Search Lee County Court Records
Lee County court records are searched through three main official channels. KYeCourts guest access provides free public case-information lookup where the case is available online. Kentucky ePay is the payment and lookup path for many fines, fees, court costs, and traffic citations. The Office of Circuit Court Clerk in Lee County remains the source for copies, certified records, older files, payment questions, and records that do not appear in an online search.
The KYeCourts guest login page is the public entry point for statewide case access.
That portal is useful for case status and party searches, while certified Lee County court records still come from the clerk that holds the file.
- Start with KYeCourts guest access for public case information across Kentucky trial courts.
- Use ePay when the Lee County court record involves a payable fine, cost, fee, or traffic citation.
- Search ePay by case number, citation year and control number, or party name and birth date.
- Call or visit the Lee County Circuit Court Clerk if the online record is missing, incomplete, sealed, or old.
- Ask the clerk for certified copies, file-location details, or offsite record steps if the file has moved.
Lee County Court System
Kentucky uses a unified court system. Lee County is in the 23rd Judicial Circuit and the 23rd Judicial District. Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court for felonies, higher civil matters, divorce, adoption, title disputes, contested probate, injunctions, writs, and appeals from District Court. District Court handles traffic, misdemeanors, violations, small claims, limited civil matters, probate of wills, juvenile matters, felony arraignments, probable-cause hearings, mental-health proceedings, and domestic-violence matters.
The Kentucky Court of Justice court-structure page explains the statewide court hierarchy that applies to Lee County cases.
That structure matters because one Lee County court record can start in District Court, move to Circuit Court, and then go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals if appealed.
| Court Level | Lee County Role | Common Records |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General trial court in the 23rd Judicial Circuit | Felony, divorce, adoption, civil over $5,000, contested probate, appeals |
| District Court | Limited trial court in the 23rd Judicial District | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, probate of wills, juvenile, preliminary felony steps |
| Circuit Court Clerk | Local case-record custodian | Case files, docket access, fines, copy requests, certified court records |
| County Clerk | Separate county records office | Marriage licenses, recorded instruments, motor-vehicle services, elections |
Lee County Courthouse Records
Lee County court business is centered at the Lee County Courthouse in Beattyville. The Kentucky Court of Justice lists the Office of Circuit Court Clerk on the second floor, with Tyler Phillips as Circuit Court Clerk. The same courthouse also anchors local county services, but the Circuit Court Clerk and County Clerk have different record duties. Court case files, court dockets, fines, and District Court probate questions go through the Circuit Court Clerk. Marriage licenses and county clerk records go through County Clerk Kim Noe in Room 11.
The KCOJ Lee County court page is the official source for the courthouse, judges, clerk, hours, parking, payments, and court-record request guidance.
The courthouse image and page details tie the online record paths back to the local public counter in Beattyville.
Office of Circuit Court Clerk
Lee County Courthouse, 2nd Floor
256 Main St., P.O. Box E
Beattyville, KY 41311
606-464-8400
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Lee County Clerk
256 Main Street, Room 11
P.O. Box 556
Beattyville, KY 41311-0556
606-464-4115
Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:00
Lee County Sheriff
Courthouse, 256 Main St.
P.O. Box P
Beattyville, KY 41311
606-464-4120
Sheriff Joseph C. Lucas
Lee County Court Record Types
Lee County court records vary by court level and subject. Civil court records may include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, liens, and satisfaction entries. Criminal court records may include citations, complaints, indictments, bond orders, pleas, motions, judgments, sentences, and dispositions. Traffic matters are District Court records unless the citation is tied to a more serious criminal charge.
Family and estate records follow different routes. Divorce is a Circuit Court case, while marriage licenses are county clerk records. Probate is split by posture: District Court handles routine probate of wills and uncontested probate steps, while Circuit Court handles contested probate matters. Adoption records are Circuit Court files but have strict access limits under Kentucky law.
- Criminal records track charges, pleas, hearings, dispositions, and sentences.
- Civil records track claims, motions, orders, judgments, liens, and collections.
- Family and divorce records sit mainly in Circuit Court, with certificates handled by the state.
- Probate records may involve District Court for wills or Circuit Court for contested estates.
- Traffic records include citations, court dates, payment status, pleas, and dispositions.
Lee County Court Record Fields
KCOJ defines court case records as the official documentation of a proceeding or case. Those files can include criminal citations, pleadings, motions, orders, evidence, reports, dockets, video recordings, and transcripts. AOC criminal record reports are narrower and are not the official court file. They show state court activity on file across Kentucky and include county of origin, case number, original charge, amendments, disposition, charge date, disposition date, and local memos when entered by the clerk.
