Kentucky, officially admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, is one of only four U.S. states designated as a commonwealth. It ranks 26th in population, with approximately 4.3 million residents, and 36th in land area, covering just under 40,000 square miles. The state is divided into 120 counties, which function as local extensions of the state government.
Cities in Kentucky are classified into six categories based on population:
Class 1 cities have more than 100,000 residents
Class 6 cities have fewer than 1,000 residents
The largest cities include Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, and Bowling Green, while Frankfort, the state capital, is home to all three branches of Kentucky’s government.
In 1974, the Kentucky General Assembly enacted the Open Meetings and Open Records Acts, which require that most government meetings and records be accessible to the public. Under these laws:
Any member of the public may request information held by state, county, or local agencies
No reason is required for submitting a records request
While transparency is guaranteed by law, locating the right information can involve navigating multiple agency websites and determining which resources are most effective.
Conducting a background check in Kentucky is useful for employment, licensing, or personal safety reasons. A complete investigation may include:
Criminal History Reports, provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts, which include:
Felony cases since 1978
Misdemeanor and traffic cases from the past five years
Additional court records such as:
Divorce filings
Civil judgments
Criminal trial outcomes
Searchable by individual name, case number, or citation
For driving-related history, request a 3-year driver record directly from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. You can also:
Instantly verify professional licenses issued by various Kentucky licensing boards
Search UCC filings for business-related financial disclosures via the Kentucky Secretary of State's free online database
Finding assets in Kentucky—especially for business, legal, or financial reasons—requires knowing which agencies to contact:
Access real estate and property ownership records via county assessor or property search databases
View business records, including certificates of existence and filed formation documents, through the Kentucky Secretary of State
Request bankruptcy records from federal bankruptcy courts for insight into a person’s or entity’s assets and liabilities
Note that bank account and investment details are protected by privacy laws and are not part of public record.
You can enhance your background check or general research using a wide variety of public databases:
Search offender registries, inmate locators, and most wanted lists
Use people locator tools to find current and previous addresses, both in Kentucky and other states
Obtain birth, death, and marriage certificates through the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Whether you're conducting a comprehensive background check, locating assets, or simply requesting a vital record, PublicRecordCenter provides a curated directory of Kentucky's most reliable and official public record resources. Each listing includes:
Clear descriptions
Step-by-step instructions
Direct links to official agency websites
Downloadable forms when available
With PublicRecordCenter, finding and accessing Kentucky public records is faster, easier, and more efficient.
