Find Lincoln County Clerk Records

Lincoln County County Clerk

The Lincoln County Clerk official site identifies Nancy Jackson as the Lincoln County County Clerk. Jackson states that she was elected in 2023 after serving 29 years in the office. The office is at 301 N. 3rd Street, Stanford, Kentucky 40484. The phone number is 606-365-4570. Fax numbers are 606-365-4572 for motor vehicles and 606-365-2660 for other business. Office hours listed by the County Clerk site are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and first and last Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

This office is separate from the Circuit Court Clerk. The County Clerk handles land records, wills, surveys, marriages from the late 1700s to the present, motor-vehicle licensing and transfers, marriage licenses, hunting and fishing licenses, notary appointments, elections, recording fees, and open-records requests for County Clerk records. Court case files, divorce decrees, criminal case records, traffic court files, and dockets belong with the Circuit Court Clerk.

Lincoln County Clerk Records

Lincoln County is one of Kentucky's three original counties, and the County Clerk site says the office holds land records, wills, surveys, and marriages from the late 1700s to the present. That local history matters for deeds, old marriage entries, recorded wills, and genealogy work. The research also notes that Stanford courthouse history sources describe records dating back to 1779 and say Lincoln County avoided the courthouse fires that destroyed records in many other counties.

County Clerk records should be used when the record is a recorded instrument, license, or clerk-held local document. They should not be used as a substitute for KYeCourts, the Circuit Court Clerk, the sheriff, or the jailer. The County Clerk open-records page says requests must be filed with the government entity that oversees the requested record.

• Land records, deeds, deed-transfer tax documents, surveys, plats, mortgages, releases, liens, affidavits, and powers of attorney.
• Recorded wills after District Court probate, Will Book entries, affidavits of descent, renunciations, disclaimers, and related real-property transfer records.
• Marriage licenses and marriage records held by the Lincoln County Clerk.
• Open-records requests for land records, delinquent taxes, and other County Clerk services.
• Recording-fee questions for deeds, mortgages, liens, wills, affidavits, plats, and related instruments.

Request County Clerk Copies

County Clerk copy requests should be precise. For a land record, identify the party names, instrument type, book and page or recording date if known, property description, and whether a certified copy is needed. For marriage records, provide both applicants' names, approximate date, and any known license information. For recorded wills, use the decedent name and probate or recording details if available. The office may be able to locate older materials, but exact names and date ranges reduce delay.

The County Clerk open-records process is broader than a counter copy request, but it still applies only to records under Nancy Jackson's office. The page says fees must be paid in advance before copies are obtained. Requests may be hand delivered, mailed, emailed, or faxed, and the office will respond within five business days of receipt.

1. Confirm the record belongs to the County Clerk, not the Circuit Court Clerk, sheriff, jailer, or another county agency.
2. Identify the instrument type, names, dates, property details, license details, or Will Book information.
3. Submit the request in person, by mail, by fax, or by email using the County Clerk open-records instructions.
4. Pay any required copy or open-records fee in advance before copies are released.
5. Ask whether the copy can be picked up, mailed, faxed, or otherwise provided through the office's current process.

Open Records Request Fields

The Lincoln County Clerk open-records page says a requester should use the standardized Kentucky Attorney General form when possible. If the form cannot be printed, a written request must include specific information. The clerk's page also says the office cannot respond to issues at the Sheriff's Office, Court Clerk, or other entities. That limit is important because a County Clerk open-records request will not pull a criminal case file, divorce decree, traffic case, warrant file, or jail record.

Lincoln County Recording Fees

The Lincoln County Clerk fee schedule lists recording fees for common instruments. Fees can change, so confirm before mailing a document. The research captured the fee table below from the County Clerk source. Deed-transfer tax is separate from the recording fee and is imposed on the grantor at $0.50 per $500 of value or fraction.

Marriage Will Land Records

The County Clerk marriage license page says both applicants must appear together, the license is valid for 30 days from issuance, the fee is non-refundable, and the license must be used in Kentucky. No waiting period or blood test is required. The application must be signed and sworn before the County Clerk issuing the license. The clerk's page lists applicant information such as name, residence, date of birth, place of birth, race, condition, number of prior marriages, occupation, and parents' names.

The County Clerk wills page explains the two-office probate path. Wills must be admitted to probate in District Court, and an order must be issued by the District Court Judge. After probate, the will is recorded in the County Clerk's office with the order appointing an administrator or executor. The County Clerk retains the original copy of the will permanently. The same source explains affidavits of descent, renunciation after probate, will contests, disclaimers, and out-of-county or out-of-state will recording.

The County Clerk deeds page covers deed-transfer recording rules. Deeds and other land instruments are County Clerk records. Court orders that affect property may also need to be recorded with the County Clerk after being entered in a court case.

County Clerk Submission Channels

The County Clerk open-records page gives four request channels for records held by that office: hand delivery, mail, fax, and email. Hand delivery and mail use 301 N. 3rd Street, Stanford, KY 40484. Fax requests use 606-365-4572. The page lists a protected email address for the County Clerk. The office responds within five business days after receipt, and copy fees must be paid in advance.

County Clerk records can be close in location to court records but not close in custody. Downtown Stanford has the Judicial Center at 101 East Main, the county-government building at 102 East Main, the County Attorney at 111 East Main, the sheriff at 104 North 2nd Street, and the County Clerk at 301 North 3rd Street. Going to the right counter matters. Court case records go to Circuit Court Clerk Angelia Doolin. Land, marriage, recorded-will, and County Clerk open-records requests go to County Clerk Nancy Jackson.