From KDOT highway condemnations and major natural gas pipeline corridors to Evergy transmission lines and the nation’s top wind energy market — National ROW fights to maximize your Kansas compensation. Zero upfront cost. K.S.A. Chapter 26 attorney fee rights included.
Kansas eminent domain is governed by the Kansas Eminent Domain Procedure Act, K.S.A. Chapter 26 (Sections 26-501 et seq.). Condemning authorities must file a petition in District Court and have appraisers appointed to determine just compensation. Either party may appeal the appraisers’ award to District Court for a jury trial. Kansas’s attorney fee provision under K.S.A. 26-508 is one of the most important landowner protections in the state.
Under K.S.A. 26-508, when a landowner substantially prevails in a condemnation proceeding — meaning the jury’s award is substantially greater than the appraisers’ award — the court may award the landowner reasonable attorney fees. This provision gives condemning authorities a strong incentive to make fair initial appraisals and is a critical right worth understanding before accepting any offer.
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) acquires right-of-way for US and Kansas highway improvements, rural route expansions, and bridge replacement projects statewide. Major corridors include I-70 (Kansas City to Colorado border), I-135, US-50, and US-54. KDOT appraisals often undervalue agricultural land by failing to account for crop damage, drainage impacts, and the impact of construction on farming operations. National ROW reviews KDOT appraisals and works with independent appraisers to document the full value of the taking.
Kansas is a major natural gas and crude oil pipeline corridor state, with multiple interstate pipelines including Southern Natural Gas, Panhandle Eastern, and Tallgrass Energy pipelines crossing the state. FERC-certificated operators hold federal condemnation authority. Kansas landowners frequently receive pipeline easement offers that understate crop and drainage impacts, permanent land use restrictions, and the premium value of easement rights in a state with active agricultural land markets.
Evergy Kansas Central (formerly Westar Energy) and Evergy Metro (formerly Kansas City Power & Light) hold condemnation authority for transmission and distribution infrastructure across Kansas. Southwest Power Pool (SPP) transmission expansion projects are also driving new high-voltage line construction across the state, including projects to move wind energy from western Kansas to eastern load centers.
Kansas ranks among the top five states in the US for wind energy potential and installed capacity. Wind farms dot the Flint Hills, Central Plains, and western Kansas regions. Solar development is expanding in southern and southwestern Kansas. While wind and solar easement agreements are typically voluntary, the transmission infrastructure connecting projects to SPP’s grid can involve Evergy or other utility condemnation authority for new substations and collector interconnection lines.
The Kansas City metro area (Lenexa, Overland Park, Olathe, Gardner) on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri border is a significant and growing data center market. Evergy Kansas Central is constructing new transmission and substation capacity to serve hyperscale and colocation demand in the metro area, with ROW acquisition programs affecting landowners in Johnson and Wyandotte counties. Landowners along these power corridors have full rights under K.S.A. Chapter 26, including attorney fee recovery if the final award substantially exceeds the initial offer.
Kansas’s attorney fee statute means the stakes are real. Free case review — no obligation, no upfront cost.
Get a Free Case Review ↓Kansas eminent domain is governed by the Kansas Eminent Domain Procedure Act, K.S.A. Chapter 26 (Sections 26-501 et seq.). Condemning authorities petition District Court to appoint appraisers; either party may appeal the award to District Court for a jury trial.
Yes. Under K.S.A. 26-508, if you substantially prevail at trial — meaning the jury award is substantially greater than the appraisers’ award — the court may award reasonable attorney fees. This provision makes contesting inadequate offers in Kansas particularly worthwhile.
Yes. Evergy is constructing new transmission infrastructure in the Kansas City metro (Johnson County, Wyandotte County) to serve data center demand. These ROW acquisitions follow K.S.A. Chapter 26, and landowners have full rights including potential attorney fee recovery.
Under K.S.A. Chapter 26, just compensation is the fair market value of the property taken plus damages to the remainder caused by the taking. Agricultural landowners in Kansas can also claim crop damage, drainage impacts, and other consequential losses from pipeline and highway condemnations.
"We never tell a landowner to just take what the government offers — we find out what they are actually owed."
Whether you have received a KDOT offer, a transmission company easement proposal, a pipeline offer, or a visit from a ROW agent — National ROW reviews your case for free and advises you on next steps. No upfront cost. No obligation.