Search Knott County Court Records
Knott County court records are held through the Kentucky Court of Justice, with the Knott County Office of Circuit Court Clerk serving as the local file custodian for Circuit Court and District Court cases. The Administrative Office of the Courts makes statewide tools available, but its records request page states that AOC does not keep the trial case files and is not the source for those local case records. For a full file, certified copy, older record, or question about a sealed file, the request starts with the clerk of the court that heard the case.
The practical search path depends on the task. Use the Kentucky trial-court docket portal to check court dates. Use KYeCourts or CourtNet guest access for public case information when that access is available. Use ePay for eligible payable citations, fines, and costs. Use the Knott County Circuit Court Clerk for copies, certified copies, file review, older-file routing, and records that do not show online.
The official Kentucky Court of Justice Knott County page shows the local court office, clerk, judges, hours, payment options, and record request routing.
That county page is the best official starting point before calling or visiting the Knott County Judicial Center.
- Start with the record type: court date, case record, citation payment, certified copy, older file, or agency record.
- For court dates, open the Kentucky docket portal and select Knott County if the portal offers the county filter.
- For public case lookup, use KYeCourts or the Find a Case path and search by party, case number, citation, or business.
- For payable citations or fines, check ePay before traveling to Hindman.
- For official copies, sealed-file questions, and file-location help, contact the Circuit Court Clerk.
Knott County Judicial Center
The main local court building is the Knott County Judicial Center at 53 W. Main St., P.O. Box 1317, Hindman, Kentucky 41822. The Office of Circuit Court Clerk is located there and is the public counter for Knott County Circuit Court and District Court case records. The official county court page identifies Lisa Bolen as Circuit Court Clerk, phone 606-785-5021, fax 606-785-3994, and lists weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The page also tells visitors to call ahead for accessibility assistance.
Knott County's court, county clerk, fiscal court, and sheriff contacts are clustered near West Main Street in downtown Hindman. That helps with travel, but it can create office confusion. A divorce decree, felony file, traffic docket, misdemeanor case, probate case, or certified court copy belongs with the Circuit Court Clerk. A marriage license, recorded instrument, motor vehicle service, notary bond, or election record belongs with the County Clerk. Sheriff records, civil process, wanted-person alerts, and law-enforcement service questions belong with the Sheriff's Office.
Knott County Judicial Center
53 W. Main St.
P.O. Box 1317
Hindman, KY 41822
606-785-5021
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Knott County Clerk
54 West Main Street
P.O. Box 446
Hindman, KY 41822-0446
606-785-5651
Marriage, land, vehicle, election, and notary records
Knott County Sheriff's Office
54 W Main Street
P.O. Box 1170
Hindman, KY 41822
606-785-5354
Law enforcement, civil process, court security, and alerts
Knott County Court System
Kentucky uses a unified court system called the Kentucky Court of Justice. In Knott County, trial work is divided mainly between Circuit Court and District Court. Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction. It handles felonies, larger civil cases, divorces, adoptions, real property title disputes, contested probate matters, injunctions, writs, and appeals from District Court or administrative agencies. District Court handles traffic offenses, misdemeanors, violations, county and city ordinances, juvenile matters, small claims, lower-dollar civil cases, probate of wills, preliminary felony matters, mental-health proceedings, and domestic violence matters.
Knott County is in the 36th Judicial Circuit and the 36th Judicial District. The Kentucky Court of Justice county page lists Circuit Judge Kim Cornett Childers for the 36th Judicial Circuit and District Judge Dennis B. Prater for the 36th Judicial District. It also lists appellate officials for the 7th Supreme Court District and 7th Appellate District. Appeals from District Court go to Circuit Court. Appeals from Circuit Court and Family Court go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
The Kentucky trial court docket portal gives a statewide court-date search route for Knott County matters, but its disclaimer says online docket information is not the official docket and may change.
