Kentucky criminal records are spread across several official systems. Public District and Circuit Court case information can be searched through the Kentucky Court of Justice, criminal-record reports are issued by the Administrative Office of the Courts, official case files remain with the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was filed, state-prison and supervision information is available through Kentucky Offender Online Lookup (KOOL), and county-jail custody information may also appear through Kentucky VINE or local detention-center systems. This guide explains which source to use first and what each system does — and does not — contain.
First, decide which Kentucky criminal record you actually need
Kentucky does not treat a court case, criminal-record report, arrest record, jail booking and prison record as the same thing. Each record comes from a different part of the justice system.
Public District / Circuit case
Use Kentucky’s free guest court search for publicly accessible statewide case information.
AOC criminal-record report
Use FastCheck when you want a statewide court-history report compiled from Kentucky court data.
Court file / judgment / order
Contact the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the proceeding occurred.
Law-enforcement record
Request it from the law-enforcement agency that created or maintains the record.
Prison / supervision record
Use Kentucky Offender Online Lookup (KOOL) for people under Department of Corrections jurisdiction.
County jail record
Check the local detention center or Kentucky VINE rather than assuming KOOL covers every county inmate.
Understanding Kentucky District Court vs. Circuit Court criminal records
Kentucky has two main trial-court levels that matter for ordinary criminal-record research.
Misdemeanors, violations and initial felony proceedings
Kentucky District Court handles misdemeanors, violations, traffic offenses, arraignments and felony probable-cause / preliminary proceedings.
Felony and capital criminal cases
Kentucky Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction and hears felonies and capital offenses after indictment or information.
Search Kentucky public court records for free
The Kentucky Court of Justice provides a free guest public-record search through the KYeCourts system. The official guest page states that it provides free access to public case information throughout the Commonwealth.
Open KYeCourts Guest Login
Use the official Kentucky Court of Justice guest-access page.
Choose public-record guest access
Check the public-record access box and continue into the case-search system.
Search with the strongest information available
Names can produce multiple matches. Case number, county, case type and other identifiers are usually more reliable when you have them.
Read the full case result
Look at the county, case number, original charge, amendments, current status and disposition.
Verify against the official file when necessary
Online case information can change. For a certified or authoritative document, contact the Circuit Court Clerk that maintains the original case.
Open Kentucky Public Court Records
Search Kentucky court dockets by county and date
Kentucky also provides a statewide docket-search tool. It allows users to select a county, Circuit or District Court, date, courtroom and subdivision.
Kentucky AOC criminal-record reports and FastCheck
The Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) offers criminal-record reports to individuals, employers, licensing agencies, government entities and others.
These reports are based on Kentucky state court activity from District and Circuit Courts across all 120 Kentucky counties.
FastCheck
Registered users submit criminal-record requests online and retrieve completed results electronically.
One-Time Request
Submit a one-time online order and receive the completed report by U.S. mail.
Mail or in-person
AOC also accepts qualifying mailed and in-person criminal-record report requests.
Current criminal-record report fee
Kentucky’s most recent audited AOC financial information states that criminal-history record reports are currently $25 each.
Credit/debit-card transactions currently carry a fee of 2.25% of the transaction or $2.50, whichever is greater.
What a Kentucky AOC criminal-record report includes
The AOC criminal-record report is a compiled state-court report rather than a certified copy of a judge’s order or complete court file.
| Record category | Coverage described by AOC | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Misdemeanor cases | At least the last 5 years | Confidential case types are excluded. |
| Traffic cases | At least the last 5 years | This is court activity, not a full driving-record product. |
| Felony charges | Dating back to 1978 | Expunged or purged cases do not appear. |
| Circuit criminal cases | State court information from Kentucky counties | Federal cases are not included. |
| Juvenile cases | Not returned in ordinary public reports | Confidential by law. |
| Mental-health cases | Not returned | Not part of the public criminal-record report. |
| Federal criminal cases | Not included | Use PACER and the appropriate federal district court. |
Fields commonly shown on the report
- county where the case originated
- case number
- original charge
- amendments to the original charge
- disposition
- charge date
- disposition date
- case memos supplied by the local clerk where applicable
Kentucky has an unusual third-party background-check notification rule
One Kentucky-specific feature is easy to miss: if you request an AOC criminal-record report on another person and a record is found, the AOC Records Unit says it will notify that person that you requested the report.
The AOC also says it sends the subject a copy of the report results.
How to obtain an official Kentucky criminal court record
If you need the actual criminal citation, pleading, motion, order, judgment, evidence, docket record, video, transcript or other official case document, start with the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was heard.
Kentucky has one elected Circuit Court Clerk in each of its 120 counties. Those offices keep the records of Circuit Court and District Court.
Identify the county
Use the online search or AOC report to determine where the criminal case was filed.
Find that county’s Circuit Court Clerk
Use the Kentucky Court of Justice county directory to obtain address, telephone number and hours.
Provide the case number when possible
A case number makes it much easier for the clerk to identify the correct file.
Ask for the exact record you need
For example: judgment, sentencing order, indictment, docket sheet or certified copy.
