View Bourbon County Circuit Court

Bourbon County Circuit Court Records

Kentucky uses a unified Court of Justice. Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction and may hear case types unless the General Assembly has assigned exclusive jurisdiction elsewhere. Bourbon County is in the 14th Judicial Circuit with Scott and Woodford counties. The Kentucky Court of Justice Bourbon County page lists the Bourbon County Judicial Center at 310 Main Street, Paris, Kentucky 40361, and the Office of Circuit Court Clerk as the local court-record contact.

The Kentucky Circuit Court overview is the statewide source for Circuit Court's general-jurisdiction role.

The statewide overview supports the Bourbon County page name because the resolved Kentucky trial-court page is Circuit Court, not District Court.

Bourbon County Court Structure

For Bourbon County records, the court relationship is practical. Circuit Court handles general-jurisdiction matters. Family Court is a division of Circuit Court for family and juvenile-related case types in counties that have it, and Bourbon County has Family Court divisions listed by KCOJ. District Court is limited jurisdiction and handles misdemeanors, traffic offenses, probate of wills, small claims, juvenile matters, city and county ordinances, domestic violence matters, felony preliminary hearings, and civil cases within statutory limits.

The Kentucky Family Court overview is assigned in the old district-court manifest and applies here because Bourbon County Family Court is part of the Circuit Court structure.

Family Court records are still local court records, but access runs through the same Bourbon County Circuit Court Clerk office.

Bourbon County Court Divisions

The Kentucky Court of Justice Bourbon County page gives a detailed division list. The table below keeps Circuit, Family, District, and the clerk office together because a record seeker may see any of these names on a docket, notice, or case file. All listed court divisions use the Bourbon County Judicial Center address and the Circuit Court Clerk phone for local case-record contact.

Bourbon County Court Schedules

Bourbon County schedules are unusually specific in the research. Circuit Division I civil matters are second Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., with criminal at 1 p.m. Circuit Division II civil matters are first Tuesday at 9 a.m., with criminal at 1 p.m. Family Division III includes DNA first Tuesday at 9 a.m., domestic violence first and second Tuesday at 2 p.m., domestic relations motion hour first and second Tuesday at 1 p.m., status second Tuesday at 11 a.m., and child support second Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.

Family Division IV lists DNA as call clerk; domestic relations third and fourth Tuesday at 1 p.m.; domestic violence third and fourth Tuesday at 2 p.m.; child support fourth Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.; and child-support notes for 9 a.m. and 11:05 a.m. District Court includes name change, minor guardianship, and forcible detainer second and fourth Tuesday at 9 a.m.; juvenile criminal second and fourth Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.; and small claims, district civil, and probate second Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Note: KCOJ states weather closures and local scheduling changes are determined locally by the chief circuit judge with the chief district judge and circuit court clerk.

Bourbon County Case Movement

How a case moves depends on its type. A felony may start with an arrest, citation, or complaint in District Court, then move through probable cause, grand jury, indictment, arraignment, pretrial, plea or trial, sentencing, and appeal. A civil Circuit Court case starts with a complaint or petition, then service, answer, motions, discovery, hearing, judgment, and appeal if filed. A District Court traffic or misdemeanor matter may stay in District Court unless appeal or transfer rules apply.

Criminal flow: arrest or citation › first appearance › preliminary stage › indictment or transfer › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.

Civil flow: complaint or petition › service › answer › motions › hearing or trial › judgment › post-judgment action › appeal.

Probate flow: petition or will filing › District Court probate docket › order or appointment › certified copies › County Clerk recording when required.

Bourbon County Local Rules

The 14th Judicial Circuit local rules apply to Bourbon, Scott, and Woodford counties and to the general circuit divisions, Division One and Division Two. The research states cases are assigned at random under Supreme Court Rule 1.040. Because Circuit Court is general jurisdiction, each judge hears both criminal and civil matters. That helps explain why Bourbon County Circuit Court pages should not be split into a purely civil or purely criminal court profile.

The local rules also identify Bourbon County jury sessions in January, May, and September, with Division One and Division Two alternating specific jury-session months by odd and even years. A record seeker using docket information may see heavier trial activity around those jury-session months. For a hearing date, use the KCOJ docket search and verify with the Circuit Court Clerk because docket information can change.

Bourbon County Circuit Case Access

Online access starts with KYeCourts public records guest access, CourtNet for login case search, and KCOJ docket search for court dates. Certified copies and full local file questions go to the Circuit Court Clerk. Older stored records may require clerk-provided case and file locator numbers before the state records center can process the request. County Clerk tools such as eCCLIX should not be used for Circuit Court case files.