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FCRPP 15.Orders in dependency, neglect or abuse actions

Last amended February 1, 2020 · Current through July 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026

In one sentenceFCRPP 15 requires every order in a dependency, neglect or abuse action to be on the AOC's own forms and to carry a real signature made when the order is authorised — never a stamp, a verbal order, or a pre-signed form.

Full Text of FCRPP 15

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Any order entered in a dependency or neglect or abuse action shall be on the appropriate Administrative Office of the Courts forms. The forms must be signed by the Court with an actual signature or appropriate electronically produced signature made at the time the order is authorized and completed. Faxed or scanned original signatures are acceptable. A stamped signature, verbal order, or pre-signed order is not authorized under these rules and shall not be used. This rule does not preclude supplemental orders or orders for which there is no appropriate Administrative Office of the Courts forms.
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Amendment History

Kentucky publishes each rule’s amendment record as a “HISTORY” note beneath the rule, citing the Supreme Court order that adopted or amended it and that order’s effective date. It is reproduced verbatim below.

HISTORY: Adopted by Order 2020-1, eff. 2-1-20

Plain-English Summary

Child welfare orders move fast and often out of hours, which is exactly the setting in which shortcuts appear. This rule forecloses them.

Orders go on the appropriate Administrative Office of the Courts forms, signed by the court with an actual signature or an appropriate electronically produced one, made at the time the order is authorised and completed. Faxed or scanned original signatures are acceptable — the rule is not hostile to remote practice.

What it forbids is signing that is detached from deciding: a stamped signature, a verbal order, or a pre-signed order is not authorised and shall not be used. A pre-signed order in particular is an order made before the facts are known.

The last sentence keeps the rule from becoming a trap where no form exists: it does not preclude supplemental orders, or orders for which there is no appropriate AOC form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Kentucky judge issue a verbal removal order?

No. A stamped signature, verbal order, or pre-signed order is not authorised under these rules and shall not be used.

Are electronic signatures acceptable?

Yes. An appropriate electronically produced signature made at the time the order is authorised and completed is acceptable, as are faxed or scanned original signatures.

What if there is no AOC form for what the court needs to order?

The rule does not preclude supplemental orders, or orders for which there is no appropriate Administrative Office of the Courts form.

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Kentucky Family Court Rules of Procedure and Practice (Ky. FCRPP FCRPP 15). Promulgated by the Supreme Court of Kentucky. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 8, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: DNA ordersAOC formsdependency neglect abuseverbal orderpre-signed orderelectronic signature