Search Fayette County Court Records
Most Fayette County court records start with the Kentucky Court of Justice because Kentucky uses one statewide court system for all 120 counties. Public tools from KCOJ include case search, court-date lookup, fine and fee payment links, eFiling/CourtNet access points, and the KYeCourts Easy Pay portal. Easy Pay is useful for payable cases, citations, and party searches, but it is not a full document portal. Pleadings, certified copies, transcripts, exhibits, and older files still route through the Fayette Office of Circuit Court Clerk.
The first choice is the court level. Felony criminal, circuit civil, family, divorce, appeals, and records work route to Circuit Court at 120 North Limestone. Misdemeanor, traffic, violations, small claims, eviction, probate, mental-health, juvenile, and emergency protective order matters route to District Court at 150 North Limestone. Marriage licenses and recorded legal instruments are not court case files and are handled by the Fayette County Clerk at 162 East Main Street.
- Identify the record type and decide whether it belongs in Circuit Court, District Court, the County Clerk, Community Corrections, or a police open-records channel.
- Check the KCOJ public tools for case, court date, citation, party, or payment information that can be searched online.
- Use Easy Pay for payable obligations by case number, citation details, or party name when the matter is eligible for that portal.
- Call or visit the correct Fayette court division for copies, certified records, sealed-record questions, and files not shown online.
- Use the Lexington-Fayette open-records process for police, jail administration, and other executive-branch records rather than court pleadings.
The Fayette Circuit Court division page shows local division routing for felony, civil, family, appeals, and records work. This official page is one of the clearest starting points for deciding which counter handles a Fayette County court record.
Use the Circuit page when a case file belongs to a felony, family, civil, or appeals division rather than a traffic or misdemeanor counter.
Fayette County Court Structure
Kentucky's court structure is statewide. The Supreme Court of Kentucky is the highest state court, the Kentucky Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court, Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court, and District Court handles limited-jurisdiction trial work. Fayette County is in the 22nd Judicial Circuit and 22nd Judicial District. Family Court operates as a division of Circuit Court, not as a separate county office.
That structure matters for record access because each court level creates different files. Circuit Court creates felony, higher-value civil, family, divorce, and appeal records. District Court creates misdemeanor, traffic, violation, small-claim, eviction, probate, juvenile, mental-health, and protective-order records. Court dates and basic public information may appear through statewide tools, while copy requests and certified court records remain tied to the Fayette Circuit Court Clerk.
Case flow: District Court preliminary or limited matter › Fayette Circuit Court › Kentucky Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of Kentucky.
| Court or office | Role in Fayette County | Common record types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General-jurisdiction trial court | Felony, circuit civil, family, divorce, appeals from District Court |
| District Court | Limited-jurisdiction trial court | Misdemeanor, traffic, small claims, evictions, probate, juvenile, mental health |
| Circuit Court Clerk | Custodian for Circuit, Family, and District Court case records | Case files, dockets, certified copies, fines, bond money |
| County Clerk | Separate county records office | Marriage licenses, legal recordings, elections, motor vehicles |
The Fayette county court landing page links the local Circuit and District Court pages from one KCOJ entry point.
That landing page is useful when a record seeker knows the county but still needs to choose the right trial-court division.
Fayette County Court Locations
Fayette County court operations are centered on the Robert F. Stephens courthouse complex in downtown Lexington. The active court counters are on North Limestone, not at the historic Old Fayette County Courthouse on West Main Street. The Circuit Courthouse and District Courthouse are adjacent, which helps visitors, but the divisions inside them are still separated by case type. The County Clerk is nearby on East Main Street, while the jail is at Old Frankfort Circle and should not be used for case-file copy requests.
Robert F. Stephens Circuit Courthouse
120 N. Limestone
Lexington, KY 40507
859-246-2224 for Circuit Criminal
Robert F. Stephens District Courthouse
150 N. Limestone
Lexington, KY 40507
859-246-2228 for District Criminal/Traffic
The Fayette District Court page gives the local District Criminal/Traffic, Civil, Probate, Forcible Detainer, and Mental Health division contacts.
