Search Butler County Court Records
Butler County court record access starts with the Kentucky Court of Justice and the Butler County Circuit Court Clerk. The public docket generator is best for court dates. KYeCourts and CourtNet are the broader online case tools for civil and criminal case information, but full use requires a registered login. Certified copies, full file review, and questions about where an older case is stored still go through the Circuit Court Clerk.
The Kentucky Court of Justice Butler County page identifies the local clerk office and courthouse access point. The KCOJ court-record request instructions also make one point clear: trial court case records are requested from the clerk of the court that heard the case.
- Decide whether the record is Circuit, Family, or District Court. Butler County is in the 38th Judicial Circuit and 38th Judicial District.
- For a court date, open the Kentucky trial-court docket generator, choose Butler County, select Circuit or District, and enter the date.
- For broader online case access, use KYeCourts with the search type that matches the known information.
- For copies or certification, call or visit Circuit Court Clerk Melissa Cardwell at the Morgantown courthouse.
- If the clerk says the file is archived, use the case and file locator numbers to request the file through the state records route.
The docket search is a useful lead, not the official court file. Butler County readers should confirm hearing dates and copy availability with the clerk before relying on an online entry.
| Search tool | Best use | Key fields |
|---|---|---|
| KCOJ docket generator | Public court-date checks | County, division, date, courtroom, subdivision |
| KYeCourts / CourtNet | Account-gated civil and criminal case access | Party, case, citation, or business search |
| ePay | Case or citation payment lookup | Case number, party, business, or citation details |
| Circuit Court Clerk | Certified copies and file location | Case number, party names, court, date range |
Butler County Court Offices
Current Butler County court services are centered at the Butler County Courthouse in downtown Morgantown. The courthouse is the practical access point for filings, court-record copy requests, jury questions, fines, bonds, court scheduling, and local hearings. The Circuit Court Clerk, County Clerk, Sheriff, County Attorney, Jailer, and other public offices all use the same Main Street civic cluster or nearby courthouse mailing addresses.
The local Circuit Court Clerk page lists local court dates and warns users to verify court date and time with the office. Circuit Civil matters are listed for the second Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., Circuit Criminal matters for the second Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., District Court for the first and third Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., and Family Court for the first and third Wednesday.
The KCOJ Butler County page includes the courthouse listing used for court access.
For local clerk office details, the Butler County Circuit Court Clerk page gives the county-specific schedule, staff, email, and payment notes.
Office of Circuit Court Clerk
110 North Main Street, P.O. Box 625
Morgantown, KY 42261
270-526-5631
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Butler County Sheriff
110 North Main Street, P.O. Box 100
Morgantown, KY 42261
270-526-3676
Located on the first floor of the courthouse.
Butler County Clerk
110 North Main Street, P.O. Box 449
Morgantown, KY 42261
270-526-5676
County records, marriage licenses, elections, vehicles, and tax records.
Butler County Court Structure
Kentucky uses a unified state court system. At the trial level, Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction court, District Court handles limited-jurisdiction matters, and Family Court functions as a division of Circuit Court where assigned. Butler County belongs to the 38th Judicial Circuit and the 38th Judicial District. Appeals from District Court go to Circuit Court, and most Circuit Court appeals go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
Current judicial officers tied to Butler County include Chief Circuit Judge Timothy R. Coleman for Circuit Court Division 1, Judge Benjamin D. McKown for Family Court Division 2, and District Judges Gregory Vincent and Daniel Boling for the 38th Judicial District divisions. Circuit Court Clerk Melissa Cardwell is the local custodian for Circuit, Family, and District Court records.
| Court | Role in Butler County | Common records |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General-jurisdiction trial court | Felony, larger civil, appeals from District Court |
| Family Court | Circuit Court division for family matters | Divorce, custody, support, paternity, adoption |
| District Court | Limited-jurisdiction trial court | Traffic, misdemeanors, probate, small claims, juvenile, mental-health matters |
| Kentucky Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate court | Appeal records from trial courts where appeal is allowed |
Case path: District Court case or hearing › Circuit Court appeal or felony case › Kentucky Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of Kentucky when review is available.