The KCOJ request court records page directs case-record requests to the clerk of the court that handled the case.
For Lee County, that means online search can locate a case, but the Circuit Court Clerk is the practical source for copies and file questions.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | The unique court identifier used for search, payment, and copy requests. |
| Court level | Whether the matter is in Lee County Circuit Court or District Court. |
| Party names | Plaintiff and defendant, petitioner and respondent, or Commonwealth and defendant. |
| Charge or claim | The criminal charge, traffic citation, civil claim, probate matter, or family case type. |
| Docket entries | Hearings, motions, orders, continuances, judgments, sentencing, and payment entries. |
| Disposition | The outcome, such as dismissed, amended, guilty, acquitted, transferred, paid, or closed. |
Lee County Court Access Laws
Kentucky's Open Records Act supports public inspection of many public records, but court case access also depends on court rules, confidentiality statutes, and the clerk that holds the case. For ordinary Lee County court records, KCOJ says requests start with the Circuit Court Clerk rather than the Administrative Office of the Courts. If the requested record belongs to the sheriff, jailer, county clerk, or another local agency, the request goes to that agency's official custodian.
The Kentucky open-records policy in KRS 61.871 favors free and open examination, while KRS 61.872 allows requests by hand delivery, mail, fax, or email. KRS 61.878 lists exemptions, and KRS 61.880 sets response duties and Attorney General review for denials.
Key access rules:
KRS 61.871 states Kentucky's public-record policy in favor of open inspection.
KRS 61.872 covers request methods and inspection rights for public records.
KRS 61.878 protects exempt data, including records made confidential by statute or court order.
KRS 17.150 limits some law-enforcement records and centralized criminal-history access.
Restricted Lee County Court Records
Not every Lee County court record is open for routine inspection. Juvenile matters are restricted, and AOC criminal record reports exclude juvenile cases. Domestic violence matters and mental-health proceedings are also excluded from AOC background reports. Adoption records are Circuit Court records, but inspection is controlled by KRS 199.572 and related court procedures. Sealed cases, expunged cases, and records with private financial or identity data may be withheld or redacted.
Expungement is a court process, not a copy request. KRS 431.073 covers eligible felony expungement, including a $50 nonrefundable application filing fee and a $250 expungement fee if granted. KRS 431.079 defines expungement as removal or deletion from court and agency systems so the matter does not appear on official state background checks. After a valid expungement, agencies generally answer that no record exists.
Lee County Court Programs
Kentucky specialty-court and court-program sources are statewide, not separate Lee County courts. KCOJ highlights Behavioral Health Liaisons, who connect people with mental illness, substance-use disorders, and developmental disabilities to care and support. KCOJ also describes the Behavioral Health Conditional Dismissal Program as a statewide program for eligible cases where behavioral-health or substance-use issues contributed to criminal conduct.
The Kentucky local rules search page is the statewide entry point for court rules and local practice resources.
Lee County defendants should confirm any available 23rd Judicial Circuit treatment-court or diversion option through counsel, the court, or the Circuit Court Clerk rather than assume a program applies.
Lee County Sheriff Records
Lee County law-enforcement and custody records are separate from court case files. The sheriff is Joseph C. Lucas. The Lee County Sheriff is listed at the courthouse, 256 Main St., and the county elected-officials page lists P.O. Box P, phone 606-464-4120, fax 606-464-4140, and email Joseph.Lucas@ky.gov. The jailer is Justin Shuler, with phone 606-567-0045. Three Forks Regional Jail serves Lee County, and official jail pages were located, though several were blocked during research.
The Lee County elected-officials directory lists the circuit clerk, county clerk, sheriff, jailer, and county attorney in one local source.
Those contacts help separate court-record questions from sheriff, jail, county attorney, and county-clerk records.
For custody searches, use the Three Forks current-inmate URL if available, call the jail at 606-464-2598, use KOOL for sentenced Kentucky Department of Corrections offenders, and use VINELink for custody notifications. No official Lee County Sheriff or Beattyville Police mobile app with an app-only inmate or warrant search was found.
Lee County Probate Records
Marriage licenses are issued by the Lee County Clerk, while divorce case files are Circuit Court records. Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics certificates cover marriage and divorce records from June 1958 forward, with a $6 search fee per certificate. The local distinction is important: a divorce decree comes from the Circuit Court Clerk, but a state-certified divorce certificate comes from OVS.
Probate is split between courts. District Court handles probate of wills and uncontested probate steps. Circuit Court handles contested probate matters. The same Lee County Circuit Court Clerk serves both local court levels for public record questions, copy requests, and older file routing.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The fiduciary named to manage an estate under a will.