District Court is the main counter for traffic citations, misdemeanors, probate, small claims, evictions, mental-health petitions, and 24-hour protective-order access.
Types of Fayette County Court Records
Fayette County court records include civil, criminal, family, divorce, probate, traffic, juvenile, mental-health, protective-order, and eviction records. Civil files split between Circuit Civil and District Civil based on jurisdiction. Criminal files split between felony records in Circuit Criminal and misdemeanors, violations, traffic, arraignments, and felony preliminary matters in District Court. Family and divorce cases are Circuit Court records through Family Court.
Some records that feel court-related are kept outside the court clerk's office. Marriage licenses are issued and recorded by the County Clerk. Jail bookings are operated by Lexington-Fayette Community Corrections. Police reports and collision reports follow Lexington Police open-records or report channels. A record seeker who needs a full case file should avoid treating a jail entry, police incident report, or background check as a substitute for the court record.
- Civil records include circuit civil cases, district civil complaints, small claims, garnishments, executions, and judgments.
- Criminal records include felony indictments, informations, misdemeanors, citations, pleas, dispositions, sentences, bond events, and probation entries.
- Family and divorce records include divorce decrees, custody orders, support orders, domestic-relations motions, and sealed or redacted family material.
- Probate records include wills, estates, executor appointments, guardianships, trusts, curatorships, minor settlements, and name changes.
- Traffic records include District Court citations, prepayable fines, failures to appear, and traffic-related court obligations.
The Kentucky Court of Justice homepage collects statewide links for case search, court dates, fine or fee payment, and CourtNet services.
Statewide KCOJ tools are the online layer, while Fayette division counters remain the copy and certification path for many case records.
What Fayette Court Records Show
A Fayette County court record usually identifies the case, the court, the parties, the filing date, the assigned division, and the case status. Criminal and traffic records may add charges, citations, bond events, warrants, pleas, dispositions, sentence terms, restitution, fines, costs, and probation events. Civil, family, and probate records may add petitions, answers, motions, orders, judgments, inventories, settlement documents, or hearing notices.
Easy Pay fields show how limited online search can be. Users may search by case number, citation details, or party name and birth date, but full documents are not all shown there. KCOJ states that case records can include criminal citations, pleadings, motions, orders, evidence, reports, dockets, video recordings, and transcripts. Those deeper materials are requested through the Circuit Court Clerk when public access is allowed.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Case number | The court's unique identifier, with Easy Pay accepting case-number searches up to 20 characters. |
| County and court | The Fayette court level or division tied to the matter. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, Commonwealth and defendant, petitioner and respondent, or estate and fiduciary roles. |
| Docket entries | Filed pleadings, hearing settings, motions, notices, orders, judgments, continuances, and payment events. |
| Disposition | The result of a charge, claim, petition, or case, such as dismissed, guilty plea, judgment, or final order. |
| Restrictions | Sealed, expunged, juvenile, mental-health, adoption, and protected personal information may be hidden or redacted. |
The KCOJ Request Court Records page explains that court case records can include pleadings, motions, orders, evidence, dockets, and transcripts.
That guidance supports the local rule of thumb: online tools help locate a matter, but the clerk division handles full copies.
Fayette County Court Records Access
Kentucky public-record access uses two related frameworks. Executive-branch records, such as police and LFUCG administrative records, generally follow the Kentucky Open Records Act. Court records are different because KRS 26A.200 makes Court of Justice records property of the Court of Justice and subject to Supreme Court control. For Fayette County court files, that means the Circuit Court Clerk and KCOJ rules are the central record path.
KRS 61.872 gives Kentucky residents a right to inspect public records unless an exception applies, and an agency may require a written request. Lexington Police states that open-records requests must be in writing, include contact information, describe the record with enough detail, include a Kentucky residency statement, and receive a response within five business days. That process is helpful for police records, but not a substitute for a Fayette court case-copy request.
