Civil Circuit Division

Supreme Court of Kentucky Rules provide the procedures for filing a civil case in Circuit Court. By having the appropriate documents and copies, we will be able to process your case more quickly and efficiently. Please review the following procedures. If you have any questions, call the Circuit Civil Suit Desk at 502-595-3007.

1. You must provide the original complaint, which will be retained in the case file.
2. You must provide a copy of the complaint for service upon each defendant.
3. You must provide a sufficient number of civil summonses or warning order affidavits for each defendant listed in the complaint. For WOAs, provide the affidavit and a copy of the complaint.
4. Checks should be made payable to David L. Nicholson, Circuit Court Clerk or the Jefferson County Circuit Court Clerk.
5. You will need to provide an extra set of documents if you wish to retain your own file stamped copy.
6. If the case is being filed via mail, provide a self-addressed stamped envelope.

For more information regarding fees, contact the Circuit Civil Suit Desk at 502-595-3007.

Filing Fee for Complaint or Petition (without jury) - $153

Filing Fee for Complaint or Petition (request for jury) - $213

Third Party Complaint - $30

Transfer to Circuit Court (from District Court) - $77.50

Appeal Filing Fee - $160

Issuance of Garnishment - $10

Certification - $5

Acts of Congress - $5 plus the cost of copies

Jury Fee - $60

Executions - $20

Copies per Page - 25 cents

Attested Copy - 50 cents

Bond Fee - $25

Judicial Sale Administrative Fee (JSAF) - $200

Paying in Person
Cash, certified checks, cashier’s checks, money orders and personal checks are accepted. American Express, Discover and Master Card credit cards and most debit cards are also accepted. Visa credit and debit cards are not accepted at the counter of any Kentucky Office of the Circuit Court Clerk due to Visa’s convenience fee policy.

Paying by Mail
Certified checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, personal checks and business checks (in most circumstances) are accepted. Cash is accepted but not recommended.

Paying by Phone
Payments for costs, fines, fees and restitution are accepted by phone when using a debit or credit card. Bail bonds may not be paid by phone.

A party who takes exception to (disagrees with) a ruling or jury verdict in Circuit Civil may appeal the case to a higher court. Appeals for Circuit Civil are heard in either the Kentucky Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court of Kentucky. Appeals from District Civil and District Criminal cases are heard in Circuit Court. When filing an appeal from a Circuit Civil case, a $160 filing fee must be paid through the Office of the Circuit Court Clerk. Once the filing fee has been paid, the notice of appeal will be filed. The case will be certified only after the pre-hearing conference order from the Court of Appeals is recorded. Once the record has been certified, it will be transmitted to the appellate court upon request. When an appeal is filed in Circuit Court from a District Court case, the case will be delivered to the judge only after a statement of appeal and counterstatement is filed. The case is then delivered to the court to which the case is assigned.

You can review and request copies of Civil Circuit files at the Circuit Civil File Desk. You can review cases appealed from District Court to Circuit Court and cases appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals or Supreme Court of Kentucky, if available. The Circuit Court File Desk is located in the Civil File Desk area.

Copies are 25 cents per page. Faxes cost $2 for the first page and $1 for each additional page. Documents can be certified for $5 per document. All copies must be paid for in advance. Postage will be charged as applicable.

Requests for copies are typically fulfilled on the same day. However, if you are ordering a large number of copies, you can arrange with the clerk to pick up your order at another time.

Q: How do I file a lawsuit?
A: You may find you have several options when filing your case. A deputy clerk is not permitted to advise you on which option you should select. If you need assistance with proceeding or completing forms, you may want to seek the services of an attorney by contacting the Louisville Bar Association or the Legal Aid Society.

Q: What if I need to file a pleading or lawsuit and your office is closed?
A: Pleadings can be filed 24 hours a day. Pleadings filed after 4:30 p.m. but before 8:30 a.m. can be filed at the circuit file box located in the Criminal Traffic Division, first floor, Louis D. Brandeis Hall of Justice, 600 W. Jefferson St. Lawsuits meeting statutory deadlines may be processed by a deputy clerk in the Criminal Traffic Division. Filing fees must be paid at that time.

Q: How do I have a judge sign an order showing clear title to my vehicle?
A: You should contact an attorney to obtain instructions on how to proceed. Deputy clerks are prohibited from giving legal advice.

Appeal. A proceeding undertaken to have a decision reconsidered by bringing it to a higher authority, especially the submission of a lower court’s or agency’s decision to a higher court for review and possible reversal.

Arraignment. The initial step in a criminal prosecution whereby the defendant is brought before the court to hear charges and to enter a plea.

Bail. A security such as cash or a bond, especially security required by a court for the release of a prisoner who must appear at a future time.

Commissioner. A person who directs a commission; a member of a commission.

Complaint. The initial pleading that starts a civil action and states the basis for the court’s jurisdiction, the basis for the plaintiff’s claim and the demand for relief; a formal charge accusing a person of an offense.

Garnishment. A judicial proceeding in which a creditor (or potential creditor) asks the court to order a third party who is indebted to or is bailee for the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor’s property (such as wages or bank accounts) held by that third party.

Grand jury. A body of often 23 people who are chosen to sit permanently for at least a month and sometime a year and who in ex parte proceedings decide whether to issue indictments.
I
ndictment/Information. The formal written accusation of a crime, made by a grand jury and presented to a court for prosecution against an accused person.

Summons. Formerly a writ directing a sheriff to summon a defendant to appear in court.

Third party complaint. A complaint filed by the defendant against a third party, alleging that the third party may be liable for some or all of the damages the plaintiff is trying to recover from the defendant.

A foreclosure section of the Circuit Court Suit Desk has been created to meet the increased demand for foreclosure filings. Foreclosure cases are assigned unique case number prefixes made up of the current year, civil case number type CI and the number 4, e.g. 11-CI-4 and are placed in blue case jackets, thus setting them apart from other civil cases. To speak to member of the supervisory team, contact 502-595-4825 or 502-595-3093. For inquiries about foreclosure cases, call 502-595-4935 or the Jefferson County Commissioner’s Office at 502-574-5934.

In order to have a case heard before a circuit judge, an attorney must be consulted or a notice/motion/order must be filed. All applicable rules must be followed. The local rules of procedure can be accessed at http://courts.ky.gov/counties/jefferson. The Office of the Circuit Court Clerk cannot give legal advice.