Older Kentucky criminal cases and archived court records
A case that does not appear in the modern online system may still exist in an older court file. Kentucky says records may be located in:
- the local Circuit Court Clerk’s office
- a state records facility
- the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
- an archive governed by court retention schedules
The court clerk is the correct first contact because only the clerk can confirm where a particular case file is stored and whether it remains available.
State Records Center
When a clerk tells you that an eligible case is stored at the State Records Center, the clerk should provide the case and file-locator numbers needed for retrieval.
Kentucky arrest records and police reports
An AOC criminal-record report is based on state court activity. It should not be treated as a complete statewide arrest-report database.
For an arrest report, incident report, offense report or investigation record, identify the law-enforcement agency that created the record.
That might be:
- Kentucky State Police
- a county sheriff’s office
- a city police department
- a university or specialized police agency
- another public agency involved in the incident
How the Kentucky Open Records Act fits into criminal-record research
Kentucky’s Open Records Act provides access to nonexempt public records held by government agencies. If a police, corrections or executive-branch record is public, the request generally goes directly to the agency that has custody of it.
Kentucky Attorney General guidance provides a standard open-records request form that may be sent to the relevant public agency.
Find the custodian
Send the request to the agency that maintains the record — not automatically to the Attorney General.
Describe the record precisely
Include useful names, dates, report numbers, locations or record categories where known.
Watch the response deadline
Kentucky law generally requires a public agency to grant or deny a qualifying request within five business days.
Kentucky county jail and detention-center records
Kentucky county-jail custody should not automatically be searched through KOOL. Many current detainees are held by local jails and detention centers.
Start with:
- the county detention center’s official inmate search
- the county jail or jailer’s official site
- Kentucky VINE when custody-status information is available
- the relevant local sheriff where appropriate
Kentucky Offender Online Lookup (KOOL)
The Kentucky Department of Corrections provides the Kentucky Offender Online Lookup (KOOL) as a public offender-information service.
KOOL can be useful when the person has entered the Kentucky state corrections system or is under qualifying DOC supervision.
KOOL search tip from Kentucky DOC
The DOC specifically recommends not entering more information than necessary. If one search field is wrong, an overly specific query can return no results even when the person exists in the system.
Kentucky VINE for custody-status notifications
Kentucky VINE — Victim Information and Notification Everyday — provides custody-status and notification functions for qualifying offenders.
Kentucky describes VINE as including information from county jails, prisons, mental-health facilities and juvenile detention centers, with notifications for events such as:
- release
- transfer
- escape
- upcoming parole hearing
- other qualifying custody changes
VINE telephone: 1-800-511-1670
Kentucky sex-offender and criminal-offender searches
Kentucky State Police provides a public Sex/Criminal Offender Search through the Commonwealth’s official services portal.
The state lists search options using identifiers such as:
- offender name
- city
- county
- ZIP code
Kentucky Court of Appeals and Supreme Court criminal records
Appeals are searched separately from ordinary District and Circuit Court records. Kentucky provides C-Track Public Access for appellate cases.
Kentucky C-Track Public Access
Appellate case records
Contact the Kentucky Court of Appeals Clerk at 502-573-7920 or use C-Track Public Access.
Supreme Court case records
Contact the Supreme Court Clerk at 502-564-5444 or use C-Track Public Access.
Federal criminal cases in Kentucky
Kentucky state court searches do not include federal criminal cases. The state is divided between the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the Western District of Kentucky.
Eastern District of Kentucky
Federal cases in eastern and central portions of Kentucky use the Eastern District’s CM/ECF/PACER systems.
Western District of Kentucky
Federal cases in western portions of the Commonwealth use the Western District’s systems.
PACER is the primary electronic access service for federal case records.
What to do if your Kentucky criminal-record report is wrong
If an AOC criminal-record report appears incorrect, incomplete or out of date, start with the AOC Records Unit.
Keep the report
Save the report, county, case number, charge and disposition information.
Contact the AOC Records Unit
AOC says some report issues can be resolved directly by its Records Unit.
Contact the county clerk when the source record is wrong
Other errors require correction by the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was filed.
Recheck the report after correction
Confirm that the updated court information is reflected in the statewide report system.
Phone:
800-928-6381
Published service hours:
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Kentucky criminal-record expungement
Kentucky provides several expungement paths, including automatic expungement of certain dismissed or acquitted cases and petition-based expungement for qualifying misdemeanors and felonies.
Expungement certification
For many conviction-expungement petitions, the person must first obtain an expungement certification through the Kentucky Court of Justice.
The current certification fee is $40.
Request the certification
Apply online, by mail or through the AOC’s in-person drive-thru service.
Wait for AOC and Kentucky State Police processing
The certification combines court-record review with Kentucky State Police processing.
File in the county where the charge originated
Attach the certification to the appropriate expungement petition or application and file it with the Circuit Court Clerk.
Automatic expungement after dismissal or acquittal
Kentucky says qualifying cases dismissed with prejudice or resulting in acquittal on or after July 15, 2020 are automatically expunged after 30 days, excluding traffic cases.
