Kentucky, county records
Find the right office in Johnson County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.
Start here
Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
County court
Kentucky.gov's government section links to state agencies, the legislature, open records requests, state spending and employee salary data, and voter registration and polling place lookups.
Open official site Kentucky Federal ResourcesVital records
Record index of Kentucky marriages, deaths and divorces.
Open official site Kentucky Vital Records IndexState records
Find general info and check name availability with the Kentucky Secretary of State.
Open official site Kentucky Fictitious Business Names FilingsPolice & jail
Information from the Kentucky Dept. of Corrections about Kentucky death row inmates.
Open official site Kentucky Death RowState records
Request records from the Kentucky department for libraries and archives.
Open official site Kentucky Historic Public RecordsLocal record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Johnson County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order across Johnson County, particularly in the unincorporated areas.
Police Departments. Law enforcement in Johnson County is primarily handled by Johnson County Sheriff's Office and the Paintsville Police Department.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Law enforcement services in Johnson County, Kentucky, are primarily provided by Johnson County Sheriff's Office, located at 230 Court Street, Paintsville, KY 41240. Citizens may submit written requests for arrest records to the Sheriff's Office or municipal police departments, and agencies must respond within five business days, either providing the records, denying the request with legal justification, or requesting additional time.
Criminal Records. Residents can run background checks through the Kentucky Court of Justice or the Kentucky State Police, which provides full criminal history reports.
Arrest Records. Arrest records in Johnson County are maintained by Johnson County Sheriff's Office. Residents and attorneys can request copies of arrest records by contacting the Sheriff's Office directly.
Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Johnson County are taken and retained by Johnson County Sheriff's Office during the booking process at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office or online databases. Residents can search for mugshots via the Sheriff's website or third-party services that aggregate public records.
The detention center provides an online inmate lookup tool where you can search by name to find current detainees. You can also call the detention center directly for information at (606) 297-5245. The Paintsville-Johnson County Chamber of Commerce (phone 606-789-4355) provides resources for businesses, economic development information, and can assist with understanding local business requirements.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 7 named mine sites inside the county, 7 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 643 holes drawn inside the county, 581 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Clay; Silica.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area.
Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Johnson County Sheriff's Office or a city police department in Johnson County. Ask that agency for its record. Under KRS 61.8746, no one may use a booking photograph obtained from a public agency for a commercial purpose on a website or in a publication that charges a fee for its removal; a person can sue for an injunction, costs, attorney's fees and daily damages.
The Kentucky criminal history record comes from the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts, Records Unit. Name based state court criminal record report online through AOC FastCheck (account or one time request), by mail to Administrative Office of the Courts, Records Unit, 1001 Vandalay Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601, or at the AOC drive thru window. Fee: $25.00 per record request.
Search the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry (Kentucky State Police), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register with the county clerk or through the Kentucky State Board of Elections. You can also register online with the state online registration. Registration books close on the fourth Tuesday before an election (KRS 116.045(2)); for the 2026 general election the last day to register was Monday, October 5, with online registrations due by 4:00 PM local time.
Deeds and other recorded land documents in Johnson County are kept by the Johnson County clerk. Property values are set by the Property Valuation Administrator, and tax bills come from the county sheriff. Source: official state page.
Certified birth and death certificates for Kentucky come from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of Vital Statistics. By mail with a check or money order payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer to Office of Vital Statistics, 275 E. Main St., 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621, in person or at the drop box at 275 East Main Street, Frankfort, or online and by phone through VitalChek at (800) 241-8322, the only authorized online and telephone partner. Fee: $10 for each birth certificate (non refundable search fee); $6 for each death, marriage or divorce certificate.
Business entity filings are searched with the Kentucky Secretary of State. Kentucky does not have a statewide business license that applies to all businesses; many cities and counties require a local business license or impose an occupational tax.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.