First / Choose the custodian
One records question.
Different access routes.
Policies, training records, emails, and rosters
Ask the agency’s designated custodian for existing records with a subject, office, and date range. Some information may be exempt or redacted. For DCBS records, the official instructions direct users to the CHFS portal.
CHFS records portal ↗Your DCBS/CPS case records
Use the official protected-record process and follow the CHFS-305 identity and authority instructions. KRS 620.050 and other confidentiality rules limit access. A parent’s status does not create unrestricted access to every file or permission to publish it.
The posted form requests photo identification and supporting authority for CPS records. Send those items only through official protected channels, never to this website.
CHFS-305 and its instructions ↗Orders, case-file copies, and hearing records
Begin with the county Circuit Court Clerk. Ask about access, availability, format, costs, and any recording or transcript process. Confidential and sealed restrictions still apply. AOC does not maintain individual court case files.
Official court-record instructions ↗AOC administrative operations records
Use the separate court administrative-record policy. Do not assume the ordinary agency KORA process or its response period applies to every judicial record.
AOC administrative-record instructions ↗Eligibility & identity
Check the legal definition
of a qualifying requester.
KRS 61.872 uses “resident of the Commonwealth,” with a broader definition in KRS 61.870(10) covering specified Kentucky connections and qualifying organizations. It is not limited to people physically living here. State your actual qualifying basis.
A custodian may require a signed written request with your legibly printed name, a description of records, and an eligibility statement. General KORA requests need not use one particular form. Protected-record authorizations can have separate requirements.
Write for records, not answers
Ask for the document
behind the decision.
“Why did the office change its visitation policy?”
“Please provide the visitation policy in effect on [date], revisions adopted during [date range], and existing memoranda distributing those revisions to [office].”
Use an existing record type, topic, office, and reasonable date range. The agency does not have to create a new report or analysis just because you request one. You can ask for maintained data or exports, subject to the law and exemptions.
Other examples: existing training materials for a named policy; the response to an earlier request you identify; maintained employee rosters and organizational charts; a final public policy decision. Naming a category does not guarantee it is releasable.
Attorney General’s September 2025 guide ↗ · Prepared staff-roster request →
What happens after sending?
Track the response.
Keep the full correspondence.
How long does the agency have?
KRS 61.880 generally requires a written decision within five days after receipt, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. This is not a guarantee that every requested record will arrive then. If records are unavailable, KRS 61.872(5) addresses explanation and availability information. Avoid assuming delay alone resolves the legal question.
Will copies be free or digital?
Not necessarily. For noncommercial requests, KRS 61.874 addresses standard electronic copies when records are maintained electronically and reasonable ordinary reproduction costs excluding staff time. Different rules can apply to nonstandard formats and commercial use. Paper-only records need not be scanned under this provision. Ask before charges exceed a chosen amount.
Can they withhold information?
Yes, when a legal exception applies. KRS 61.878 contains privacy and other exemptions and requires separating nonexempt portions where applicable. A denial must identify the specific exception and explain its application under KRS 61.880. Ask for releasable portions and the reason for any withholding.
What about records about me?
KRS 61.884 provides personal access subject to KRS 61.878 and identification. Protected CPS records also require attention to KRS 620.050 and the CHFS disclosure process. It is not unrestricted access to other people’s private information.
When access is disputed
A records appeal
addresses records access.
Keep your exact request, proof and date of delivery, the agency’s response, and the records received. For Attorney General review, follow the official instructions and include the request and response, or the request if no response was provided.
KRS 61.880 provides Attorney General review; KRS 61.882 provides Circuit Court enforcement. The statute includes a 30-day period to challenge an Attorney General decision in court. Other procedural questions require prompt attention. A records dispute does not extend a custody-case deadline or replace a court appeal.
Browser-only draft tool / Public agency records
Prepare a clear
records description.
This tool prepares a general request draft. It does not send, submit, store, or verify your request. Use the separate official process for protected personal case records. Do not enter names of children, medical details, or confidential facts here.
Read the full source