Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Franklin County, Kentucky, has about 52,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Franklin Circuit Court and the District Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Circuit Court Clerk, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Franklin County public records, Franklin County arrest records, Franklin County warrants, Franklin County inmate search, Franklin County criminal records, Kentucky arrest records and Kentucky inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Franklin County
In Franklin County, the Franklin Circuit Court hears felonies, civil cases over $5,000, divorces and appeals from the district court.
Below it, the District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims, probate and juvenile matters.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court's family division, and the file stays with the Circuit Court Clerk.
The Circuit Court Clerk keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Kentucky Open Records Act.
Looking Up a Case from Franklin County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kycourts.gov/Courts/County-Information/Pages/Franklin.aspx (page title: Franklin | Kentucky Court of Justice), phone 502-564-7013, 222 Saint Clair St. Frankfort, KY 40601, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Kentucky has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The Kentucky court page SearchSystems verified is at judicialindexes.ky.gov.
What Reaches the Court from Franklin County
Together, the two agencies in Franklin County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 7,701 arrests to the FBI that year; the Commonwealth's Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Franklin Circuit Court or the District Court.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at franklincounty.ky.gov/attorney (page title: Attorney | Franklin County), phone (502) 875-8745, 222 St. Clair Street, Suite 2007 P.O. Box 73 Frankfort, KY 40602, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
Criminal cases, divorces, traffic tickets and evictions all end up as files of these courts, and the file is what the public sees of each.
The other Franklin County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Franklin County criminal records, Franklin County divorce records, Franklin County DUI and Franklin County property records.
Cities in Franklin County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Franklin Circuit Court or the District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Franklin County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Frankfort (28,610)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Franklin County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kycourts.gov, phone 502-564-7013.
Which court hears felonies in Franklin County?
The Franklin Circuit Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $5,000, divorces and appeals from the district court. The District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims, probate and juvenile matters.
Who keeps the court records in Franklin County?
The Circuit Court Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Kentucky?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Franklin County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.