Perry County Court Records
How To Find Court Records in Perry County in 2026
Members of the public seeking court records in Perry County may access publicly available case information through official clerk offices, courthouse terminals, and statewide judicial search tools. PerryCountyRecords.us provides a directory of publicly available information related to court records, property records, and other government documents maintained by county and state agencies. Records available through official channels may include civil case filings, criminal case dispositions, family court orders, probate proceedings, traffic citations, and small claims judgments, subject to applicable access restrictions under Kentucky law.
The following methods are available to members of the public seeking court records in Perry County:
1. Clerk of Court or Court Records Office The Perry County Circuit Court Clerk maintains the official record of all Circuit and District Court proceedings. Members of the public may visit the clerk's office in person to request case files, certified copies, or docket information. Requestors are advised to provide the full case number, party name, or approximate filing date to assist staff in locating the record.
Perry County Circuit Court Clerk 481 Main Street, Suite 175 Hazard, KY 41701 Phone: (606) 439-4717 Perry County Circuit Court Clerk
2. Courthouse Public Access Terminals Public access computer terminals are available at the Perry County courthouse for on-site case searches at no charge. These terminals allow members of the public to search case dockets, view party names, and review hearing schedules without submitting a formal written request.
3. Online Court Search The Kentucky Court of Justice operates an online case search portal that allows members of the public to search civil and criminal cases filed across the commonwealth. Case number, party name, and filing date are among the search parameters available through the statewide system.
4. State-Level Judicial Search Tools The Administrative Office of the Courts administers statewide judicial tools that support case lookup, record expungement certification, and court document access. These tools are available to the public through the Kentucky Court of Justice web portal.
5. Written or Mail Requests Members of the public who are unable to appear in person may submit written requests for court records to the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk. As noted by the Kentucky Court of Justice, "the case and file locator numbers must be submitted with the records request form" to ensure accurate retrieval. Fees for copies apply to written requests, and processing times vary based on case volume and record age.
Are Court Records Public in Perry County
Court records in Perry County are subject to public access under Kentucky's Open Records Act, codified at KRS § 61.870 et seq., which establishes the right of members of the public to inspect and copy public records maintained by government agencies, including court clerks. Under current law, the following categories of court records are accessible to the public:
- Case dockets and docket entries
- Party names in civil and criminal matters
- Scheduled hearing dates and continuances
- Filed pleadings, motions, and responses
- Court orders and final judgments
- Sentencing entries and disposition records
- Probate filings and estate inventories
Certain records are exempt from public disclosure or are subject to restricted access under Kentucky statutes and court rules. These include:
- Juvenile court records, which are confidential pursuant to KRS § 610.340
- Adoption records, which are sealed by operation of law
- Mental health commitment proceedings, which may be restricted
- Expunged criminal records, which are treated as if the underlying proceeding never occurred under KRS § 431.073
- Protected personal identifiers, including Social Security numbers and financial account information, which are redacted from public filings
- Sealed filings ordered restricted by a presiding judge
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, the online case search portal maintained by the Kentucky Court of Justice may not display all case documents or restricted filings. As the Kentucky Court of Justice states, "the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in each county is the starting point for requesting copies of court records from cases in that county."
What Are Court Records in Perry 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 every document submitted to or generated by the court from the initial filing of a case through its final disposition and any subsequent appeal.
A distinction exists between docket entries and full case files. A docket is a chronological index of all actions taken in a case, including filing dates, hearing dates, and orders entered. A full case file contains the underlying documents referenced in the docket, such as complaints, motions, exhibits, and judgments. Civil court records arise from disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, while criminal court records document the prosecution of offenses charged by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Filed pleadings represent the initial and responsive documents submitted by parties, whereas final judgments represent the court's conclusive resolution of the matter.
Public filings are accessible to members of the public under applicable law, while sealed or restricted filings are withheld from public inspection pursuant to court order or statute. Trial court records are maintained at the county level by the Circuit Court Clerk, while appellate records are maintained by the Kentucky Court of Appeals or the Kentucky Supreme Court.
The Perry County Circuit Court Clerk receives all lawsuits and court documents, records legal documents, and maintains the official record of Circuit and District Court proceedings. Records are created at the time of filing and updated continuously as the case progresses through hearings, motions, orders, and final disposition.
What's Included in a Perry County Court Record?
A court record in Perry County may include, depending on case type and applicable public-access rules, the following categories of information:
- Case number assigned at the time of filing
- Court name and division, identifying the specific court and judge assigned
- Filing date of the initial complaint, petition, or charging document
- Party names, including plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and counsel of record
- Case type and current status, such as active, disposed, or appealed
- Docket entries, reflecting each action taken in the case in chronological order
- Scheduled and past hearing dates, including continuances and cancellations
- Motions, complaints, petitions, answers, orders, judgments, notices, minute entries, decrees, and similar filed documents
- Outcome information, such as dismissals, jury verdicts, bench judgments, guilty pleas, convictions, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, or appellate decisions
- Administrative and financial information, including filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly displayed
Records commonly excluded or restricted from public access include sealed filings, expunged matters, juvenile case files, adoption records, protected personal identifiers, and certain exhibits containing sensitive information. Members of the public seeking specific document images should confirm availability with the clerk's office, as not all filed documents are reproduced in online case search results.
