Find Hardin County Clerk Records

Hardin County County Clerk Office

The Hardin County Clerk is Brian D. Smith. The office is in the Hardin County Government Building, Suite 103, and is separate from the Office of Circuit Court Clerk at the Justice Center. The County Clerk handles land records, marriage licenses, vehicle registration, elections, delinquent tax information, notary and certification services, military discharge recordings, and open-records requests for County Clerk files.

The Hardin County Clerk homepage displays the office address, hours, record search entry point, PropertyCheck link, and open-records access. The County Clerk page also points users to vehicle registration, the recording department, search data, elections, and delinquent tax information. Those categories are not court case divisions, so a request for a felony case, divorce decree, traffic citation, or District Court Probate file should go to the Circuit Court Clerk instead.

The County Clerk homepage screenshot assigned to this page comes from the official Hardin County Clerk site.

The homepage is useful because it shows the record search and PropertyCheck paths in the same place as the posted office information.

Hardin County Clerk Record Types

Hardin County has a split clerk structure. The Circuit Court Clerk handles court case records for Circuit, Family, District, and probate court matters. The County Clerk handles county records and recordings. A person searching a marriage license, deed, mortgage, military discharge recording, or County Clerk open-records file should start with the County Clerk. A person searching the full court case behind a divorce, criminal charge, traffic citation, eviction, or probate filing should start with the Hardin County Circuit Court Clerk.

Hardin County Clerk Open Records

The Hardin County Clerk open-records policy is tied to KRS 61.870 to 61.884. It names Brian D. Smith, Hardin County Clerk, as official custodian for the office's public records and accepts written requests in person, by mail, by fax, or by the email shown on the County Clerk page. Requests may use the Kentucky Attorney General standardized open-records request form.

The policy says applicants are advised of availability and notified in writing no later than five working days after receipt if records are not available for public inspection. Copies of written material cost $0.50 per page. Nonwritten records, including photographs, maps, computer files, or library material, are charged at actual production cost by the most economical process not likely to damage or alter the record.

The open-records screenshot assigned to this page comes from the County Clerk open-records policy.

The policy is the best source for response timing, request channels, and copy-cost language for County Clerk records.

1. Identify whether the record belongs to the County Clerk rather than the Circuit Court Clerk.
2. Prepare a written request with the record type, names, dates, book/page or instrument details if known, and requester contact information.
3. Submit the request in person, by mail, by fax at 270-765-6193, or by the email displayed on the clerk's policy page.
4. Wait for availability or written notice under the five-working-day response rule described by the office.
5. Pay copy charges, postage, or actual production costs that apply to the requested record.

Hardin County Recording Standards

The County Clerk recording page gives document standards and selected fees. Documents should be on white paper with no watermarks. The preferred paper size is 8.5 by 11 inches, with 8.5 by 14 accepted. The first page needs a 3-inch top margin for recording information, other margins should be 1 inch, and print should appear on one side only. Black ink is preferred with dark blue signatures.

The page also says the office accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, ePn, and CSC. Other standards include 20 lb paper, 10-point Times New Roman or equivalent, no more than 9 lines per inch, no staples or binding, no impression seals, and no colored highlights. These rules matter because a recorded instrument may be rejected or delayed if it does not meet the formatting requirements.

The recording screenshot assigned to this page comes from the Hardin County government County Clerk profile.

The county profile reinforces that the County Clerk is a county office with duties that differ from the court clerk's case-file work.

Hardin County Clerk Fees

The County Clerk fee schedule includes recording fees, certification services, marriage license costs, probate-related recordings, and notary charges. These fees are County Clerk fees. Court filing fees, court certified copies, fines, and ePay costs must be confirmed through the Circuit Court Clerk or Kentucky Court of Justice.

Hardin County Clerk Form Fields

The County Clerk contact page has a department dropdown and contact fields for routing a request. The department options are useful because the office separates vehicle registration, recording, search data, elections, and delinquent tax questions. The form is not a substitute for a court case record request to the Circuit Court Clerk.