Garrard County Circuit Court Clerk
The Kentucky Court of Justice Garrard County page identifies Dana Hensley as the Circuit Court Clerk. The office is at the Garrard County Justice Center, 54 Stanford Street, Lancaster, Kentucky 40444. The main clerk phone is 859-792-2961, the jury-service phone is 859-792-6032, and the fax is 859-792-6414. Published office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Circuit Court Clerk is the access point for court case records in Garrard County. The office supports Circuit Court, Family Court division, and District Court records. That includes felony files, circuit civil files, divorce and custody files, traffic cases, misdemeanors, probate matters, small claims, domestic violence matters, and other state court records assigned to the local courts.
Office of Circuit Court Clerk
Clerk: Dana Hensley
Garrard County Justice Center
54 Stanford Street
Lancaster, KY 40444
859-792-2961
Fax: 859-792-6414
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
The manifest image below comes from the Garrard County elected-officials page, which lists the Circuit Court Clerk and other county offices.
The local elected-officials source reinforces the clerk's custody, storage, and courtroom-support role for Garrard County court records.
Garrard County Clerk Record Duties
The local research describes Circuit Court Clerks as elected officials responsible for custody, control, and safe storage of court records for both Circuit and District Court. The same county source lists duties such as receiving lawsuits and papers, being present during trials, receiving fines, scheduling juries, handling bond money, and operating recording equipment for District Court proceedings.
- Maintain Circuit Court, Family Court division, and District Court case files.
- Receive pleadings, lawsuits, motions, orders, and other court papers.
- Collect fines, court costs, and other court payments when paid through the office.
- Support jury service scheduling and local trial operations.
- Help locate older files or record-facility information when public access is allowed.
Request Garrard County Court Records
Garrard County has several official access channels. Free public case information can begin with KYeCourts guest public records. Court dates can be checked through the Kentucky docket portal. Certified copies, paper files, missing online cases, sealed-record questions, and older records should be directed to the Circuit Court Clerk.
| Need | Access Channel | Important Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Public case information | KYeCourts guest search | Not a certified-copy channel. |
| Court date | Kentucky docket portal | Portal warns that dockets are subject to change. |
| Certified copy | Circuit Court Clerk | Fee amount was not captured in official research. |
| County administrative record | Garrard open-records request | Not for court case records held by the clerk. |
Get Garrard County Certified Copies
Certified copies are usually needed when a court document must prove an official result, such as a divorce decree, order, judgment, fiduciary appointment, disposition, or other court action. The clerk can identify whether the file is available for public access and whether the record is in the office, at a record facility, or unavailable under retention rules.
- Find the case number through KYeCourts, the docket portal, prior paperwork, or clerk assistance.
- Identify the document needed, such as decree, judgment, order, disposition, or letters of appointment.
- Contact the Circuit Court Clerk to confirm availability, certification process, and current fee.
- Submit the request using the clerk's current in-person, phone-directed, or mail process.
- Review the certified copy for case number, party name, date, seal, and certification language.
Garrard County Request Fields
The Garrard County open-records page was captured as a county administrative fallback, but the exact static form labels were not fully inspectable. For court records, the Kentucky Court of Justice directs people to call or visit the Circuit Court Clerk. A useful court-record request should still give the clerk enough detail to identify the file.
| Field | Required Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Best if known | Speeds lookup and reduces mistaken matches. |
| Party names | Usually needed | Use full names and former names if relevant. |
| Case type or division | Helpful | Circuit, Family, District, probate, traffic, criminal, or civil. |
| Document requested | Needed | Order, decree, disposition, docket sheet, judgment, or certified copy. |
| Requester contact | Needed for follow-up | Include phone or mailing details under the office's current process. |
Garrard County Clerk Fees
The research located payment methods but not exact certified-copy fees for Garrard court records. The Garrard court page publishes cash, personal check, money order, credit card, and debit card as court payment methods, with a fee for card payments. It also states that bond requires cash. KYeCourts ePay is available for fines, fees, and costs, but payment does not erase the underlying court record.
| Item | Official Amount or Method Located | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Court payments | Cash, check, money order, credit card, debit card | Card fee applies. |
| Bond | Cash required | Published on the Garrard court page. |
| Online court payment | KYeCourts ePay | For fees, fines, and costs. |
| Certified court-copy fees | Not located in official Garrard sources | Verify with Circuit Court Clerk. |
| Civil filing fees | Increase July 1, 2026 | State notice cites Supreme Court Orders 2026-15 and 2026-18. |
County Clerk vs Circuit Clerk
Garrard County also has a County Clerk, Kevin Montgomery, with phone 859-792-3071. The County Clerk handles marriage licensing, county records, motor vehicles, elections, tax-collection assistance, deeds, mortgages, liens, and similar county clerk functions. That office is important, but it is not the state court clerk.
Use the County Clerk for marriage records and land or county records. Use the Circuit Court Clerk for criminal case files, civil case files, traffic cases, probate records, divorce files, custody records, District Court records, and Circuit Court records. This distinction prevents a common Lancaster office mix-up, since county government offices and the justice center are nearby but serve different record systems.
The second manifest image for this page comes from the Garrard County open-records request page, a county-government fallback for administrative records.
Use the open-records channel for county-administered records, not as a substitute for court case copies held by the Circuit Court Clerk.
Garrard County Clerk Forms
The Kentucky Court of Justice legal forms index is the official state forms source for many court matters, including probate, family, small claims, domestic violence, and expungement forms. The probate guide says some probate forms may need to be obtained in person from the local clerk office. For court filings, verify that the form fits the case type and county before filing it.
- Kentucky legal forms index for statewide court forms.
- Kentucky court-record request instructions for case-record access.
- Garrard County open-records request for county administrative records.
For Garrard County court records, the form source and the filing counter are related but not identical. A statewide form may tell a filer what document to prepare, while the Circuit Court Clerk confirms how that filing is received locally, whether a fee applies, and whether the record will be available through public search after filing.
Note: Clerks can provide filing access and record copies, but they cannot choose claims, draft pleadings, or provide legal strategy.