Locate Letcher County Court Clerk Records

Letcher Circuit Court Clerk

The Kentucky Court of Justice Letcher County page lists Mike Watts as Circuit Court Clerk. The office is at the Letcher County Courthouse, 156 Main St. Suite 201, Whitesburg, KY 41858. The phone numbers are 606-633-7559 and 606-633-1048, with fax 606-633-5864. KYCourts lists court-office hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The county officials page also lists a slightly different 8:30 a.m. opening, so court-record trips should be confirmed before travel.

The Circuit Court Clerk manages records for Kentucky Circuit and District courts in Letcher County. This includes civil, criminal, traffic, misdemeanor, felony, divorce, probate court, juvenile-limited, domestic violence, and other trial-court records as allowed by law. The office is the correct local contact for certified court copies, payment questions, bond-related pickup rules, older court-file routing, and case details that do not appear online.

The official Letcher judicial officials page also identifies the local court offices and judicial contacts.

That county page helps separate the Circuit Court Clerk from the County Clerk and other local officials.

Letcher Court Clerk Duties

The Circuit Court Clerk is the court-file clerk, not the land-record clerk. The office receives and maintains filings for Circuit Court and District Court, manages local court records, handles fines and court costs, supports court events, and directs copy requests. KYCourts states circuit court clerks are responsible for records of Circuit, Family, District, and Business courts, though Letcher-specific family division structure is not separately published in the reviewed source text.

• Maintains Circuit Court felony, higher civil, divorce, adoption, title dispute, injunction, and appeal records.
• Maintains District Court misdemeanor, traffic, ordinance, small claims, probate, juvenile-limited, and domestic violence records.
• Provides official copy and certified-copy routes for eligible court case documents.
• Directs older files to a state record facility when retention and storage rules require it.
• Receives court costs, fines, and bonds through local payment procedures.

The Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks page explains the statewide role of circuit clerks as court-record custodians.

That distinction matters because the County Clerk contact form is useful for county recordings, not for Circuit and District Court case files.

Request Letcher Court Copies

For official court copies, start with the Circuit Court Clerk. Online systems can help identify a case number, party names, case type, or event date, but certified copies and older files require the clerk's office. KYCourts instructs users to call or visit the local office to access case records. If a court case file is stored at a record facility and available for public access, the clerk provides case and file locator numbers.

1. Identify the court, case number, party names, and document type if known.
2. Search CourtNet, the docket portal, or ePay only for public case clues, not as a certified-copy source.
3. Call or visit the Letcher County Circuit Court Clerk and ask whether the file is onsite, offsite, or restricted.
4. Request a plain or certified copy and confirm payment method, pickup, mailing, or fax limits.
5. For offsite records, get case and file locator numbers before contacting the State Records Center.

Older Letcher Court Files

Older Letcher court records may be in the clerk's office, at a state record facility, with KDLA, or destroyed under Kentucky Court of Justice retention schedules. The statewide Request Court Records page says State Records Center requests require case and file locator numbers. Requests cannot be searched by name or Social Security number at that stage. That is why the Circuit Court Clerk must be contacted first for older case routing.

When the clerk confirms a record is stored offsite and available for public access, the clerk identifies the facility and gives locator numbers. The request can then be submitted to state.records@ky.gov or handled by phone at 502-564-3617. Without those locator numbers, the statewide facility is not the right first stop for a Letcher court-file search.

Letcher Clerk Fees

The court-clerk copy fees for every court document were not captured in the official source text reviewed. Payment rules were captured for court payments. KYCourts lists cash, money order, personal check, cashier's check, certified check, credit card, and debit card, with card fees. Checks and money orders must include phone number, birth date, and Social Security number. Checks should be made payable to Letcher County Circuit Court Clerk.

The County Clerk records page is a separate fee source for deeds, wills, liens, marriage licenses, and recorded documents.

Use that County Clerk schedule only for county recordings, not as the full fee schedule for court case files.

Court Clerk vs County Clerk

Kentucky's Letcher County record system has a split that many users miss. The Circuit Court Clerk handles court cases. The County Clerk handles county recordings. A divorce decree, felony indictment, misdemeanor traffic citation, civil judgment, and probate court order belong with the court clerk. A deed, mortgage, lien, marriage license, recorded will after probate, notary bond, delinquent tax record, or election record belongs with the County Clerk.

Deed-specific recording requirements are maintained by the County Clerk.

For county-recorded documents, use the separate Letcher County Clerk page rather than the court clerk route.

Note: The Circuit Court Clerk is the right office for court case records, even when the case was heard in District Court.