Kentucky People Search

Kentucky keeps court record reports, prison records, the sex offender registry, business filings and vital records at the state level, so a search can start with these five offices. Deeds and marriage licenses sit with the county clerk, covered below.

• AOC criminal record reports, Kentucky Court of JusticeStatewide court criminal record reports through FastCheck, for a fee
• Kentucky Online Offender Lookup (KOOL)Current and former state inmates by name or inmate number
• Kentucky Secretary of State FastTrack business searchCorporations, LLCs, assumed names and registered agents
• Kentucky State Police Sex Offender RegistryRegistered offenders with photos, addresses and offenses
• Kentucky Office of Vital StatisticsCertified birth, death, marriage and divorce records for eligible requesters

Kentucky's public records law is the Kentucky Open Records Act, KRS 61.870 and following. Records of public agencies are open unless an exemption applies, and an agency must answer a request within five business days. A person denied a record can appeal to the Attorney General, whose written decision has the force of law unless it is appealed to circuit court.

Major exemptions include personal privacy, open law enforcement investigations, attorney work product, preliminary drafts and certain juvenile and sealed records. The Attorney General's open records decisions show how these exemptions have been applied.

• Kentucky Court of JusticeCourts, circuit court clerks, rules, forms and opinions
• Kentucky Secretary of StateBusiness filings, UCC, notaries, elections and the state land office
• Kentucky Attorney General, open records decisionsDecisions on open records appeals and how to file one

Kentucky's unified court system has two appellate courts, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, and two levels of trial courts. Circuit Court hears felonies, civil cases over $5,000, divorces, adoptions and contested probate cases. District Court hears misdemeanors, traffic, juvenile matters, the probate of wills, small claims up to $2,500 and civil cases up to $5,000. The Administrative Office of the Courts runs the statewide case system.

• CourtNet 2.0Paid statewide case search; plans start at $5 a month
• Request Court Records, Kentucky Court of JusticeCase files come from the circuit court clerk of the county
• Supreme Court of KentuckyPublished opinions and dockets of the Supreme Court
• PACER, federal courts in KentuckyCases in the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky

Kentucky's property records architecture involves three distinct offices: the County Clerk records deeds and mortgages; the PVA (Property Valuation Administrator) values the property for tax purposes; and the Sheriff collects property taxes. Every Kentucky county has all three, each independently elected.

• Jefferson County PVAProperty values and owners for Louisville Metro
• Jefferson County ClerkDeeds, mortgages, liens and marriage licenses for Louisville Metro
• Fayette County PVAProperty values and owners for Lexington and Fayette County
• Kenton County ClerkDeeds and recorded documents for Covington and Kenton County
• Boone County PVAProperty values and owners for Boone County in Northern Kentucky
• Warren County PVAProperty values and owners for Bowling Green and Warren County
• Daviess County PVAProperty values and owners for Owensboro and Daviess County

• Kentucky state business portalBusiness filings, tax registration and permits in one place
• Kentucky Secretary of State UCC searchFinancing statements and liens on personal property
• Kentucky Board of Medical LicensurePhysician license verification and disciplinary actions
• Kentucky Bar Association, Find a LawyerLicensed Kentucky lawyers and their bar status
• Kentucky Real Estate CommissionLicense status of agents, brokers and firms
• Kentucky Board of Nursing license verificationRNs, APRNs and LPNs licensed in Kentucky

• Kentucky Department of CorrectionsState prisons, probation and parole offices
• Louisville Metro Department of CorrectionsThe jail for Louisville and Jefferson County
• Fayette County Detention Center inmate informationPeople held in the Lexington jail

Kentucky vital records are maintained by the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Birth records are restricted to eligible individuals until they become historic. Marriage licenses are issued and maintained at the County Clerk level, with copies reported to the state.

• Kentucky Voter Information CenterCheck your own registration, polling place and precinct

• Kentucky Department for Libraries and ArchivesState archives, military records and county records on microfilm
• Kentucky Historical SocietyResearch library and family history services
• Chronicling America, Kentucky newspapersDigitized historic Kentucky newspapers from the Library of Congress

Kentucky has 120 counties, and how much of their records is online differs from county to county. The most populous are Jefferson (Louisville), Fayette (Lexington), Kenton (Covington), Boone (Florence and Burlington), Warren (Bowling Green), Hardin (Elizabethtown), Daviess (Owensboro), Madison (Richmond), Campbell (Newport) and Bullitt. For a county by county list, see our Kentucky County Public Records index. Louisville and Jefferson County have had one consolidated Louisville Metro government since 2003.

Three offices for property: the county clerk records deeds, the PVA values property and the sheriff collects the tax. A full property search checks all three.

No free statewide court search: CourtNet 2.0 is a paid subscription, and copies of case files come from the circuit court clerk of the county.

Circuit or District Court: felonies, large civil cases, divorces and contested probate are in Circuit Court; misdemeanors, small claims, traffic and the probate of wills are in District Court. Search both.

Louisville Metro is consolidated: Jefferson County and Louisville share one government, so there is one set of local records, not two.

Attorney General decisions: if an agency refuses a records request, you can appeal to the Attorney General, whose open records decisions settle most disputes without a lawsuit.

Researcher Tip: Kentucky's 120-county structure means many counties still keep paper-only indexes for older deeds, wills, and marriages. For pre-1950 research, be prepared to contact the County Clerk directly or visit the KDLA in Frankfort, which holds microfilm copies of most county records.

The Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act took effect on January 1, 2026. It sets rules for how businesses handle personal data, is enforced by the Attorney General and does not close public records. The Secretary of State runs Safe at Home, an address confidentiality program that hides a participant's address on voter records and other state and local public records.

Privacy Note: Kentucky permits expungement of certain misdemeanors and Class D felonies under KRS 431.073 and 431.078. Expunged records are removed from the court database and are not retrievable through CourtNet, so a clean CourtNet result does not necessarily mean a person has no criminal history.

FCRA Reminder: Records accessed through these portals cannot be used for employment, tenant, or credit decisions unless run through a compliant Consumer Reporting Agency.