Kentucky Court Records: How to Search, What's Public, and How to Seal Them

(1) All records, as defined in KRS 171.410(1), which are made by or generated for or received by any agency of the Court of Justice, or by any other court or agency or officer responsible to such court created under the present Constitution, or a former Constitution, whether pursuant to statute, regulation, court rule, or local ordinance shall be the property of the Court of Justice and are subject to the control of the Supreme Court. (2) The Supreme Court shall determine which records were generated, made, or received by or for any court.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

All public officers, public agencies, or other persons having custody, control, or possession of court records by statute or otherwise shall be subject to the direction of the Supreme Court with regard to such records and no such officer, agency, or person shall fail to comply with any rule, regulation, standard, procedure, or order issued by the Chief Justice or his designee.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

(1) (a) The files and records of the court during adoption proceedings shall not be open to inspection by persons other than parties to the proceedings, their attorneys, and representatives of the cabinet except under order of the court expressly permitting inspection. (b) Upon the entry of the final order in the case, the clerk shall place all papers and records in the case in a suitable envelope which shall be sealed, or a digital file with restricted access, and shall not be open for inspection by any person, except as provided in KRS 199.572. Health information received pursuant to KRS 199.525 shall be added to the adoption case file. The clerk of the Circuit Court shall set up a separate docket and order book for adoption cases and these files and records shall be kept locked. (c) No person having charge of any adoption records shall disclose the names of any parties appearing in such records or furnish any copy of any such records to any person or other entity that does not meet the requirements of KRS 199.572, except upon order of the court which entered the judgment of adoption.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

Also relied on in: Adoption Records by State: Sealed Records, Original Birth Certificates, and Who Can Get Them, Adoption Reunion Registries: How State Mutual-Consent Matching Works, How to Get Your Original Birth Certificate as an Adult Adoptee

(1) All determinations of disability and orders of appointment, modification, and termination shall be filed as public records with the clerk of the court. All other court records of a respondent made in all proceedings under KRS 387.500 to 387.770 shall be confidential and shall not be open to the general public except as provided in subsection (3) of this section. (2) Following the dismissal or withdrawal of a petition filed under this chapter or a determination that a respondent is no longer disabled, the respondent may at any time move to have all court records pertaining to the proceedings expunged from the files of the court, provided that he submits a full release of all claims arising from the proceedings. (3) Any person seeking to obtain confidential information contained in the court files or the court records of proceedings under KRS 387.500 to 387.770 may file a written motion stating why the information is needed. The court may issue an order to disclose such information upon a showing that the disclosure is appropriate under the circumstances and in the best interest of the person or the public.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

(1) Custody proceedings shall receive priority in being set for hearing. (2) The court may tax as costs the payment of necessary travel and other expenses incurred by any person whose presence at the hearing the court deems necessary to determine the best interests of the child. (3) The court without a jury shall determine questions of law and fact. If it finds that a public hearing may be detrimental to the child's best interests, the court may exclude the public from a custody hearing, but may admit any person who has a direct and legitimate interest in the particular case or a legitimate educational or research interest in the work of the court. (4) If the court finds it necessary to protect the child's welfare that the record of any interview, report, investigation, or testimony in a custody proceeding be kept secret, the court may make an appropriate order sealing the record.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

(1) If paternity has been determined under the provisions of KRS 406.021(1) or (2), the court shall make a written order of paternity. (2) Information concerning this action received or transmitted shall not be published or be open for public inspection, including where the Office of the Attorney General determines reasonable evidence of domestic violence or child abuse, if the disclosure of the information could be harmful to the custodial parent or the child of the parent. (3) Such orders are to be kept separately and shall not be open for public inspection except that they may be inspected by employees of governmental agencies in the performance of their duties, all law enforcement agencies including county attorneys, Commonwealth's attorneys, District and Circuit Judges, and anyone else under order of the court expressly permitting inspection. Either party to an action under this chapter or attorneys of a party to an action under this chapter shall be permitted to inspect the order entered in the action to which he or she is a party.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

