
- Grass condition, carrying capacity, fences, ponds and water.
- Water rights and well records; ask the Division of Water Resources.
- Burn history, firebreaks and smoke management rules.
- Recorded legal access, county zoning and easements.
- Mineral, wind and conservation easements, and any grazing lease.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the Flint Hills?
In eastern Kansas, a region of tallgrass prairie and ranch country. Chase County sits in the Flint Hills.
Can I burn pasture in the Flint Hills?
Yes, burning is standard practice, but the Kansas Smoke Management Plan limits open burning in April in the Flint Hills counties, with exceptions. Check with local fire officials and KDHE.
Are water rights real property in Kansas?
Yes. Kansas treats water rights as real property, and every use of water must be under a valid, state-approved right.