Knox County Court Records
How To Find Court Records in Knox County in 2026
Members of the public seeking court records in Knox County, Kentucky, may access publicly available case information through several official channels. KnoxCountyRecords.us provides access to publicly available information related to court records and related documents maintained by government agencies. Knox County court records may include a range of case-related materials depending on the court, case type, and applicable access rules.
Records that may be available through official sources include:
- Civil case filings and judgments
- Criminal case dockets and disposition records
- Family court orders and domestic relations filings
- Probate records and estate proceedings
- Traffic violation records and minor offense dispositions
- Small claims court filings and outcomes
Court records in Knox County may be searched through the following five methods:
1. Clerk of Court or Court Records Office The Office of Circuit Court Clerk for Knox County serves as the primary custodian of court records. Members of the public may visit the clerk's office in person to request case files, certified copies, or docket information. Providing a case number, party name, or approximate filing date assists staff in locating records efficiently.
Knox County Circuit Court Clerk
401 Court Square, Suite 102
Barbourville, KY 40906
Phone: (606) 546-3568
Knox – Kentucky Court of Justice
2. Courthouse Public Access Terminals Public access computer terminals are available at the Knox County courthouse. These terminals allow members of the public to search case information at no charge during regular business hours without submitting a formal written request.
3. Online Court Search The Kentucky Court of Justice maintains online tools that allow members of the public to search for case information statewide. Online access may be limited to docket-level information and may not include full document images for all case types.
4. State-Level Judicial Search Tools The Kentucky Court of Justice operates a statewide case information system. Members of the public may use this system to locate cases by party name, case number, or court division across all Kentucky counties, including Knox County.
5. Written or Mail Requests Members of the public who are unable to appear in person may submit written requests to the Knox County Circuit Court Clerk. As noted by the Kentucky Court of Justice records request page, "the case and file locator numbers must be submitted with the records request form" to facilitate accurate retrieval. Written requests should include the requester's contact information, the case number or party name, and the specific documents sought.
Are Court Records Public In Knox County
Court records in Knox County are subject to public access under current Kentucky law. Kentucky Revised Statutes § 61.870–61.884, known as the Kentucky Open Records Act, establishes the right of members of the public to inspect and obtain copies of public records maintained by government agencies, including court-related offices. Additionally, the Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure and the Kentucky Court of Justice's administrative policies govern access to judicial records specifically.
Records that are public under current law include:
- Case dockets and docket entries
- Party names and case captions
- Scheduled hearing dates and continuances
- Filed pleadings, motions, and responses in civil and criminal matters
- Court orders and final judgments
- Sentencing entries and disposition records
- Probate filings and estate inventories
Records that may be confidential, sealed, or restricted include:
- Juvenile court records, which are protected under KRS § 610.340
- Adoption records and related proceedings
- Mental health commitment records
- Sealed filings ordered by a judge
- Expunged criminal records
- Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and dates of birth in certain filings
A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While members of the public may inspect a broader range of records in person at the clerk's office, online systems may display only docket-level summaries and may exclude document images, sealed entries, or restricted case types.
What Are Court Records in Knox County?
Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court or its clerk in connection with judicial proceedings. In practical terms, a court record encompasses everything formally submitted to or generated by the court from the initial filing of a case through its final disposition and any subsequent appeal.
The distinction between a docket entry and a full case file is significant. A docket entry is a chronological log notation recording an event in a case, such as the filing of a motion or the scheduling of a hearing. A full case file contains the actual documents associated with those entries, including pleadings, exhibits, orders, and transcripts.
Civil court records document disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, covering matters such as contract disputes, personal injury claims, and property actions. Criminal court records document proceedings initiated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky against individuals charged with offenses, from arraignment through sentencing or acquittal.
Filed pleadings are the formal written statements submitted by parties at the outset of litigation, while final judgments represent the court's conclusive resolution of the matter. Public filings are accessible to members of the public under applicable law, whereas sealed or restricted filings have been withheld from public access by judicial order or statute.
Trial court records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk for the county in which the case was filed. Appellate records, arising from appeals of trial court decisions, are maintained by the Kentucky Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court of Kentucky. The Kentucky Court of Justice administers the unified court system and provides centralized access to case information across all levels.
Court records are created when a party files an initial document with the clerk, updated as subsequent filings and orders are entered, and finalized upon disposition. Records may be further modified through post-judgment motions, appeals, or expungement proceedings.
What's Included in a Knox County Court Record?
A Knox County court record may contain a range of information depending on the case type, the court in which it was filed, and applicable public-access rules. The following categories of information may appear within a court record:
- Case identification: Case number, court name and division, and filing date
- Party information: Names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and other named parties
- Case classification: Case type (civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic) and current case status
- Docket entries: A chronological log of all filings, hearings, orders, and events in the case
- Scheduled proceedings: Hearing dates, trial dates, and continuances
- Filed documents: Complaints, petitions, answers, motions, responses, notices, and supporting memoranda
- Judicial actions: Orders, judgments, decrees, minute entries, and rulings on motions
- Outcome information: Dismissals, verdicts, pleas, convictions, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
- Financial and administrative data: Filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly displayed
Records that are excluded or restricted from public access include sealed filings, expunged matters, juvenile case files, adoption records, protected personal data such as Social Security numbers and financial account numbers, and certain exhibits that have been placed under seal or withheld by court order.
Types of Courts in Knox County
Knox County is served by the Kentucky unified court system, which is administered by the Kentucky Court of Justice. Under the current state judiciary structure, two trial-level courts operate in Knox County: the Circuit Court and the District Court.