The docket portal is useful for planning, but the court clerk remains the source for official court schedules and file copies.
| Court or Office | Role in Knott County | Common Record Types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General jurisdiction trial court | Felonies, divorce, contested probate, larger civil cases, adoptions, appeals |
| District Court | Limited jurisdiction trial court | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, probate of wills, juvenile, preliminary felony hearings |
| Circuit Court Clerk | Trial court record custodian | Circuit, District, Family, and Business Court records, copies, payments, jury scheduling |
| County Clerk | County records office | Marriage licenses, recorded instruments, motor vehicles, elections, notary records |
Knott County Court Record Types
Knott County court records vary by court level. Circuit Court records can include felony case files, divorce pleadings, adoption matters, contested probate disputes, real property title cases, civil lawsuits above the District Court limit, injunctions, writs, and appeals. District Court records can include misdemeanor cases, traffic cases, violations, ordinances, small claims, civil cases of $5,000 or less, probate of wills, juvenile matters, domestic violence matters, and felony probable-cause proceedings.
Court records are broader than docket entries. A case file may include criminal citations, complaints, pleadings, motions, orders, evidence, reports, dockets, video recordings, and transcripts. Online systems often show case numbers, party names, court dates, charges, payment eligibility, or event history, but full document access and certified copies may require a clerk request.
- Criminal records: Circuit Court felony files and District Court misdemeanor, violation, citation, and preliminary-hearing records.
- Civil records: complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, liens, garnishments, writs, and appeal notices.
- Family and divorce records: divorce petitions, custody orders, support orders, decrees, and post-decree motions, with restrictions for minors and sealed filings.
- Probate records: wills, estate petitions, fiduciary appointments, inventories, accountings, settlements, and contested probate pleadings.
- Traffic records: citations, court dates, pleas, fines, costs, dispositions, failure-to-appear entries, and payment status.
What Knott County Court Records Show
A Knott County court record may show the court, county of origin, case type, case number, filing date, parties, attorneys, charges or claims, docket events, hearings, bond, plea, disposition, judgment, sentence, financial obligations, and document references. The exact fields depend on case type. A traffic case may rely on citation year, control number, and type. A civil case may use party names, business names, or a case number. A probate case may be searched by decedent name, estate name, fiduciary, or case number when public access is available.
KYeCourts and related search tools use structured field combinations. The official eCourts Help page lists party, case, citation, and business searches. Case search requires both the case number and county of origin; statewide searching is not available for that search mode. Citation search uses year, control number, and type. Party search may use name combinations, birth date, driver's license number, county, and event range depending on access level.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Unique court identifier, usually needed with Knott County as county of origin. |
| Court | Circuit Court, District Court, or another Kentucky Court of Justice division. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, Commonwealth and defendant, petitioner and respondent, or estate parties. |
| Charge or Claim | Offense, statute, citation, civil cause, probate matter, or family case issue. |
| Docket Event | Hearing, motion, order, arraignment, pretrial, trial, sentencing, review, or payment event. |
| Disposition | Current or final outcome, such as dismissed, convicted, amended, acquitted, transferred, or pending. |
Knott County Public Access Laws
Public access to Knott County court records starts with the court record custodian. Kentucky open-records law still matters, especially for agency records, but KCOJ instructs users to request trial case records from the clerk of the court that heard the case. For non-court agency records, such as sheriff records, Kentucky State Police records, KYTC driver records, or county administrative records, requesters should describe the record clearly and use the agency custodian's request channel.
Kentucky statutes define public records, inspection rights, copy fees, exemptions, and agency response duties. KRS 61.880 gives agencies five business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, to decide whether they will comply with or deny an open-records request. KRS 61.878 lists exemptions. That matters when a file includes juvenile records, sealed criminal records, domestic violence material, adoption records, mental-health records, personal identifiers, or protected addresses.
Key statutes:
KRS 61.870 defines public agency, public record, official custodian, and Kentucky resident.
KRS 61.872 gives Kentucky residents the right to inspect nonexempt public records.
KRS 61.874 covers copies, prescribed fees, advance payment, and postage.
KRS 61.878 lists exemptions that can limit release or require redaction.
Knott County Court Records Fees
The official Knott County court page publishes payment methods rather than a complete copy-fee schedule. It lists cash, cashier's check, money order, personal check with address and phone number, phone payment, and ePay for eligible obligations. For exact copy costs, certified copy charges, or older-record retrieval steps, contact the Circuit Court Clerk before mailing a request. If the clerk says an older case is stored at a records facility, ask for the case and file locator numbers because state records center searches cannot be made by name or Social Security number alone.
