(1) The clerk of each trial court shall keep a docket for each original action filed in that court. Actions shall be assigned consecutive file numbers as prescribed in the circuit clerks manual published by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The file number of each action shall be inscribed on the heading of the page of the docket on which the first entry of the action is made. All papers filed with the clerk, process issued and returns made, appearances, orders, verdicts, and judgments shall be marked with the file number and shall be noted chronologically in the docket on the page or pages of the docket assigned to the action. These notations shall be brief but shall show the nature of each paper filed or issued and the substance of each order or judgment of the court and of the returns showing execution of process. The notation of an order or judgment shall show the date the notation is made. When a trial by jury has been properly demanded or ordered the clerk shall enter the word "jury" on the heading of the page of the docket on which the first entry of the action is made.
Rule 79.01.Dockets.
Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceRequires the clerk of each trial court to keep a docket that assigns each action a consecutive file number and chronologically records every filing, order, judgment, and return of process, plus a separate appellate docket for appealed actions.
Full Text of Rule 79.01
(2) The circuit court clerk shall keep for each action appealed to that court a separate appellate docket. Such actions shall be assigned consecutive file numbers as prescribed in the Circuit Clerks Manual published by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The provisions of paragraph (1) of this Rule 79.01 relating to entries on the docket shall apply also to the appellate docket.
Amendment History
(Amended effective July 1, 1976; amended October 14, 1977, effective January 1, 1978.)
Plain-English Summary
Rule 79.01 is the record-keeping backbone of a Kentucky trial court file. When an action is filed, the clerk assigns it a consecutive file number under the circuit clerks manual and writes that number on the docket page where the case starts. From there, every paper filed, every process issued and returned, every appearance, order, verdict, and judgment gets logged chronologically on that case's docket pages, with a brief note of what each entry is and the date an order or judgment was entered.
If a party has demanded or the court has ordered a jury trial, the clerk marks the word "jury" on the docket's heading page for that action, flagging it from the start.
The circuit court clerk keeps a separate docket for actions that arrive on appeal. Those appealed actions get their own consecutive file numbers, and the same entry rules from paragraph (1) apply to that appellate docket.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information does the clerk record on a Kentucky case docket?
The docket shows the file number, and chronologically notes every paper filed, every process issued and its return, appearances, orders, verdicts, and judgments. Notations for orders or judgments include the date the notation was made.
How does a Kentucky clerk mark a case as a jury case?
When a trial by jury has been properly demanded or ordered, the clerk enters the word "jury" on the heading of the docket page where the first entry of the action appears.
Does an appealed case get a different docket than the trial court case?
Yes. The circuit court clerk keeps a separate appellate docket for each action appealed to that court, with its own consecutive file number, and follows the same entry rules used for the original action docket.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (Ky. R. Civ. P. 79.01). 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
Also known as: Kentucky court docket ruleCR 79.01how are Kentucky case file numbers assignedappellate docket circuit court Kentuckyjury trial notation on docket