Hardin County Circuit Court Overview
Hardin County is part of Kentucky's 9th Judicial Circuit and 9th Judicial District. The Kentucky Court of Justice Hardin County page places the Office of Circuit Court Clerk at the Hardin County Justice Center, 120 E. Dixie Ave., Elizabethtown, KY 42701. Deanna Simcoe is listed as Circuit Court Clerk, and the main court phone is 270-766-5000. Circuit criminal and civil calls use option 4. District traffic, criminal, small claims, evictions, and general civil calls use option 3. District probate, domestic violence, mental health, and juvenile calls use option 5.
Kentucky Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction. The state Circuit Court description says it hears civil cases over $5,000, capital offenses, felonies, divorces, adoptions, termination of parental rights, real-property title disputes, contested probate matters, injunctions, writs, appeals from District Court, and some administrative appeals. Family Court is a division of Circuit Court in Hardin County. District Court is separate but tied to the same local clerk's office for many record requests.
Kentucky District Court handles traffic, misdemeanors, violations, probate of wills, evictions, small claims, juvenile matters, domestic violence cases, mental-health commitments, and felony probable-cause hearings. That split is why a Hardin County Circuit Court search often needs a second check in District Court or Family Court before a record request is complete.
Hardin County Circuit Court Divisions
The local court list is not a set of separate courthouse buildings. Circuit, Family, and District Court matters are listed by division and case type, with the Circuit Court Clerk serving the records counter for trial-court case files. The current KCOJ page also notes an HVAC renovation affecting the Family Court courtroom on the second floor, so courtroom assignments may shift daily while work continues.
| Court or Division | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th Judicial Circuit | Felony, civil over $5,000, divorce, contested probate, appeals from District Court | 120 E. Dixie Ave., Elizabethtown, KY 42701 | 270-766-5000, option 4 |
| Family Court, 9th Judicial Circuit | Dissolution, custody, support, adoption, domestic violence, dependency, termination of parental rights | 120 E. Dixie Ave., Elizabethtown, KY 42701 | 270-766-5000 |
| 9th Judicial District | Traffic, misdemeanor, small claims, evictions, probate, juvenile, mental health | 120 E. Dixie Ave., Elizabethtown, KY 42701 | 270-766-5000, options 3 or 5 |
| Circuit Court Clerk | Trial-court records, copies, case file access, clerk routing | 120 E. Dixie Ave., Elizabethtown, KY 42701 | 270-766-5000 |
Hours posted by KCOJ are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with phones answered until 3:30 p.m. Payment options listed for court business are cash, check, money order, and online payment through ePay. Free parking is posted at the back of the building, and accessibility notes include ramps, elevators, and equipped bathrooms.
Hardin County Circuit Court Judges
The official county court page lists Chief Circuit Judge John David Simcoe in 9th Judicial Circuit Division 2 and Circuit Judge Larry Ashlock in Division 3. Family Court judges listed for the same circuit are Dawn Lonneman Blair in Division 1 and Brent Hall in Division 4. District Court judges listed for the 9th Judicial District are Deborah Lewis Shaw in Division 1 and Vice-Chief Regional District Judge Kimberly W. Shumate in Division 2.
Appeals from Hardin Circuit and Family Court generally route to the Kentucky Court of Appeals. The same official listing places Hardin County in the 2nd Appellate District, with Judge Jeff S. Taylor in Division 1 and Judge Kelly Mark Easton in Division 2. Kentucky Supreme Court review is above the Court of Appeals, and the county page lists Hardin in the 2nd Supreme Court District.
Hardin County Circuit Court Comparison
Hardin County court records make more sense when the court level is clear. A felony case may start with a District Court probable-cause hearing, move to Circuit Court after indictment, and then appear in public lookup tools under a different case type. A divorce is a Circuit or Family Court matter. Probate of a will begins in District Court, but contested probate issues can fall within Circuit Court jurisdiction.
| Record Issue | Circuit Court | Family Court | District Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil cases | More than $5,000, title disputes, injunctions, writs, appeals | Family-related civil matters such as dissolution and support | $5,000 or less, small claims up to $2,500, evictions |
| Criminal cases | Felonies, capital offenses, circuit criminal cases | Not the main criminal division, but handles domestic and child-related matters | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic, arraignments, felony probable-cause hearings |
| Family or child cases | Adoptions and termination of parental rights through Circuit/Family jurisdiction | Dissolution, custody, support, paternity, domestic violence, dependency, truancy | Juvenile, domestic violence, and some child-related District Court matters |
| Records office | Office of Circuit Court Clerk, Hardin County Justice Center | ||
Hardin County Circuit Court Case Flow
Criminal and civil cases do not all move through the same path, but the public record usually grows in stages. KCOJ's court-record request guidance says case records may include citations, pleadings, motions, orders, evidence, reports, dockets, video recordings, and transcripts. The public lookup result may show case status and events, while the underlying file and certified copies remain with the clerk of the court that heard the matter.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › District Court first appearance or probable-cause hearing › indictment or information where required › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil and family flow: Petition or complaint filed › service › answer or response › motions and orders › disclosure or discovery where required › settlement, hearing, or trial › judgment or decree › post-judgment motions or appeal.
For court dates rather than full files, use the Kentucky public docket portal. Select HARDIN, Circuit or District, date, courtroom if known, and subdivision if needed. The portal marks results as not an official docket and subject to change, so courtroom and time questions should be checked against the Circuit Court Clerk.
Search Hardin County Circuit Court Records
Public case information starts at the KYeCourts guest login. The guest gateway provides free public case-information access in Kentucky after a captcha or checkbox and Continue step. KCOJ help describes party, case, citation, and business search modes. Party search can use name and birth date, active-case filters, and event date ranges. Case search requires the case number and county of origin. Citation search uses citation year, control number, and type.
- Use KYeCourts as the first lookup when a party name, case number, business name, or citation is known.
- Use the docket portal when the immediate need is a Hardin County court date or daily docket.
- Call or visit the Circuit Court Clerk for official copies, certified copies, sealed-record questions, older files, or documents not shown online.
- If the clerk identifies a record facility or KDLA storage location, ask for case and file locator numbers before making a follow-up request.
Note: KYeCourts lookup is useful for finding public case information, but it is not a substitute for a clerk-issued certified copy.
Hardin County Circuit Court Sources
The Kentucky District Court source page is important for Hardin County Circuit Court research because District Court handles the first layer of traffic, misdemeanor, probate, juvenile, and probable-cause matters.
Those District Court categories often connect to Circuit Court when a felony advances, a District Court appeal is filed, or a contested probate matter moves to a higher trial-court level.
Kentucky's specialty courts overview shows how treatment and supervision programs can affect criminal case handling within the court record.
Specialty court referrals may appear as orders, conditions, review hearings, or other docket events in a qualifying Hardin County criminal case.
The KCOJ Drug Court page explains the statewide program model used for eligible substance-use-related criminal cases.
Hardin County is listed among counties that obtained Drug Court certification, but eligibility still depends on local referral, assessment, and court approval.
The KCOJ Mental Health Court page provides statewide context for defendants whose justice involvement may involve mental-health needs.
The research did not confirm a stand-alone Hardin Mental Health Court program, so local availability should be checked with KCOJ or the Circuit Court Clerk before relying on it.