Key statutes:
KRS 61.870-61.884 sets the Kentucky Open Records Act framework for many non-court government records.
KRS 26A.200 places Court of Justice records under Supreme Court control.
KRS 431.073 covers certain felony conviction expungements and related fees.
KRS 610.340 restricts juvenile court records except for specific statutory access paths.
Restricted Fayette Court Records
Not every Fayette County court record is open to public lookup. Juvenile records are restricted under Kentucky statutes. Adoption files, mental-health proceedings, guardianship details, protected addresses, Social Security numbers, account numbers, medical information, child identifiers, and victim-safety information may be sealed, redacted, or withheld. Domestic violence and protective-order material can also be limited when safety or confidentiality rules apply.
Expunged records should not appear through public official systems after the court and agencies remove or delete the matter as ordered. KRS 431.079 defines expungement for related statutes as removal or deletion that keeps the matter from appearing on official state-performed background checks. A person seeking expungement should identify the case number and disposition, review KCOJ forms, and file through the proper court. Eligibility depends on the charge, conviction class, waiting period, prior record, pending cases, and sentence completion.
Note: A missing online result does not prove that no Fayette County case exists; it may be sealed, restricted, archived, or outside that portal.
Fayette County Records Fees
Fees depend on the office and record. Fayette's marriage-license fee is published by the County Clerk's online application. AOC criminal-history reports use the Kentucky AOC Records Unit and FastCheck or one-time request process. Court copy and certification charges should be confirmed with the Fayette Circuit Court Clerk division because KCOJ announced civil filing fee increases effective July 1, 2026 under Supreme Court Administrative Order 2026-15.
| Item | Office | Amount or note |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | Fayette County Clerk | $60, payable by cash, check, or credit card |
| Court copies and certifications | Circuit Court Clerk | Call or visit the correct Fayette division for current charges |
| State marriage or divorce certificate | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics | Search/certificate fee required, with no refund if no record is found |
| AOC criminal record report | Kentucky AOC Records Unit | Use AOC FastCheck or One-Time Request service |
| Felony expungement application | Circuit Court Clerk and KCOJ forms | KRS 431.073 lists a $50 application fee plus $250 after an order for eligible felonies |
Fayette County Jail Records
Fayette County's jail is operated by Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division of Community Corrections, not by the Sheriff's Office. The Fayette County Detention Center is at 600 Old Frankfort Circle, and the public jail portal provides a Current Jail Population search plus a separate Booked in the Last 48 Hours view. The portal lets users search by last name, first name, middle name, or inmate ID.
The jail record is not the court file. Jail data shows custody and booking status, while the court file shows charges, hearings, pleas, dispositions, sentencing, and financial obligations. The jail site warns that arrest information reflects charged offenses at booking and that accuracy should be verified with local District and Circuit Courts. For a deeper custody workflow, use the Fayette County inmate records page.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government homepage is the parent local-government entry point for public safety, Community Corrections, police, and open-records pages.
Lexington branding appears on countywide public-safety records because Lexington and Fayette County operate under consolidated government.
Fayette Warrants and Charges
Fayette warrant information can come from courts, law enforcement, jail custody records, and case dockets. The Sheriff's Office identifies Kathy H. Witt as Sheriff and asks anyone with information about fugitives to call 859-252-1771 immediately. That fugitive channel is not a complete warrant database. Bench warrants for missed court, traffic failures to appear, probation violations, contempt, and felony indictment warrants are tied to the underlying District or Circuit Court file.
Arrest charges also require care. The jail may show charged offenses at booking, but guilt is decided in court. Charges can be amended, reduced, dismissed, or replaced by indictment or information. The full criminal case file is kept by the court, while police incident reports follow Lexington Police open-records rules. The Fayette County arrest records and court charges page connects booking records, prosecutor charging decisions, and court case records.
The LFUCG open-records request page is the local written-request path for Lexington-Fayette executive-branch records.
Use LFUCG open records for police or local-government files, while court pleadings and certified case copies stay with the court clerk.