Felony expungement
Many qualifying Class D felony convictions may be eligible under Kentucky law. Kentucky currently states that a felony-expungement application generally cannot be filed sooner than five years after completion of the sentence or successful completion of probation or parole, whichever occurs later.
| Item | Current amount | When due |
|---|---|---|
| Expungement certification | $40 | Before filing qualifying conviction-expungement application. |
| Felony filing fee | $50 | Nonrefundable amount due when application is filed. |
| Additional felony expungement fee | $250 | Due if the application is granted; installments may be available. |
| Total felony court fee | $300 | Excludes the separate $40 certification cost. |
Are Kentucky juvenile criminal records public?
Juvenile records are not treated like ordinary adult public criminal records. Kentucky AOC specifically states that ordinary criminal-record reports do not return juvenile cases that are confidential by law.
Juvenile matters can also have specialized access, sealing and expungement rules.
Kentucky AOC Records Unit: in-person and mail requests
AOC Records Unit
1001 Vandalay DriveFrankfort, KY 40601
Main AOC phone:
502-573-2350
Records questions:
800-928-6381
In-person criminal-record requests
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding state holidays.
AOC no longer accepts cash for in-person background-check requests.
Google Map: Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts
This is the statewide AOC location used for criminal-record report and expungement-certification services. Local court case files remain with county Circuit Court Clerk offices.
Kentucky criminal-record search tips that save time
Use the free court search first
If you only want to know whether a public Kentucky case exists, start with KYeCourts guest access before paying for FastCheck.
District and Circuit cases can belong to one incident
A felony may begin in District Court and later generate a separate Circuit Court case after indictment.
AOC report is not a certified court record
Use the county Circuit Court Clerk for the actual judgment, order, indictment or certified file.
Check the disposition
The original charge may have been amended, dismissed or resolved differently than the first filing suggests.
Recent custody may be local
Check a county detention center or VINE before assuming a new detainee will appear in KOOL.
Search KOOL with fewer fields
Kentucky DOC itself warns that one incorrect search field can produce no results.
Third-party FastCheck searches are not silent
When a record is found, AOC says the subject will be notified and sent a copy of the report results.
Older files may be archived
Ask the Circuit Court Clerk for the case and file-locator numbers if the record has moved to a records facility.
Federal records require PACER
Kentucky AOC criminal-record reports do not contain federal case information.
Using Kentucky criminal records for employment, licensing or eligibility decisions
A free public docket search should not automatically be treated as an employment or licensing background report. Kentucky’s docket search specifically warns that its information cannot be used for employment, licensing or government-program eligibility.
If the search is being used for an employment, tenant, licensing or other regulated decision, determine whether the purpose requires an AOC criminal-record report, fingerprint check, consumer report or another legally authorized screening process.
Kentucky criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Can I search Kentucky criminal court cases for free?
Yes. The Kentucky Court of Justice KYeCourts guest portal provides free access to public court case information throughout the Commonwealth.
2. How much does a Kentucky AOC criminal-record report cost?
The current AOC criminal-history report fee is $25. Credit or debit card processing charges may also apply.
3. How far back does Kentucky FastCheck go?
Kentucky AOC says criminal-record reports include misdemeanor and traffic cases for at least the last five years and felony information dating back to 1978.
4. Does a Kentucky AOC background check include federal criminal cases?
No. AOC reports use Kentucky state court information from the 120 counties and do not include federal court records.
5. Where do I get the official Kentucky court judgment or case file?
Contact the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was handled. The AOC criminal-record report is not the official court record.
6. Does Kentucky notify someone if I order their criminal-record report?
If you request an AOC report on another person and a record is found, the AOC says it will notify that person and send them a copy of the report results.
7. Where can I search Kentucky prison records?
Use Kentucky Offender Online Lookup (KOOL), operated by the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Recent county-jail detainees may need to be searched through the local detention center or VINE.
8. What should I do if my Kentucky criminal-record report is wrong?
Contact the AOC Records Unit at 800-928-6381. Some issues can be corrected by AOC; others require the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case originated.
9. How much does a Kentucky expungement certification cost?
The current Kentucky expungement-certification fee is $40.
10. Are dismissed or acquitted Kentucky cases automatically expunged?
Kentucky states that qualifying cases dismissed with prejudice or resulting in acquittal on or after July 15, 2020 are automatically expunged after 30 days, excluding traffic cases.
Official Kentucky sources used for this guide
- Kentucky KYeCourts Public Records Guest Search
- Kentucky Court Docket Search
- Kentucky Court of Justice — Background Checks
- Kentucky Court of Justice — Request Court Records
- Kentucky District Court
- Kentucky Circuit Court
- Kentucky C-Track Appellate Public Access
- Kentucky Offender Online Lookup (KOOL)
- Kentucky KOOL FAQ
- Kentucky Attorney General — Open Records / Open Meetings
- Kentucky Expungement Certification Process
- U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Kentucky
- U.S. District Court — Western District of Kentucky
- PACER Federal Court Records