Rule 7.03.Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court.
Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceRule 7.03 requires attorneys and parties filing civil documents, other than in domestic violence matters, to redact Social Security numbers, taxpayer ID numbers, birth dates, and financial account numbers to limited digits, keep an unredacted original, and comply with court orders on sealing or added redaction, subject to sanctions including striking the filing.
(1)Unless the court orders otherwise, in a civil filing with the court, excluding domestic violence matters, that contains certain personal data, including an individual's social security number or taxpayer- identification number, or birth date, or a financial account number, an attorney or party making the filing must redact the document so the following information cannot be read:
(a)all but the last four digits of the social-security number or taxpayer-identification number;
(b)the month and day of the individual's birth; and
(c)the digits of the financial-account number.
Redaction may be made by any method, including but not limited to replacing the identifiers with neutral placeholders or covering the identifiers with an indelible mark, that so obscures the identifiers that they cannot be read.
(2)An attorney or party making a filing under part (1) above shall keep an unredacted, original copy of the filing. The attorney and party shall be custodians of the original or unredacted copy of the filing and shall present it upon order of the court.
(3)The court may order that a filing be made under seal without redaction. If the court orders an unredacted copy of the filing under seal, a copy redacted in compliance with part (1) of this rule may also be filed.
(4)For good cause, the court may by order in a case:
(a)require redaction of additional information; or
(b)limit or prohibit a nonparty's access to a document filed with the court.
(5)The clerk is not required to review filings with the court for compliance with this rule. The responsibility to redact filings rests with counsel and the party making the filing.
(6)A person waives the protection of this rule as to the person's own information by including it in a filing without redaction.
(7)An attorney or party failing to comply with this rule will be subject to the sanction powers of the court, including having the relevant filing stricken from the record. A conforming copy of a filing previously stricken from the record for failure to comply with this rule may be refiled unless otherwise ordered by the court.
Amendment History
(Amended February 11, 2009, effective April 1, 2009; amended November 3, 2010, effective January 1, 2011; amended October 7, 2013, effective January 1, 2014.)
Plain-English Summary
Rule 7.03 protects sensitive personal information in civil court filings. Unless the court orders otherwise, anyone filing a document that contains a Social Security number, taxpayer-identification number, birth date, or financial account number must redact it before filing: only the last four digits of the Social Security or taxpayer-ID number may show, the month and day of a birth date must be hidden, and the digits of a financial account number must be covered. Any method that blocks the information from being read will do, whether that means swapping in neutral placeholders or covering the text with an indelible mark. Domestic violence matters fall outside this redaction requirement.
The person who files the redacted document has to keep an unredacted, original copy and produce it if the court orders it. A court can also order a filing made under seal without redaction, and when it does, a separately redacted copy can still be filed for public access. For good cause, a court can go further in a given case -- ordering redaction of information beyond what the rule lists, or limiting or blocking a nonparty's access to a filed document. The clerk does not review filings for compliance; that responsibility falls on the attorney or party making the filing, and including your own information in a filing without redacting it waives the rule's protection for that information.
Filing a document that should have been redacted can lead to sanctions, including having the filing struck from the record. If that happens, a conforming, redacted copy can generally be refiled unless the court orders otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What personal information has to be redacted in Kentucky court filings?
Rule 7.03 requires redacting all but the last four digits of a Social Security or taxpayer-identification number, the month and day of a birth date, and the digits of a financial account number, unless the court orders otherwise.
Does the redaction rule apply to domestic violence cases?
No. Rule 7.03 excludes domestic violence matters from its redaction requirement.
What happens if I file an unredacted document by mistake in Kentucky?
The court can impose sanctions on the attorney or party, including striking the filing from the record, though a conforming redacted copy can generally be refiled unless the court orders otherwise.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (Ky. R. Civ. P. 7.03). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Kentucky (Ky. Const. § 116). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
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