Scott County Circuit Court Overview
Kentucky Circuit Court is the state's court of general jurisdiction. In Scott County, it sits at the Scott County Justice Center in Georgetown and is part of the 14th Judicial Circuit. Circuit Court hears capital offenses and felonies, civil matters over $5,000, divorces, adoptions, termination of parental rights, land-title disputes, contested probate matters, injunctions, writs, and appeals from District Court or administrative agencies.
Scott County Family Court is a division of Circuit Court. It handles domestic relations, child support, visitation, paternity, domestic violence, dependency, neglect, abuse, status matters, and related family cases. The Office of Circuit Court Clerk, led by Tina M. Foster according to the Kentucky Court of Justice county page, manages local Circuit, Family, and District Court case records from the Justice Center.
Scott County Circuit Court Divisions
The official Scott County court page lists Circuit, Family, District, and appellate officials connected to the county. All local Circuit, Family, and District Court records route through the same Justice Center address and main court phone number, so a records user should identify the division but still start with the same local clerk counter for copies.
| Court or division | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14th Judicial Circuit, Division 1, Jeremy M. Mattox | Circuit Court, Chief Circuit Judge | 119 N. Hamilton St., Georgetown, KY 40324 | 502-863-0474 |
| 14th Judicial Circuit, Division 2, Kathryn H. Gabhart | Circuit Court | 119 N. Hamilton St., Georgetown, KY 40324 | 502-863-0474 |
| 14th Judicial Circuit, Division 3, Lisa H. Morgan | Family Court | 119 N. Hamilton St., Georgetown, KY 40324 | 502-863-0474 |
| 14th Judicial Circuit, Division 4, William J. Fooks | Family Court | 119 N. Hamilton St., Georgetown, KY 40324 | 502-863-0474 |
| 14th Judicial District, Division 1, Bolton Bevins | District Court | 119 N. Hamilton St., Georgetown, KY 40324 | 502-863-0474 |
| 14th Judicial District, Division 2, Sarah Hays Spedding | District Court | 119 N. Hamilton St., Georgetown, KY 40324 | 502-863-0474 |
Circuit Court vs District Court
The key Scott County court-record distinction is not between county court and justice court. Kentucky uses Circuit Court and District Court in a unified state system. Circuit Court handles higher-level trial work and appeals from District Court. District Court handles limited civil, traffic, misdemeanor, small-claims, juvenile, probate-of-will, and preliminary felony proceedings. Family Court is a Circuit Court division.
| Issue | Circuit Court | Family Court division | District Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil limit | Civil matters over $5,000 and real-property title disputes | Domestic and family matters assigned to Family Court | Civil cases up to $5,000 and small claims up to $2,500 |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felonies and capital offenses | Not a general criminal trial division | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic, arraignments, and felony probable-cause hearings |
| Family cases | Adoptions and termination of parental rights through Circuit/Family Court | Divorce, child support, custody, paternity, and domestic violence | Some domestic violence and juvenile matters under District Court jurisdiction |
| Probate role | Contested probate matters | Not the routine probate venue | Probate of wills and related District Court probate functions |
Scott County Case Flow
Many Scott County court records show movement between court levels. A felony may begin in District Court for arraignment or probable cause, then move to Circuit Court after indictment or information. A traffic or misdemeanor case may stay in District Court unless appealed or linked to a higher-level matter. A divorce starts in Circuit or Family Court rather than District Court.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › District Court arraignment or probable-cause hearing › indictment or information for felony cases › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil and family flow: Petition or complaint filed › service and answer › motions or conferences › hearing or trial › order or judgment › post-judgment motions or appeal.
That flow matters when searching because a person may find early docket entries in District Court and later felony entries in Circuit Court. Search by case number when available, and confirm with the Circuit Court Clerk when a case appears to have changed court level.
Scott County Circuit Record Types
Scott County Circuit Court records can include felony indictments, informations, bond orders, plea entries, motion orders, trial settings, jury verdicts, sentencing orders, probation conditions, civil complaints, judgments, injunctions, appeals, divorce decrees, adoption files, and contested probate filings. Some of those records are public. Others, such as adoption files, juvenile details, protected addresses, sealed matters, and expunged charges, are restricted.
Family Court records require extra care. Divorce case dockets and final decrees may be accessible through public court channels, but child-related filings, domestic violence details, dependency and neglect matters, adoption records, and protected personal information may be withheld or redacted. A public online summary should not be treated as the complete case file.
Search Scott County Circuit Cases
Public Circuit Court case information is searched through KYeCourts Public Court Records guest access. The guest path requires a public-records acknowledgement, then provides statewide public case information. For copies, certified records, older files, and questions about sealed material, contact the Office of Circuit Court Clerk at the Justice Center.
- Start with KYeCourts guest access and enter the public search after the acknowledgement.
- Use the case number when known. If not, search by party name and narrow to Scott County where possible.
- Review the court level, division, filing date, docket entries, and disposition fields.
- Call the Circuit Court Clerk at 502-863-0474 for copies or if the case record points to off-site storage.
- For older records in the State Records Center, obtain case and file locator numbers from the local clerk first.
Kentucky Court of Justice record-request guidance states that the State Records Center cannot search by name or Social Security number.
Federal Courts Near Scott County
Scott County is in the federal Eastern District of Kentucky. Federal criminal cases, federal civil cases, bankruptcy matters, and federal appeals are not Scott County Circuit Court records. The official U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky has offices in several Kentucky cities, and federal dockets use PACER and federal CM/ECF rather than KYeCourts.
Use federal sources only for federal cases: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and PACER. CourtListener can be useful for opinions or some docket data, but it is not the official filing system.
Scott County Circuit Access Limits
Kentucky open-records law provides public access to many records, but court records have court-specific access rules and legal restrictions. Juvenile records are restricted under KRS 610.320 and KRS 610.340. Expunged records are removed from ordinary public access under Kentucky expungement law. Adoption, mental-health, medical, financial-account, minor, protected-address, and victim-sensitive material may be sealed, redacted, or withheld.
Note: If a case appears missing from public search, it may be sealed, restricted, old, misindexed, or stored off site.