Types of Courts in Perry County
Perry County is served by the Kentucky unified court system, which is administered by the Kentucky Court of Justice. Under the current state judiciary structure, the following courts operate in or serve Perry County:
- Circuit Court: A court of general jurisdiction that hears felony criminal cases, civil matters involving amounts exceeding $5,000, family law matters including divorce and child custody, and appeals from District Court. The Circuit Court Clerk maintains the official record of all Circuit Court proceedings.
- District Court: A court of limited jurisdiction that hears misdemeanor criminal cases, civil matters involving amounts up to $5,000, small claims, traffic violations, probate of small estates, and juvenile matters. District Court records are also maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk.
- Family Court: Perry County has a designated Family Court division that handles domestic relations matters, including dissolution of marriage, child support, adoption, and dependency, neglect, and abuse proceedings.
The Perry County Circuit Court Clerk serves as the official custodian of records for both Circuit and District Court proceedings. Appellate matters are reviewed by the Kentucky Court of Appeals and, where applicable, the Kentucky Supreme Court, with records maintained at the appellate level.
Perry County Justice Center 481 Main Street Hazard, KY 41701 Phone: (606) 439-4717 Perry County Court Information
How to Search Perry County Court Records for Free?
Members of the public may inspect court records at no charge through in-person review at the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk's office or through courthouse public access terminals. The Kentucky Court of Justice online case search portal is also available at no cost for basic case lookups, including party names, case numbers, hearing dates, and docket entries.
The following table summarizes access methods and associated costs:
| Access Method | Cost |
|---|---|
| In-person inspection at clerk's office | Free |
| Courthouse public access terminal | Free |
| Kentucky Court of Justice online case search | Free |
| Paper copies of court documents | $0.25 per page (standard) |
| Certified copies of court records | $5.00 per document (standard) |
| Written or mail request processing | Varies by record type |
Fees for copies and certified documents are established pursuant to Kentucky court fee schedules administered by the Administrative Office of the Courts. Members of the public requiring certified copies for legal proceedings should confirm current fee amounts with the clerk's office at the time of the request, as fee schedules are subject to periodic revision. Standard legal forms for record requests, including expungement certification requests, are available through the Kentucky Court of Justice at no charge.
How Long Does Perry County Keep Court Records?
The retention of court records in Perry County is governed by judicial records retention schedules established by the Kentucky Court of Justice and the Administrative Office of the Courts. Retention periods vary by case type and record category, as follows:
- Felony criminal case files are retained permanently, given the severity of the underlying offense and the potential for post-conviction proceedings.
- Misdemeanor and traffic case files are subject to shorter retention periods, which may range from five to ten years depending on the nature of the offense and applicable schedule.
- Civil case files are retained for periods that vary based on the amount in controversy and case type, with major civil judgments retained for extended periods.
- Probate records are retained permanently in many jurisdictions due to their significance to property title and estate administration.
- Juvenile records are subject to separate retention and destruction schedules under KRS § 610.340, with some records eligible for destruction upon the subject reaching adulthood.
- Docket books and minute records are retained permanently as the official chronological record of court proceedings.
A distinction exists between destruction, archival retention, sealing, redaction, and expungement. Destruction refers to the physical or electronic elimination of a record at the end of its retention period. Archival retention involves transfer of records to a state or county archive for long-term preservation. Sealing restricts public access without eliminating the record. Redaction removes specific identifying information from a document while preserving the remainder. Expungement, available under KRS § 431.073 for eligible offenses, results in the treatment of the underlying proceeding as if it never occurred, with records removed from public access.
Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, or county archives. Members of the public seeking records predating electronic filing systems should contact the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk directly to determine availability and format.
How To Find a Court Docket in Perry County
A court docket is a chronological index of all actions taken in a specific case, distinct from the full case file. While a full case file contains the underlying documents, a docket reflects the procedural history of the case, including filing dates, hearing dates, motions entered, orders issued, and current case status. The docket serves as the official record of what has occurred in a case without necessarily reproducing the content of each filed document.
Members of the public may locate a Perry County court docket through the following methods:
- Kentucky Court of Justice online portal: The statewide case search system maintained by the Kentucky Court of Justice allows members of the public to search docket entries by case number or party name. Search results display docket entries, hearing dates, and case status for Circuit and District Court matters.
- Courthouse public access terminals: Terminals located at the Perry County Justice Center provide on-site docket search capability at no charge.
- In-person clerk request: Members of the public may request docket sheets directly from the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk by providing the case number or party name.
To locate a docket through the online portal, members of the public should navigate to the Kentucky Court of Justice case search tool, select the appropriate court type, enter the case number or party name, and review the resulting docket entries. The request court records page of the Kentucky Court of Justice provides additional guidance on locating case and file locator numbers required for formal records requests.
A court docket contains hearing dates, continuances, motion filings, minute entries, and status updates. A docket does not include full document images, sealed entries, exhibits, or confidential attachments. Hearing calendars and daily court schedules may be separately available through the clerk's office for members of the public seeking information about upcoming proceedings rather than historical case activity.