(1) Any person who has been: (a) Convicted of a Class D felony violation of KRS 17.175, 186.990, 194A.505, 194B.505, 217.181, 217.207, 217.208, 218A.140, 218A.1415, 218A.1416, 218A.1417, 218A.1418, 218A.1423, 218A.1439, 218A.282, 218A.284, 218A.286, 218A.320, 218A.322, 218A.324, 218A.500, 244.165, 286.11-057, 304.47-025, 324.990, 365.241, 434.155, 434.675, 434.850, 434.872, 511.040, 512.020, 514.030, 514.040, 514.050, 514.060, 514.065, 514.070, 514.080, 514.090, 514.100, 514.110, 514.120, 514.140, 514.150, 514.160, 516.030, 516.060, 516.090, 516.108, 517.120, 518.040, 522.040, 524.100, 525.113, 526.020, 526.030, 528.020, 528.040, 528.050, 530.010, or 530.050; (b) Convicted of a series of Class D felony violations of one (1) or more statutes enumerated in paragraph (a) of this subsection arising from a single incident; (c) Granted a full pardon; or (d) Convicted of a Class D felony, or an offense prior to January 1, 1975 which was punishable by not more than five (5) years' incarceration, which was not a violation of KRS 189A.010, 508.032, or 519.055, abuse of public office, a sex offense, or an offense committed against a child, and did not result in serious bodily injury or…

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-01 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

Also relied on in: Kentucky Background Check Laws (2026 Guide), Expungement Laws by State: How to Clear Your Record (2026), Kentucky Expungement Laws: KRS 431.073, 431.076, and 431.078 Explained

(1) (a) On or after July 15, 2020, if a court enters an order of acquittal of criminal charges against a person, or enters an order dismissing with prejudice all criminal charges in a case against a person and not in exchange for a guilty plea to another charge, the court shall order the record expunged upon the expiration of thirty (30) days, unless the person objects to the expungement. As used in this paragraph, "criminal charges" shall not include a traffic infraction not otherwise classified as a misdemeanor. The order expunging the records shall not require any action by the person. (b) A person who has been charged with a criminal offense and who has been acquitted of the charges, or against whom charges have been dismissed and not in exchange for a guilty plea to another charge, and whose records have not been expunged pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection, may petition the court in which the disposition of the charges was made to expunge all charges.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

As used in KRS 61.870 to 61.884, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) "Public agency" means: (a) Every state or local government officer; (b) Every state or local government department, division, bureau, board, commission, and authority; (c) Every state or local legislative board, commission, committee, and officer; (d) Every county and city governing body, council, school district board, special district board, and municipal corporation; (e) Every state or local court or judicial agency; (f) Every state or local government agency, including the policy-making board of an institution of education, created by or pursuant to state or local statute, executive order, ordinance, resolution, or other legislative act; (g) Any body created by state or local authority in any branch of government; (h) Any body which, within any fiscal year, derives at least twenty-five percent (25%) of its funds expended by it in the Commonwealth of Kentucky from state or local authority funds.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

Also relied on in: Kentucky Laws on Recording Police: Your First Amendment Rights, Are Autopsy Reports Public in Kentucky? (2026 Guide), Kentucky Police Body Camera Laws: KRS 61.168 & Access

(1) Each public agency shall adopt rules and regulations in conformity with the provisions of KRS 61.870 to 61.884 to provide full access to public records, to protect public records from damage and disorganization, to prevent excessive disruption of its essential functions, to provide assistance and information upon request and to ensure efficient and timely action in response to application for inspection, and such rules and regulations shall include but shall not be limited to: (a) The principal office of the public agency and its regular office hours; (b) The title, mailing address, and e-mail address of the official custodian of the public agency's records; (c) The fees, to the extent authorized by KRS 61.874 or other statute, charged for copies; (d) The procedures to be followed in requesting public records.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

Also relied on in: Kentucky Public Records Laws: The Open Records Act (KRS 61.870) Explained