Butler County Court Record Types
Butler County court records include civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, juvenile, and protective-order matters. Civil records may be in District Court or Circuit Court depending on the amount and subject. Criminal records are split between misdemeanors, violations, traffic, preliminary felony steps in District Court, and felony proceedings in Circuit Court. Divorce records are court records, while marriage licenses are County Clerk records.
Probate is a good example of why office choice matters. District Court handles probate of wills in Kentucky, but the court file is requested through the Circuit Court Clerk. The County Clerk may receive or index related county records, but the County Clerk is not the sole custodian of the District Court probate file.
- Civil records: complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, and appeal notices.
- Criminal records: complaints, indictments, bond orders, arraignment entries, motions, pleas, dispositions, and sentencing orders.
- Family records: divorce, custody, support, paternity, adoption, and domestic-family matters, with restrictions for sensitive material.
- Probate records: wills, estate petitions, fiduciary appointments, inventories, settlements, guardianships, and name changes.
- Traffic records: citations, court dates, dispositions, fines, costs, payment status, and failure-to-appear court action.
Butler County Court Record Fields
Kentucky online tools and clerk procedures use a mix of party, case, citation, and docket fields. A search by case number needs the county of origin. A citation search uses the citation year, control number, and type. A party search may use names, date of birth, driver's license number where available, or an event date range. Public pages should not treat sensitive identifiers as ordinary public display fields.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Case number | The court's tracking number, used for KYeCourts case search and archived-record requests. |
| County of origin | The county where the case was filed or heard, such as Butler County. |
| Division | Circuit, District, or a related division such as Family Court. |
| Party names | Names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, or criminal defendants. |
| Citation details | Year, control number, and type for traffic and citation searches. |
| Disposition | The outcome of a case or charge, such as dismissed, guilty, amended, or disposed. |
Butler County Court Access Rules
Public access depends on the record type and the custodian. Kentucky's Open Records Act applies to many public agency records, but court case records follow Kentucky Court of Justice procedures. The practical rule is simple: request Circuit, Family, and District Court case records from the clerk of the court that handled the case. In Butler County, that points to the Circuit Court Clerk for trial court records.
Key authorities:
KRS Chapter 61 governs Kentucky public-records access, exemptions, copying, and denial procedures.
KRS 61.870 defines public records and other terms used in open-records law.
KRS Chapter 610 governs juvenile court records and juvenile docket disclosure limits.
KRS 431.073 covers eligible felony conviction expungement and related fees.
Restricted categories include juvenile files, adoption records, sealed or expunged criminal records, some domestic-violence material, mental-health proceedings, confidential addresses, financial identifiers, and records protected by a court order. KCOJ's expungement certification process is the starting point for many Kentucky adult criminal expungement petitions.
Butler County Sheriff and Jail Records
Sheriff Scottie Ward's office is listed at the courthouse address and is the county law-enforcement contact for sheriff matters. Jailer Wayne Russ is the county jail contact. The online Butler KY jail roster is vendor-hosted and shows currently booked inmates. It is separate from Kentucky Department of Corrections KOOL, which covers sentenced state offenders and supervision records.
The Butler County Sheriff page gives the local sheriff office contact.
The Butler County Jailer page lists the jail contact and local program opportunities.
Booking records, warrants, and criminal case records are related but not identical. A current custody listing may show a person in jail before the final court charge or conviction appears in the court record. For the full custody lookup path, use the Butler County inmate records page.
Butler County Marriage and Probate
The County Clerk issues Butler County marriage licenses and certified marriage copies. Both applicants must appear together for a license, bring acceptable identification, and use the Kentucky license within Kentucky during the valid period. Divorce records are different. Divorce case files are Family Court and Circuit Court records, so copy requests go through the Circuit Court Clerk.