The Knox County Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction. It hears felony criminal cases, civil matters involving amounts in controversy exceeding the jurisdictional threshold, family court matters including divorce, child custody, and domestic violence proceedings, and appeals from the District Court.
The Knox County District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction. As described on the District Court page of the Kentucky Court of Justice, the District Court handles "county ordinances, misdemeanors, violations, traffic offenses, probate of wills and administration of estates" as well as small claims matters and juvenile proceedings.
The Office of Circuit Court Clerk maintains the official records for both the Circuit Court and the District Court in Knox County. Appeals from the Circuit Court proceed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals and, where applicable, to the Supreme Court of Kentucky.
What Types of Cases Do Knox County Courts Hear
- Circuit Court: Felony criminal prosecutions, civil actions above the jurisdictional threshold, family law matters (divorce, custody, adoption), and appeals from District Court
- District Court: Misdemeanor and violation offenses, traffic cases, small claims (currently up to $2,500), probate proceedings, juvenile matters, and county ordinance violations
- Family Court Division: Domestic relations, child support, custody modifications, and domestic violence orders (operating as a division of Circuit Court in Knox County)
Knox County Circuit Court Clerk
401 Court Square, Suite 102
Barbourville, KY 40906
Phone: (606) 546-3568
Knox – Kentucky Court of Justice
How to Search Knox County Court Records for Free?
Members of the public may search Knox County court records at no cost through several methods. In-person inspection at the Knox County Circuit Court Clerk's office is free of charge; members of the public may review case files and docket entries during regular business hours without paying a fee. Public access terminals located at the courthouse similarly allow free case searches.
The Kentucky Court of Justice provides a free online case search tool through its statewide judicial portal, which allows members of the public to search docket-level information by party name or case number at no cost.
Fees are assessed when copies or certified copies of documents are requested. Under the current Kentucky court fee schedule, standard copy fees and certification charges apply to reproduced records. The following table summarizes common fee categories:
| Service | Typical Fee |
|---|---|
| In-person record inspection | Free |
| Online docket search | Free |
| Paper copy per page | $0.25–$0.50 per page |
| Certified copy | $5.00 per document (plus copy fees) |
| Written/mail request processing | Variable; contact clerk |
Members of the public seeking certified copies or research assistance from clerk staff should contact the Knox County Circuit Court Clerk directly to confirm current fees, as fee schedules are subject to administrative revision. The legal forms page of the Kentucky Court of Justice provides downloadable forms, including criminal record request forms, at no charge.
How Long Does Knox County Keep Court Records?
The retention of court records in Knox County is governed by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives records retention schedules applicable to judicial records, as well as administrative directives issued by the Kentucky Court of Justice. Retention periods vary by case type and record category.
Under current retention policy:
- Felony criminal case files are retained permanently or for extended periods given the severity of the underlying offense and the potential for post-conviction proceedings.
- Misdemeanor and violation case files are subject to shorter retention schedules, which may range from several years to a decade or more depending on the disposition.
- Civil case files are retained for periods that vary based on the nature of the action, with judgments and final orders often retained for longer periods than routine pleadings.
- Probate records are retained for extended periods, as estate matters may require reference decades after initial filing.
- Docket books and minute records are retained permanently as the official chronological record of court proceedings.
- Juvenile records are subject to separate retention and destruction schedules under KRS § 610.340, which governs confidentiality and eventual destruction of certain juvenile files.
Paper files may be transferred to microfilm or digital imaging, after which the original paper documents may be destroyed in accordance with applicable retention schedules. Archival records may be held by the clerk's office, transferred to county archives, or forwarded to the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.
A distinction exists among destruction, archival retention, sealing, redaction, and expungement. Destruction refers to the physical or digital elimination of a record at the end of its retention period. Archival retention means the record is preserved but may be held off-site. Sealing restricts public access while the record continues to exist. Redaction removes specific information from an otherwise accessible document. Expungement, available under KRS § 431.073 for eligible offenses, results in the removal of a criminal record from public access and, in some instances, its physical destruction.
Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, or county archives and may require additional processing time to retrieve.
How To Find a Court Docket in Knox County
A court docket is the official chronological index of all filings, hearings, orders, and events in a specific case. It differs from a full case file in that it records what occurred and when, rather than containing the actual documents filed. The docket serves as the navigational record of a case from initiation through final disposition.
Members of the public may locate Knox County court dockets through the following methods:
Online via the Kentucky Court of Justice portal: The Kentucky Court of Justice provides a statewide case search system. To find a docket, a member of the public may navigate to the case search function, enter the party's name or case number, select Knox County as the jurisdiction, and review the resulting docket entries. The system displays chronological entries including filing dates, motion activity, hearing schedules, and order entries.
In person at the Circuit Court Clerk's office: Members of the public may request docket sheets directly from clerk staff at the Knox County courthouse. Staff can print or display the docket for a specific case upon request. As the Kentucky Court of Justice notes, "The Office of Circuit Court Clerk in each county is the starting point for requesting copies of court records from cases in that county."
Public access terminals: Courthouse terminals provide direct access to the case management system, allowing members of the public to search and view dockets without staff assistance.
A court docket contains hearing dates and times, continuances and rescheduled proceedings, motion filings and responses, minute entries from hearings, status updates, and order entries. A docket does not include full document images, sealed entries, confidential attachments, or exhibits that have been restricted by court order. Hearing calendars and daily court schedules may be separately available through the clerk's office and may reflect upcoming proceedings not yet reflected in the online docket system.