Request Court Records

​​The public can request a variety of records from the Kentucky Court of Justice and the Administrative Office of the Courts, and it is important to make your request to the appropriate office. The following instructions will help you identify where to submit your request.

How to Request Court Case Records

Court case records are documents and materials associated with cases handled in the trial courts (District Court and Circuit Court), and the appellate courts (the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court).

Court Case Records Up to 15 Years Old
These records are available only from the clerk’s office where the record was filed, and you must direct your request to the appropriate office.

District Court: Available from the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county in which the case was handled. For contact information, click here and scroll down to Find a Court/Circuit Court Clerk by County.

Circuit Court: Available from the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county in which the case was handled. For contact information, click here and scroll down to Find a Court/Circuit Court Clerk by County.

Kentucky Court of Appeals: Available from the Clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, 502-573-7920

Supreme Court of Kentucky: Available from the Clerk of the Supreme Court, 502-564-5444

Court Case Records 15-35 Years Old
The State Records Center stores court records 15-35 years old. Submit this records request form to state.records@ky.gov or call 502-564-3617. The case and locator numbers must be provided as these records cannot be searched only by name and/or Social Security number. You can request the case and locator numbers from the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was handled. For contact information, click here and scroll down to Find a Court/Circuit Court Clerk by County. 

Court Case Records 36+ Years Old
The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives stores court records 36+ years old. To request court records from the KDLA, email kdla.archives@ky.gov or call 502-564-1787.

How to Request a Background Check

You can learn how to order a background check (criminal record report) from the Administrative Office of the Courts here.

How to Submit an Open Records Request for Administrative Records

The public can request access to the administrative records of the Administrative Office of the Courts through an Open Records Policy adopted by the Supreme Court of Kentucky. The policy applies to the AOC, the operations arm of the court system, in the form of an Administrative Procedure of the Kentucky Court of Justice. The policy carries the weight of law under the state constitution.

“Administrative records” are documents created, received or maintained by the AOC pertaining to the administration of the Kentucky Court of Justice and not associated with any particular court case or cases. “Administrative records” do not include case records or compiled information. Therefore, the Open Records Policy for the AOC does not apply to statistical information, background checks (criminal record reports), or records of the District Court, Circuit Court, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.  

You can learn how to submit an open records request to the AOC’s records custodian in Section 6 of the Open Records Policy. Requests should be emailed to OpenRecords@kycourts.net. The AOC will respond within three business days regarding its decision to comply with or deny the request.

Requestors who erroneously submit an open records request for records that are not defined as “administrative records” will be referred to the appropriate office to make their request.