How to Search Lyon County Court Records
Lyon County court records start with the Kentucky Court of Justice and the Lyon County Circuit Court Clerk. The Trial Court Docket portal is free and public, but it is a schedule tool rather than the certified court file. The Kentucky ePay portal searches payable citations, cases, and fines. CourtNet 2.0 is the broader Kentucky civil and criminal case-search service, but its public page is a KYeCourts login gate.
Before searching, decide whether the case belongs in Circuit Court or District Court. Circuit Court handles felony criminal records, divorce, adoption, title disputes, civil cases over $5,000, contested probate, injunctions, and appeals from District Court. District Court handles misdemeanors, traffic, probate of wills, small claims of $2,500 or less, civil cases of $5,000 or less, juvenile matters, mental commitments, domestic violence, and city or county ordinance cases.
- Identify the court and case type. Felony, divorce, adoption, contested probate, and larger civil matters point to Circuit Court. Misdemeanor, traffic, probate, small claims, and lower-dollar civil matters point to District Court.
- Check the Trial Court Docket portal for scheduled Lyon County hearings. Treat its notice seriously: it is not the official docket and is subject to change.
- Use ePay for payable citations, court fines, and fee balances when the case can be searched by case, citation, party, or business information.
- Use CourtNet 2.0 only with the needed KYeCourts access. Do not expect free document images from the public login page.
- Call or visit Circuit Court Clerk Kimberly Duncan for complete copies, certified copies, sealed-record questions, and older files that may be stored offsite.
The Kentucky Court of Justice county page is the local source for Lyon County court contacts, schedules, judges, parking, and accessibility: KCOJ Lyon County information.
Lyon County Court Records Search Fields
The most useful public fields come from ePay and the Trial Court Docket portal. ePay works when the record is tied to a payable case, citation, or party search. The docket portal is simpler: choose Lyon from the county selector and generate the current schedule. CourtNet offers broader case access, but the visible public page does not expose the full search form without login.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| County | Dropdown | Yes for case search | Select Lyon with a case number in ePay, or choose Lyon to generate the docket. |
| Case Number | Text | Yes for case search | ePay requires county and case number together. |
| Year | Text or numeric | Yes for citation search | Citation year must use four characters. |
| Control # | Text or numeric | Yes for citation search | The ePay citation control number must use seven characters. |
| Type | Selector | Yes for citation search | Visible type options run as numeric choices. |
| First Name | Text | No | Used with last name and birth date to narrow a party search. |
| Last Name | Text | Party input | Party searches may use last name with birth date, last and first name, driver license number, or business name. |
| Business Name | Text | No | Available for party or business searches when the case is tied to an entity. |
The Kentucky Court of Justice administrative-records page is not a case-search portal, but it explains the separate route for AOC records. The manifest image below comes from that official source.
The AOC administrative-records page distinguishes administrative records from court case records.
That distinction matters in Lyon County because case copies start with the Circuit Court Clerk, while AOC administrative requests use a different state email channel.
Types of Lyon County Court Records
Lyon County court records are split by court jurisdiction. Civil Circuit records can include complaints, summons, answers, motions, orders, trial notices, judgments, liens, appeal notices, injunctions, title disputes, administrative appeals, and writs. District civil and small claims records can include claim forms, hearing dates, defaults, settlements, judgments, garnishments, and satisfaction entries.
Criminal records also split by level. Felony records route to Circuit Court after indictment or transfer from preliminary District Court proceedings. Misdemeanor, violation, ordinance, DUI-level, and traffic records are District Court matters. The Lyon County Attorney page says Lee Wilson prosecutes misdemeanor crimes such as DUIs, assaults, bad checks, thefts, juvenile offenses, and other statutory offenses.
- Felony criminal records: complaint, warrant, indictment, arraignment, bond orders, motions, pleas, dispositions, sentencing orders, probation terms, restitution, and docket entries.
- District criminal and traffic records: misdemeanor, violation, ordinance, DUI, citation, payment, and hearing records handled in District Court.
- Family and divorce records: Circuit Court files for divorce and related matters, with limits for adoption, juvenile, and protected-party material.
- Probate records: District Court files for wills, fiduciary appointments, inventories, creditor notices, settlements, and orders dispensing with administration.
- Appeals: District Court appeals go to Circuit Court, while Circuit or Family Court appeals generally go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals through appellate public access.
What Lyon County Court Records Show
A Lyon County court record usually shows the case number, county, court, case type, filing date, parties, attorneys, judge or division, docket entries, hearing dates, financial items, documents, and redactions. Online views may show less than the clerk file. For example, ePay can confirm a payable fine or citation path, while a complete case file may include pleadings, signed orders, exhibits, or certified entries held by the clerk.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique identifier assigned by the Kentucky court system, needed for accurate clerk requests and ePay case searches. |
| Court and County | Shows Lyon County and whether the case is in Circuit Court, District Court, the Court of Appeals, or the Supreme Court. |
| Parties | Lists plaintiff and defendant, petitioner and respondent, Commonwealth and defendant, estate and decedent, or guardian and ward. |
| Docket Entries | Tracks arraignments, motions, hearings, orders, continuances, judgments, sentencing, probate hearings, inventories, and settlements. |
| Financials | May show fines, court costs, restitution, bond, ePay balance, civil filing fees, or certified-copy charges when available. |
| Redactions | Public copies commonly withhold Social Security numbers, financial account data, minor names, medical information, and safety-sensitive addresses. |
Public Access Framework for Lyon County Court Records
Kentucky's open-records policy begins with KRS 61.871, which states that free and open examination of public records is in the public interest. KRS 61.872 gives Kentucky residents the right to inspect public records unless an exemption applies, and it allows written applications by hand delivery, mail, fax, or email.
Court case records are handled differently from general county open-records requests. The Kentucky Court of Justice says requests for case copies and information about reviewing case records start with the clerk of the court that heard the case. For Lyon County Circuit and District matters, that means Kimberly Duncan's office at the Lyon County Judicial Center. AOC administrative records are requested separately at OpenRecords@kycourts.net and are not the route for case files, compiled data, or criminal background checks.
Note: The clerk can confirm whether an older Lyon County case is onsite, offsite, archived, or unavailable under retention rules.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Lyon County
Some Lyon County court records are not ordinary public lookup records. Juvenile dockets and juvenile court records are restricted under KRS 610.320 and KRS 610.340. Adoption records, mental health commitment records, protected-party information, medical or psychological material, and safety-sensitive addresses can also be closed, sealed, or redacted.
Expunged records require special care. KRS 431.074 requires AOC to keep an index of expungement orders, but access to that index is restricted. A public CourtNet, ePay, docket, or clerk-counter search should not be expected to display an expunged Lyon County case as a normal public result.
In-Person Court Record Requests
For complete Lyon County court records, certified copies, and questions about sealed or offsite files, use the Office of Circuit Court Clerk. Bring the case number if known, party names, case type, approximate filing year, the document needed, and a way to pay by an accepted method. KCOJ lists court payment options as cash, check, and money order, with no Comchek. ePay is available for online court fine and fee payments when the case qualifies.
Office of Circuit Court Clerk
Lyon County Judicial Center, Suite A
500 West Dale Ave., P.O. Box 565
Eddyville, KY 42038
Circuit: 270-388-7231
District: 270-388-2727
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
If the clerk identifies an older case as stored at a record facility, the request may need case and file locator numbers before the State Records Center or Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives can help.