Several related state systems do publish fee details. AOC expungement certification is $40. KSP background checks are $20 by mail with check or money order. KSP open-record copies are 10 cents per released page, with higher media costs for photos, CDs, videotapes, or similar items. Kentucky online citation payment adds a portal fee of $1.00 for ACH or 2.95% for credit card payments. The three-year Kentucky Driving History Record costs $3 plus a $3 electronic access fee.
| Item | Published Payment or Fee Detail |
|---|---|
| Knott court payments | Cash, cashier's check, money order, personal check with address and phone, phone payment, and ePay where eligible. |
| Online citation payment | ACH $1.00 or credit card 2.95% of the payment amount. |
| AOC expungement certification | $40. |
| KSP background check | $20 by check or money order through the published mail process. |
| KSP open-record copies | 10 cents per released page, with media costs sent by the custodian. |
Restricted Knott County Court Records
Some Knott County court records are not open through ordinary public search. Juvenile court records generated under Kentucky juvenile-code chapters are confidential under KRS 610.340 unless a specific provision allows release. Adoption and termination of parental rights records are restricted because they involve minors and family privacy. Mental-health proceedings include sensitive health information. Domestic violence and protective-order matters may restrict addresses, victim information, child information, and other safety details.
Expunged and sealed criminal records also have special rules. A person seeking expungement starts with an AOC expungement certification, then files the proper petition in the county where the original charge was filed. For Knott County charges, that means the Knott County Circuit Court Clerk. KCOJ says eligible felony expungement generally cannot be filed sooner than five years after completion of sentence or successful completion of probation or parole, whichever is later. Misdemeanor, violation, and traffic-infraction expungement is governed by a separate statute.
Note: Online absence does not prove a record does not exist; restricted access, storage location, or case status may explain the gap.
Knott County Sheriff and Jail Records
The Knott County Sheriff's Office official site identifies Sheriff Dale Richardson and lists the office at 54 W Main Street in Hindman, with phone 606-785-5354 and fax 606-785-0948. Its services include criminal investigations, patrol and traffic enforcement, court security, civil process, emergency response, community programs, missing persons bulletins, wanted individuals, severe weather alerts, road closures, and safety events. The sheriff is relevant to arrests, warrants, civil process, court security, traffic enforcement, and law-enforcement records, but the sheriff's site did not reveal a public jail roster, active warrant database, visitation policy, or mobile app during research.
For local custody questions, the Kentucky Department for Local Government profile lists Robby Slone as Knott County Jailer, phone 606-785-5827 and email robbyslone31@yahoo.com. Kentucky VINE is the official custody notification fallback for county jails, prisons, mental health facilities, and juvenile detention centers. KOOL is useful for sentenced state offenders, but DOC warns that data newer than 120 days may not be finalized. Criminal charges, court dates, bond orders, and dispositions are court-record questions once the case is filed.
The Kentucky DOC KOOL information page explains the state offender lookup and its update limits.
Use KOOL for state offender information, then use the county jailer or VINE when the question is local custody status.
Knott County Marriage and Probate Records
Marriage records and divorce records are split in Kentucky. Marriage licenses are County Clerk records. Divorce files are Circuit Court records. For Knott County marriage licenses, start with County Clerk Reci Cornett's office at 54 West Main Street, phone 606-785-5651 or 606-785-0870, fax 606-785-0996, and email maurica.cornett@ky.gov. The County Clerk site lists services that include recordings, marriage licenses, notary bonds, elections, and motor vehicle registration and titling. A Knott-specific marriage license fee was not located in the official local sources reviewed, so applicants should confirm current cost and ID rules with the clerk before visiting.
Probate in Knott County usually begins as a District Court matter for probate of wills. Contested probate matters, title disputes, and related appeals can involve Circuit Court. Probate files may include wills, petitions, fiduciary appointments, bonds, inventories, creditor claims, accountings, settlements, guardianship or conservatorship pleadings, and orders closing the estate. The Circuit Court Clerk is the access point because the clerk serves both District Court and Circuit Court records. County Clerk land records may still matter when an estate includes real property.
