Family Court

Location

Judicial Center
1st floor
Room 105

Hours

Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Phone

502.595.3025

The Jefferson County Family Court is comprised of 10 divisions and 10 full-time judges, each dedicated to handling legal matters involving families and children.

Recognizing the deeply personal and often complex nature of family law, the court employs a specialized case management model — “One Family, One Judge, One Court” — that ensures all related matters for a single family are heard by the same judge. This approach promotes consistency, efficiency and reduced stress for those involved.

Established in 1991, Jefferson County’s Family Court has received national recognition for its innovative structure and continues to serve as a model for family courts across Kentucky and the United States.

As a division of the Kentucky Circuit Court, the state’s highest trial court, Family Court judges are fully qualified and serve exclusively on family-related cases. These matters are given the highest priority on the court’s docket and do not compete with criminal or general civil cases for judicial attention.

Types of Cases Handled by Family Court

(Many of these matters are confidential in nature, as required by Kentucky Statute.)

Jefferson County Family Court addresses a wide range of family-related legal issues. Click on each category below for more information:

Dissolution of marriage, post-decree matters, annulment

These cases are between family members and unmarried couples who have lived together or have children together. In Jefferson County, Deputy Clerks assist victims of domestic violence in the completion of the petition for a short-term protective order (up to six months for emergency protective orders [EPOs] and up to three years for domestic violence orders [DVOs]). The petitioner’s address and minor children’s names are confidential.

Our office is one of only a few in the nation that provides off-site petition intake for medically fragile or homebound petitioners through a partnership with ElderServe.

For information on the Domestic Violence Intake Center (DVIC), click here.

All custody matters, except for guardianship and all visitation issues, are filed here.

 Actions for support against parents, for which the state has custody of their children, or the state recovers funds from the non-custodial parent for AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children), or medical assistance.

Pertains to establishment of paternity, support and collection of child support when one parent or custodian lives in another state.

The legal preceding that creates the parent-child relationship between individuals not related by blood. (Sealed upon disposition)

Non-identifying medical and birth family information may be released upon written request to adopted persons who are 18 years of age or older and to adoptive parents of minor children without a court order. A search for the birth parents may begin when the adult adoptee obtains a court order from the Kentucky Circuit Court where the adoption was finalized. The adoptee must be 21 years of age or older.

The termination of parental rights (Sealed upon disposition)

A civil juvenile proceeding involving a dependent, or neglected or abused child.

Status cases are juvenile proceedings involving an act that would not be a crime if committed by an adult. If the child has pending delinquency charges, any new status petitions are heard in the regular session of juvenile court.

Establishes parentage and may order the non-custodial parent of a child born out of wedlock to make support payments. Only employees of government agencies in the performance of their duties, law enforcement agencies, or the party or their attorneys may inspect judgments or orders. No other information about the case may be inspected without a court order.

A petitioner who has a protective order issued in another state may file that order in this state and receive protection in the commonwealth.

Parties may appeal a Family Court decision by filing a Notice of Appeal in Family Court. Appeals from Family Court decisions are heard by the Court of Appeals. Click here for the Kentucky Court of Appeals Basic Appellate Practice Handbook.

Donate Life Kentucky Trust

Donate Life Kentucky Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the unmet needs of the impacted by donation and transplant. Founded in 1992, by the Circuit Court Clerks of Kentucky, Donate Life Kentucky Trust (Trust) focuses on public education and donor registration efforts to save and heal lives. The Trust also provides critical financial support to transplant patients and donor families by providing access to travel, lodging, medication, mental healthcare, and funeral expenses.