Fayette Marriage Divorce Probate
Marriage, divorce, and probate records follow three different paths in Fayette County. Marriage licenses are County Clerk records and begin with an online pre-application, but both parties must appear in person at the County Clerk's office with approved identification. Divorce decrees and divorce case files are Circuit Court and Family Court records. Probate is handled by the District Court Probate Division, not by the County Clerk.
The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics has statewide marriage and divorce certificates from June 1958 to present. OVS does not issue electronic or non-certified copies, and it requires a completed application and required fee before searching. Older pre-1958 marriage records route to the county clerk where the license was issued, while older divorce decrees route to the circuit court clerk where the decree was granted.
- Executor
- The person named or appointed to handle estate duties after a death.
- Administrator
- A fiduciary appointed when an estate has no valid will or no available executor.
- Guardianship
- A probate-related proceeding involving authority to act for a minor or protected person.
- Decree
- The final court order that ends a divorce case and sets enforceable terms.
The Fayette County Clerk directory entry lists Susan Lamb's office for marriage licensing and recorded county records.
That office is separate from the Circuit Court Clerk, which is why marriage licenses and divorce decrees do not use the same request path.
Fayette Case Search Fields
KYeCourts Easy Pay gives three public search paths: case, citation, and party. The portal can route users into a login experience, and CourtNet access beyond public tools can require registration, subscription, or approval. For most public users, the fields below are best treated as a way to locate a payable case or narrow the case identity before contacting the clerk for copies.
| Search path | Fields | Format notes |
|---|---|---|
| Search by Case | County, Case #, Include Trailers | Fayette appears as FAYETTE with code 034; case number accepts up to 20 characters. |
| Search by Citation | Year, Control #, Type | Year accepts four digits, control number accepts up to seven characters, and type uses numeric choices. |
| Search by Party | First Name, Last Name, Birth Date | Name fields accept up to 25 characters; birth date can narrow the match. |
The KYeCourts Easy Pay portal shows the case, citation, and party search tabs used for payable court obligations.
Easy Pay is strongest for citation, fine, fee, and payment workflows, not for viewing every pleading in a Fayette case file.
Fayette County Court History
Fayette County is one of Kentucky's oldest counties, created in 1780 while Kentucky was still part of Virginia. Lexington became the county seat and later joined county government through the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government merger. The Old Fayette County Courthouse at 215 West Main Street was built from 1898 to 1900 after an 1887 courthouse burned in May 1897. It is known for Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and a prominent dome.
Current record access is tied to the modern North Limestone court complex, not the old Main Street landmark. Courts moved out of the old courthouse in 2001, and the building later reopened for civic, visitor, event, and commercial uses. The modern Robert F. Stephens complex reflects Kentucky's unified Court of Justice model, where local Circuit and District Court divisions operate under statewide administration.
Fayette Court Records FAQ
Where are Fayette County court records kept?
Circuit Court, Family Court, and District Court records are kept through the Fayette Office of Circuit Court Clerk and Kentucky Court of Justice systems. Marriage licenses and recorded legal instruments are kept by the Fayette County Clerk.
Can Fayette County court records be searched online?
Some public information can be searched through KCOJ tools and KYeCourts Easy Pay. Full pleadings, certified copies, transcripts, exhibits, and older records often require a request to the correct Circuit Court Clerk division.
Is the Fayette jail search the same as a criminal case search?
No. The jail portal shows current custody and recent booking information from Community Corrections. Criminal case records are court records and should be verified with District Court or Circuit Court.
Who handles Fayette County probate records?
The Probate Division of District Court handles wills, estates, guardianships, trusts, curatorships, minor settlements, and name changes. It is located at the District Courthouse on North Limestone.
Who handles Fayette County marriage records?
The Fayette County Clerk handles marriage licenses. The online pre-application starts the process, but both parties must appear in person with approved identification and the published fee.
Are juvenile court records public in Fayette County?
Juvenile records are restricted under Kentucky law. Access is limited to specific people and situations, and ordinary public search tools should not be expected to show those files.