Probate in Butler County is handled through District Court jurisdiction. The court file may include the petition, will, appointment order, inventory, settlement, creditor notices, guardianship reports, and name-change orders. For practical filing and copy questions, start with the Circuit Court Clerk and use Kentucky Court of Justice probate forms and instructions when needed.
| Record | Primary office | Local point |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | Butler County Clerk | County Clerk Sherry Johnson |
| Certified marriage copy | Butler County Clerk | Mail or in-person copy request |
| Divorce file | Circuit Court Clerk | Family Court record access |
| Probate case | Circuit Court Clerk / District Court | District Court probate jurisdiction |
Butler County Traffic and Warrants
Traffic cases are District Court matters in Butler County. Citation lookup may use ePay, KYeCourts, the docket generator, and clerk verification. The court traffic record is not the same as a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet driver history record. A court file shows citation, plea, disposition, fines, costs, payment status, and court action. A driver history record shows licensing and conviction information for driving purposes.
No official Butler County Kentucky active-warrant list was located in the research. The safest Butler County warrant search path is a fallback chain: check court dates and case status through KCOJ tools, call the Circuit Court Clerk for court-related bench-warrant context, contact the Sheriff or Jail for custody questions, and use VINE for custody or case notifications where available.
The Kentucky docket generator is one public route for dates and court events.
Butler County Online Court Tools
Kentucky's online tools serve different tasks. KYeCourts is account-gated and supports civil and criminal case access. The help material describes party, case, citation, and business searches. ePay supports case-number, party/business, and citation payment search. The public docket generator is free but date-driven and expressly subject to change.
The KYeCourts login screen is the official sign-in path for CourtNet, eFiling, and ePay access.
KCOJ's request court records page explains the copy request and archived-record path.
Butler County Court Record Costs
Official Butler County research did not locate a local court-copy fee schedule for plain or certified court copies. Court payment options at the court office include cash, check, money order, and credit-card payments in office, with online ePay available for eligible matters. Marriage license and certified marriage copy fees are published by the County Clerk and should not be treated as court-copy fees.
| Item | Published amount or status |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $60.00 through the Butler County Clerk |
| Certified marriage copy by mail | $6.00 through the Butler County Clerk |
| Certified marriage copy in person | $5.00 through the Butler County Clerk |
| AOC expungement certification | $40.00 for mail request to AOC |
| Court copy or certified court copy | Fee not located in official Butler County sources; call the Circuit Court Clerk |
Butler County Court History
Butler County was formed on January 18, 1810 from parts of Logan and Ohio counties and was named for Revolutionary War soldier Gen. Richard Butler. Morgantown, the county seat, was founded in 1813. Modern Butler County courts are part of Kentucky's unified Court of Justice, created after the 1975 judicial article reform.
A major current court-building fact is the new Butler County Judicial Center project. KCOJ says the project was authorized by the General Assembly, is in Phase C Design, and is expected to be completed in 2028. It is planned as a two-story building for all Butler County court services, including Circuit Court, District Court, the Circuit Court Clerk, and statewide programs.
The Butler County Judicial Center project page is the official source for the planned court-services building.
Butler County Court Records FAQ
Where are Butler County court records kept?
Circuit, Family, and District Court records are kept through the Butler County Circuit Court Clerk. County records such as marriage licenses, deeds, liens, elections, and vehicle services are handled by the separate Butler County Clerk.
Can I search Butler County dockets online?
Yes. The Kentucky trial-court docket generator can show public docket information by county, division, and date. It is marked as not the official docket, so confirm dates with the clerk.
Is there a Butler County online warrant list?
No official Butler County Kentucky active-warrant list was located in the research. Use the Circuit Court Clerk, Sheriff, Jail, KCOJ case tools, and VINE depending on whether the issue is court date, custody, or notification related.
Who handles Butler County divorce records?
Divorce records are Family Court and Circuit Court records. Requests for copies or full file access start with the Butler County Circuit Court Clerk, not the County Clerk.