Kenton County Circuit Court Clerk
The Circuit Court Clerk is the filing and record office for court cases in Kenton County. The official court page lists the Kenton County Justice Center at 230 Madison Avenue in Covington and the clerk phone as 859-292-6521. Court case records include criminal cases, felony matters, civil cases, family and divorce cases, traffic citations filed in District Court, probate case files, public docket access, certified copies, and questions about sealed or restricted court files.
The office should not be confused with the Kenton County Clerk. The County Clerk issues marriage licenses and records land instruments. Court records, including divorce decrees and probate case records, route through the Circuit Court Clerk and Kentucky Court of Justice systems. Online access is split between public dockets, KYeCourts guest records, CourtNet registered access, and ePay for eligible fines or costs.
Kenton Circuit Court Clerk
Kenton County Justice Center
230 Madison Avenue
Covington, KY 41011
859-292-6521
Monday through Friday business hours
Kenton County Court Clerk Duties
The Circuit Court Clerk supports the trial courts by receiving filings, maintaining case records, processing docket entries, collecting court costs when due, and issuing certified copies from the court file. Because Kenton County has Circuit, District, Family, and Business Court activity at the Justice Center, the clerk counter is the local contact point when a statewide portal does not answer a record question.
The office also helps sort records by division. Felony records, larger civil files, appeals, and contested probate issues are Circuit Court records. Misdemeanor, traffic, small claims, juvenile, routine probate, ordinance, and felony preliminary events are District Court records. Divorce and custody files are Family Court records, with child-related and domestic-violence details often more restricted than ordinary civil files. Business Court records remain court records even when the dispute is commercial.
- Maintain Circuit, District, Family, and related court case records for Kenton County.
- Provide certified court copies when public and available from the case file.
- Help verify docket, courtroom, and case status details that appear online.
- Handle traffic and court payment questions that cannot be resolved through ePay.
- Route probate and divorce record requests to the correct court file.
Access Kenton County Clerk Records
The first search channel depends on the need. Public dockets are reached through the Kentucky docket search. Case-level public records are reached through KYeCourts guest access. Registered users use CourtNet 2.0 for broader civil and criminal case access. The clerk office is the fallback for certified copies, old files, missing records, sealing or expungement questions, and discrepancies between a portal and the official record.
| Access Channel | Best Use | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Public docket search | Upcoming Kenton court dates by county, division, date, courtroom, and subdivision | Not the official case file |
| KYeCourts guest records | Public case information across Kentucky courts | Requires CAPTCHA and may not show all documents |
| CourtNet 2.0 | Registered civil and criminal case access | Login required |
| Circuit Court Clerk counter | Certified copies, old records, sealed-record questions, missing online records | Office availability and court restrictions apply |
Request Certified Court Copies
Certified court copies prove that a document came from the official court file. They are often needed for legal filings, appeals, name changes after divorce, probate administration, background checks, or agency review. Online case details are not the same as a certified copy. The clerk may need the exact case number, party names, case type, document name, and filing date to locate the right item.
For divorce records, the County Clerk FAQ sends requesters to the Circuit Courthouse in the county where the divorce was filed. For Kenton County divorce, the research source points to Kenton Circuit Court at 859-292-6521. For probate records, routine probate starts in District Court and contested probate can move to Circuit Court, but both record paths still use the Circuit Court Clerk for filings and court copies.
- Identify the Kenton case number, party names, and court division from KYeCourts, CourtNet, the docket search, or a court notice.
- Decide which document is needed, such as a judgment, sentencing order, divorce decree, probate order, or traffic disposition.
- Call or visit the Circuit Court Clerk at the Justice Center to confirm public access, copy availability, and current fees.
- Provide payment and delivery details requested by the clerk.
- Review the certified copy before using it, especially if the record involves sealing, expungement, or a corrected order.
Kenton County Record Request Fields
When a formal court-record request is needed, the best request is narrow and fact based. The research did not identify a Kenton-only court copy form, so requesters should be ready to give the core fields the clerk needs to search the statewide court record and local file.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Strongly preferred | Use the number from the notice, citation, docket, KYeCourts, or CourtNet. |
| Party Names | Yes | Give full names and alternate spellings when known. |
| Court Division | Helpful | Circuit, District, Family, Business, probate, traffic, or criminal context narrows the search. |
| Document Type | Yes | Examples include judgment, decree, order, disposition, complaint, or probate appointment. |
| Copy Type | Yes | Say whether plain or certified copies are needed. |
Kenton County Court Clerk Fees
The research file did not expose a complete Kenton Circuit Court Clerk copy-fee schedule. It did note that KYeCourts displayed a notice that Circuit and District Court civil filing fees increase effective July 1, 2026 under Kentucky Supreme Court Orders 2026-15 and 2026-18. Current copy, certification, probate, and civil filing fees should be confirmed with the clerk before mailing or appearing.
| Fee Type | Research-Supported Handling |
|---|---|
| Certified court copies | Confirm current amount with the Circuit Court Clerk before request. |
| Civil and probate filing fees | Check the current Kentucky Supreme Court fee order and clerk guidance. |
| Traffic fines, fees, or costs | Use KYeCourts ePay when the case is payable online. |
| County Clerk marriage or land-record fees | Use the separate County Clerk fee schedule, not the court clerk. |
State and Federal Record Limits
The Circuit Court Clerk handles Kentucky state court case files for Kenton County. Federal records are separate. A federal criminal case, bankruptcy, federal civil lawsuit, habeas filing, or federal appeal is searched through the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Sixth Circuit, PACER, or other federal systems. Kentucky DOC records are also separate from Kenton court files and begin after state corrections custody or supervision is involved.
The same separation applies to jail records. The Kenton County Detention Center and JailTracker roster can show current custody, booking details, visible charges, bond, and release status when published by the facility. Those jail entries do not prove the final charge, plea, disposition, or sentence. A person checking the outcome of a criminal case should use KYeCourts, CourtNet, or the Circuit Court Clerk after checking the jail roster.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator is a federal custody source, not a Kenton Circuit Court Clerk record.
Federal custody records can help when a person is no longer in local or state custody, but they do not replace Kenton County court records.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is the federal appellate court for Kentucky federal cases.
Federal appellate records follow federal filing rules, while Kentucky appeals from Kenton trial courts follow Kentucky appellate procedure.