Whitley County
Whitley County was established in 1818. It was named in honor of a noteworthy Indian fighter, William Whitley. The county is home to two regionally significant waterways, the Laurel and Cumberland rivers. Its seat is Williamsburg, and its largest city is Corbin. As of 2020, 36,712 people were reported to be resident in the county.
Whitley County's judicial system is comprised of circuit courts and district courts. The Circuit Court has general jurisdiction over all cases in Whitley County. The court hears criminal cases, including felonies, lesser included offenses, and capital crimes. It also hears civil cases related to divorce, adoption, contested probate cases, and general civil claims where the amount in dispute exceeds $5,000. The District Court has locations in Corbin and Williamsburg. This court handles criminal cases that involve the violation of county and city ordinances, misdemeanors, and preliminary hearings for felonies. It also has jurisdiction over civil cases such as guardianships, conservatorships, reviews of local administrative agency decisions, and general civil claims where the amount in dispute is $5,000 or less.
Public court records are open-source legal documents that document every stage of a court case. These documents contain information such as case names, docket numbers, legal briefs, and court final judgments. The Office of the Whitley County Clerk is responsible for processing and managing these court records. Examples of the records kept by the office include:
- Criminal records
- Civil records
- Bankruptcy records
- Small claims records
- Probate records
Interested persons can obtain copies of these records by sending an e-mail to the Clerk's Office. Individuals can also make an in-person visit to the Clerk's Office at:
200 Main Street 2
P.O. Box 8
Williamsburg, KY 40769
Phone: (606) 549-6002
The Kentucky Court of Justice also operates an online case search portal, which is a useful resource for individuals who may not be able to visit the Clerk's Office in person. The portal allows searches by party names or case numbers. Although no subscription is required to search for cases on the portal, certain charges may apply for requesters who seek to download court records.
The Clerk's Office charges $0.25 per page to copy a court record in Whitley County. If the required document is an audio recording, a $15.00 fee applies for each tape, disk, or other media on which the information is stored.