- Administrator
- The fiduciary appointed when there is no qualifying executor.
- Contested probate
- A dispute over a will, estate, fiduciary, or related order.
Lee County Court Fees
Lee County court payment options listed by KCOJ include cash, check, money order, and credit or debit cards with a fee. No personal checks are accepted for fines. KYeCourts and ePay also reference online payments and CashPayToday retail cash payments for eligible court balances. Fee amounts can change, and KCOJ announced civil filing-fee increases effective July 1, 2026 under Supreme Court Administrative Orders 2026-15 and 2026-18.
The Kentucky ePay search interface lets users search Lee County payment-eligible cases and citations.
ePay is a payment and citation-search tool, not a substitute for the complete Lee County court record held by the clerk.
| Item | Documented Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Court fine payment at courthouse | Cash, check, money order, credit or debit card with fee |
| Personal checks for fines | Not accepted |
| Marriage or divorce certificate from OVS | $6 search fee per certificate |
| Kentucky online three-year driver history | $3 record fee plus $3 electronic access fee |
| Felony expungement application | $50 nonrefundable filing fee, with additional fee if granted |
Read Lee County Court Records
Common Lee County court-record terms describe the stage and result of a case. A plaintiff starts a civil case. A defendant is sued or charged. The Commonwealth is the prosecuting party in Kentucky criminal cases. A motion asks the judge to take action. An order is the judge's directive. A docket is the court event log, while a disposition is the current or final result of a charge or case.
An AOC background-check report is not the same as the official file. It can show charge data and disposition data, but it states that it is not an official court record. The official Lee County court record remains with the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was filed.
The AOC criminal record report page explains FastCheck reports, report contents, exclusions, and request methods.
That distinction helps prevent confusion between a statewide criminal report and a certified Lee County court file.
Lee County Record Limits
Online results may lag behind the clerk's file, and some older Lee County court records may be stored offsite, retained at the clerk's office, held by a record facility, or destroyed under retention schedules. If a file is at the State Records Center, the clerk can provide case and file locator numbers for a records-center request. Appellate records are not requested from the Lee County Circuit Court Clerk; Court of Appeals and Supreme Court records use appellate clerk contacts and C-Track public access.
Note: Confirm Lee County hearing dates, warrants, payment status, and certified-copy needs with the originating court office.
Lee County Court Access
KCOJ says auxiliary aids and services may be provided on request, including assisted listening devices, American Sign Language interpreters, oral interpreters, CART, large print, Braille, electronic documents, audiotapes, and reader services. Requests should be made to the circuit clerk, presiding judge, or relevant KCOJ office as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours before the event if possible. Service animals are welcomed in KCOJ offices.
The KCOJ ADA policies page explains statewide court accessibility and interpreter guidance.
For Lee County court visits, accessibility questions should be raised with the clerk or presiding court before the scheduled hearing.
Lee County Service Contacts
Lee County's small-county access pattern makes phone and counter requests important. The county service directory lists Lee County Fiscal Court, the Lee County Court Clerk, Beattyville City Hall, Beattyville Police Department, the sheriff, the public library, and other local offices. Many records use statewide systems, but local staff often provide the fastest way to confirm where a record is held.
The Lee County services directory lists courthouse and local-service contacts for Beattyville and Lee County.
Use that directory to distinguish court, sheriff, police, county clerk, fiscal court, and local service questions before making a record request.
Lee County Court History
Lee County was established as Kentucky's 115th county on March 1, 1870, from parts of Breathitt, Estill, Owsley, and Wolfe Counties. Modern Lee County court records sit inside Kentucky's unified court system, which was created by the Judicial Article passed in 1975 and effective in 1976. Before that reform, Kentucky had more than 300 local courts with overlapping duties.
The result is a local-state blend. Lee County case files are maintained locally by an elected Circuit Court Clerk, but statewide KCOJ rules, retention schedules, public-access systems, and AOC technology shape the way records are searched and requested.
Lee County Court Questions
Where do Lee County court records come from? Circuit Court and District Court case files come from the Office of Circuit Court Clerk. Marriage licenses and recorded instruments are County Clerk records, and jail custody data comes from Three Forks Regional Jail or statewide custody systems.
Can Lee County court records be searched online? Many public case records can be searched through KYeCourts guest access, and payment-eligible cases or citations can be searched through ePay. Missing, certified, restricted, or older records require clerk contact.
Which Lee County court handles felonies? Felonies may begin in District Court for arraignment or probable-cause steps, then move to Circuit Court after indictment or other felony filing.
Are all Lee County court records public? No. Juvenile, adoption, mental-health, domestic-violence, sealed, expunged, and some law-enforcement records are restricted or redacted by law or court order.