Jessamine County Circuit Court Overview
Kentucky has two trial-court levels: Circuit Court and District Court. Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction. Kentucky Court of Justice materials state that Circuit Court may hear all case types unless the General Assembly assigns exclusive jurisdiction elsewhere. The statewide court overview says Circuit Court hears civil matters involving more than $5,000, capital offenses and felonies, divorces, adoptions, termination of parental rights, real-property title disputes, contested probate matters, injunctions, writs, and appeals from District Court and administrative agencies.
Jessamine County is in the 13th Judicial Circuit. The KCOJ county page lists Hunter Daugherty as Chief Regional Circuit Judge for Circuit Court, 13th Judicial Circuit, Division 1, and Jeff Moss as Family Court Judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit, Division 2. The same page lists the local court complex at 107 N. Main St., Nicholasville, KY 40356, and Doug Fain as Circuit Court Clerk. Circuit phone numbers are 859-885-4531 and 859-887-1005.
The official Kentucky Circuit Court overview is the state source for Circuit Court jurisdiction.
Jessamine County Circuit Court Divisions
The primary trial-court table for Jessamine County includes Circuit Court and Family Court because Family Court is a Circuit Court division. District Court is listed for comparison because it handles the lower trial-court docket and sends some appeals to Circuit Court. All listed local state-court divisions use the Jessamine County Court Complex address from the Kentucky Court of Justice county page.
| Court or office | Local division | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jessamine Circuit Court | 13th Judicial Circuit, Division 1, Judge Hunter Daugherty | 107 N. Main St., Nicholasville, KY 40356 | 859-885-4531 / 859-887-1005 |
| Jessamine Family Court | 13th Judicial Circuit, Division 2, Judge Jeff Moss | 107 N. Main St., Nicholasville, KY 40356 | 859-885-4531 / 859-887-1005 |
| Jessamine District Court | 13th Judicial District, Division 1, Judge Bill Oliver | 107 N. Main St., Nicholasville, KY 40356 | 859-887-1005 |
| Jessamine District Court | 13th Judicial District, Division 2, Judge Janet C. Booth | 107 N. Main St., Nicholasville, KY 40356 | 859-887-1005 |
| Office of Circuit Court Clerk | Doug Fain | 107 N. Main St., Nicholasville, KY 40356 | 859-885-4531 / 859-887-1005 |
Circuit Court vs District Court
Jessamine County does not use a county court or justice-of-the-peace court for the state trial-court work described in the research map. Kentucky's split is Circuit Court and District Court. City police citation channels and municipal ordinance matters route through District Court, while Circuit Court handles the broader general-jurisdiction docket and appeals from District Court.
| Issue | Circuit Court | District Court | City citation channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil scope | Civil matters over District threshold and title-to-real-property disputes | Civil cases of $5,000 or less and small claims of $2,500 or less | Not a separate court for civil case files in the research |
| Criminal scope | Felonies and capital offenses | Misdemeanors, violations, ordinances, traffic, arraignments, and felony probable-cause hearings | Nicholasville or Wilmore citations generally route to District Court |
| Family matters | Family Court division handles dissolution, custody, support, adoption, and related cases | Domestic violence and juvenile matters can be in District Court | Not the court record custodian |
| Probate | Contested probate matters | Probate of wills and routine probate jurisdiction | Not applicable |
| Appeals | Receives District Court and some agency appeals | Appeals go to Circuit Court | Filed through state court path when a citation becomes a case |
Jessamine Circuit Case Flow
Circuit Court cases usually reach the court after filing, indictment, transfer, or appeal. A felony may start with District Court probable-cause proceedings and then move to Circuit Court after indictment or information. A divorce or high-value civil case starts with a petition or complaint filed through the Circuit Court Clerk. A District Court appeal moves up to Circuit Court for review under Kentucky procedure.
Felony flow: District preliminary stage › indictment or information › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil or family flow: complaint or petition › service › answer › motions and disclosures › hearing, settlement, or trial › judgment or decree › appeal.
Search Jessamine Circuit Court Records
Public Circuit Court records may be searched through KYeCourts Public Court Records as a guest when the case is available online. Registered users may use CourtNet 2.0 for broader criminal and civil case access. Hearing dates can be checked through the KCOJ docket portal, but that portal warns that it is not the official docket and must be verified against the court record.
Official copies, certified records, sealed-record questions, and older files go to the Circuit Court Clerk. KCOJ says older records may be in the clerk's office, at a record facility, or destroyed under retention schedules. If a file is at the State Records Center, the clerk must provide case and file locator numbers.
Circuit Court vs Federal Court
Jessamine County Circuit Court is a Kentucky state court. Federal cases are separate. Jessamine County is in the Eastern District of Kentucky for federal district court and federal bankruptcy court access. Federal-court sources help show what is not part of the local Circuit Court record path.
The PACER Eastern District of Kentucky lookup is a federal court access route.
Use PACER only for federal district cases, not for Jessamine County Circuit Court felony, divorce, family, or civil files.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky is also separate from Jessamine County Circuit Court.
Bankruptcy filings should not be requested from the Circuit Court Clerk because they are federal bankruptcy court records.
The PACER Eastern Bankruptcy Court lookup is the federal bankruptcy case route.
That distinction keeps state Circuit Court searches from being confused with federal bankruptcy document access.
The U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Kentucky district page describes the federal prosecution district.
County felonies stay in Kentucky Circuit Court unless the United States prosecutes a separate federal offense.
Restricted Jessamine Circuit Records
Circuit Court records are public only when no statute, rule, or court order limits access. Research for Jessamine County highlights juvenile confidentiality under KRS 610.340, expungement rules under KRS 431.079, and a restricted AOC index of expungement orders under KRS 431.074. Adoption files, protected family information, mental-health material, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and sealed images may also be restricted.
When online tools do not display a case, it may be sealed, restricted, too old for public online access, off-site, or outside the state court system. The Circuit Court Clerk is the correct source for eligibility, copy, and file-location questions.
Jessamine Circuit Court Location
The Jessamine County Court Complex is at 107 N. Main St., Nicholasville, KY 40356. KCOJ lists parking in the lot behind the building and two-hour parking on Main Street. Designated parking for drivers with disability parking permits is in front of the building, and accessibility notes also mention designated parking in front of and behind the building. The official page did not publish a county-specific security-entry list or public transit route.
KCOJ announced in December 2025 that Jessamine would break ground for a new judicial center. Because that project may affect future location, access, or parking details, verify current office placement with the Circuit Court Clerk before relying on older directions.