- Executor
- A person named to manage an estate under a will.
- Administrator
- A person appointed to manage an estate when no executor is available.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will controlling estate distribution.
- Conservatorship
- A court-supervised arrangement for managing property or affairs for a protected person.
Knott County Traffic Court Records
Traffic court in Knott County is a District Court function. Traffic record channels include the KCOJ docket portal for court dates, KYeCourts or Find a Case for public case information when available, ePay for eligible fines and costs, the official Kentucky online citation payment portal, the Circuit Court Clerk for copies and court-date questions, KYTC driver history records for license consequences, and KSP or agency crash-report routes for accident reports. Crash reports are separate from traffic court records.
A traffic court record and a state driver history record are different files. The court record can show citation, charge, court date, plea, disposition, fine, costs, failure to appear, payment status, and docket events. A three-year Driving History Record from KYTC shows driver status, license expiration date, restrictions, and traffic violations. DRIVE says points expire two years from conviction date, but the conviction entry remains on the driving record for five years from conviction date.
The Kentucky ePay portal searches payable cases and citations by citation, party, or case details.
KYeCourts and ePay can reduce courthouse trips, but contested tickets and missed court dates should still be checked with the clerk.
Request Knott County Court Copies
Certified court copies, full file review, older records, and document-specific requests should go to the Circuit Court Clerk. KCOJ says older records may be stored in the clerk's office, at a records facility, or destroyed under retention schedules. If the file is in storage, the clerk provides the case and file locator numbers that are needed for a State Records Center or Department for Libraries and Archives request. Without those locator numbers, the storage facility cannot search by name or Social Security number.
The Kentucky Court of Justice request court records page explains why trial case record requests begin with the clerk where the case was heard.
Use that request guidance to separate court case files from AOC criminal reports, sheriff records, driver records, and other agency files.
Knott County Court Context
Knott County is a rural southeastern Kentucky county in the Kentucky River Area Development District. The Kentucky Department for Local Government profile lists population 14,251, rural population 13,082, area of 352 square miles, and 441 road miles. The county's official site brands Knott County as the Elk Capital of the East and points to trail riding, scenic beauty, and outdoor recreation. For court users, the rural road network and mountain weather matter because travel to Hindman may take longer than a map suggests.
The 2022 flood is a concrete local court-access event. Kentucky.gov reported that Knott County court operations were suspended indefinitely because of historic flooding and that the Knott County Office of Circuit Court Clerk was legally closed beginning July 28, 2022 for computation-of-time purposes. That kind of event can affect deadlines, schedules, and access. For hearings or filing deadlines, verify the current docket with the clerk, especially during severe weather or road closures.
The Kentucky DLG county profile provides the local official roster and rural county data used for office routing.
The profile helps separate court, sheriff, jailer, county attorney, and county clerk roles before contacting the wrong office.
Knott County Court Records FAQ
Can I search all Knott County court records in one county database? No. Knott County uses Kentucky Court of Justice systems and local clerk custody. Use dockets, KYeCourts, ePay, and the Circuit Court Clerk based on the record needed.
Who keeps Knott County court case files? The Knott County Circuit Court Clerk keeps local Circuit Court and District Court records. Lisa Bolen's office is at the Knott County Judicial Center in Hindman.
Is the County Clerk the same as the Circuit Court Clerk? No. The County Clerk handles marriage licenses, recordings, motor vehicles, elections, and notary records. The Circuit Court Clerk handles state trial court case files.
Where are Knott County traffic tickets handled? Traffic cases are handled in District Court. ePay and the Kentucky online citation portal may help with payable matters, while contested tickets and missed court dates should be checked with the clerk.
Is there a Knott County inmate roster online? No official Knott County jail roster was located in the official sources reviewed. Use the county jailer phone number, Kentucky VINE, KOOL for state offenders, and the Circuit Court Clerk for filed charges.
Are juvenile court records public? Juvenile records are restricted. KRS 610.340 treats juvenile court records generated under juvenile-code chapters as confidential unless a specific provision allows disclosure.