(1) The following public records are excluded from the application of KRS 61.870 to 61.884 and shall be subject to inspection only upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction, except that no court shall authorize the inspection by any party of any materials pertaining to civil litigation beyond that which is provided by the Rules of Civil Procedure governing pretrial discovery: (a) Public records containing information of a personal nature where the public disclosure thereof would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; (b) Records confidentially disclosed to an agency and compiled and maintained for scientific research. This exemption shall not, however, apply to records the disclosure or publication of which is directed by another statute; (c) 1. Records confidentially disclosed to an agency or required by an agency to be disclosed to it, generally recognized as confidential or proprietary, which if openly disclosed would permit an unfair commercial advantage to competitors of the entity that disclosed the records; 2.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

Also relied on in: Kentucky License Plate Reader Laws (2026), Police Reports by State: How to Get a Copy, What They Cost, and What's Public, How to Get a Police Report in Kentucky (2026 Guide)

(1) If a person enforces KRS 61.870 to 61.884 pursuant to this section, he or she shall begin enforcement under this subsection before proceeding to enforcement under subsection (2) of this section. Each public agency, upon any request for records made under KRS 61.870 to 61.884, shall determine within five (5) days, excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after the receipt of any such request whether to comply with the request and shall notify in writing the person making the request, within the five (5) day period, of its decision. An agency response denying, in whole or in part, inspection of any record shall include a statement of the specific exception authorizing the withholding of the record and a brief explanation of how the exception applies to the record withheld. The response shall be issued by the official custodian or under his or her authority, and it shall constitute final agency action.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

Also relied on in: Public Records Laws by State: FOIA Guide for All 50 States (2026)

(1) All cases involving children brought before the court whose cases are under the jurisdiction of the court shall be granted a speedy hearing and shall be dealt with by the court without a jury. (2) The hearings shall be conducted in a formal manner, unless specified to the contrary by other provisions of KRS Chapters 600 to 645. (3) The general public shall be excluded and only the immediate families or guardians of the parties before the court, witnesses necessary for the prosecution and defense of the case, the probation worker with direct interest in the case, a representative from the Department of Juvenile Justice, the victim, his or her parent or legal guardian, or if emancipated, his or her spouse, or a legal representative of either, such persons admitted as the judge shall find have a direct interest in the case or in the work of the court, and such other persons as agreed to by the child and his or her attorney may be admitted to the hearing.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

(1) (a) Unless a specific provision of KRS Chapters 600 to 645 specifies otherwise, all juvenile court records of any nature generated pursuant to KRS Chapters 600 to 645 by any agency or instrumentality, public or private, shall be deemed to be confidential and shall not be disclosed except to the child, parent, victims, or other persons authorized to attend a juvenile court hearing pursuant to KRS 610.070 unless ordered by the court for good cause. (b) Juvenile court records which contain information pertaining to arrests, petitions, adjudications, and dispositions of a child may be disclosed to victims or other persons authorized to attend a juvenile court hearing pursuant to KRS 610.070. (c) Release of the child's treatment, medical, mental, or psychological records is prohibited unless presented as evidence in Circuit Court. Any records resulting from the child's prior abuse and neglect under Title IV-E or Title IV- B of the Federal Social Security Act shall not be disclosed to victims or other persons authorized to attend a juvenile court hearing pursuant to KRS 610.070.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

(1) Any order resulting from the voluntary termination of parental rights of any person under the provisions of this chapter, including the caption of the order, shall contain only the name of the child, without any reference to the names of the parents whose rights have been terminated. Such order shall be duly recorded in the order book of the Circuit Court and a certified copy of the order given to the petitioner and to the cabinet upon request. Such order may contain a statement of authority to place the child for adoption. (2) The files and records of the Circuit Court, excluding the name or other identifying information of a prospective adoptive parent, during proceedings for voluntary termination of parental rights shall not be open to inspection by persons other than parties to such proceedings, their attorneys, and representatives of the cabinet, except under order of the court expressly permitting inspection.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at apps.legislature.ky.gov

Except as authorized under subsection (b), no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information: Cases under title 11 or under the Bankruptcy Act that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, as the case may be, antedate the report by more than 10 years. Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest that, from date of entry, antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is the longer period. Paid tax liens which, from date of payment, antedate the report by more than seven years. Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years. Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-16 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov

Also relied on in: How Long Does a Felony Stay on Your Record? (2026), Background Check Laws by State (2026 Guide), Alabama Background Check Laws (2026 Guide)