Caldwell County Clerk Office
Jennifer Watson Hale is the Caldwell County Clerk. The office handles county records and services, not local trial court case files. Its official service areas include deeds, corporate records, liens, land records, marriage licenses, delinquent-tax information, motor-vehicle title and registration matters, elections, passports, and related county services. The office is in Room 23 at 100 East Market Street in Princeton.
The County Clerk is important for records that often get confused with court records. A recorded will, deed, mortgage, lien, plat, or marriage license may be in County Clerk records even when a related court case or probate filing sits with the Circuit Court Clerk. The Caldwell County Clerk records page also provides local online channels through eCCLIX and DOC ALERT.
Caldwell County Clerk
County Clerk: Jennifer Watson Hale
100 East Market Street, Room 23
Princeton, KY 42445
270-365-6754
Fax: 270-365-7447
JenniferL.Hale@ky.gov
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; recording office closed 12-1 p.m.
The Caldwell County Clerk home page identifies the office, services, hours, and contact path.
The home page is the starting point for county records that do not belong to the Circuit Court Clerk.
Caldwell County Clerk Records
The County Clerk records page provides the official local online record channel for land records, marriage licenses, and other public records archived in the County Clerk's Office. It describes eCCLIX as the Internet version of CCLIX, a system used in many Kentucky county clerk offices. It also distinguishes private citizen searching from commercial research.
- Land records: deeds, mortgages, plats, powers of attorney, and related recorded instruments.
- Marriage records: local marriage licenses and county clerk marriage-license services.
- Liens: judgment liens, mechanic liens, federal tax liens, state tax liens, and lis pendens notices.
- Recorded wills: will-related recording entries after probate or related filing steps.
- County services: elections, motor-vehicle title and registration, delinquent tax, and other local clerk functions.
The Caldwell County Clerk records page describes eCCLIX, DOC ALERT, request forms, and recording fees.
The records page is the source for the local online search split and recording fee table.
Caldwell County eCCLIX Search
eCCLIX is split by user type. Commercial users are businesses or people in the business of researching documents. They pay a subscription fee and can add other counties to the searchable area. Private citizens are Caldwell County residents who search for personal reasons with no commercial gain. They may search only Caldwell County records, are limited to five searches per day, and pay no charge for that service.
| User type | Access | Limit | Cost described |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private citizen | Caldwell County records only | Five searches per day | No charge for eligible personal use |
| Commercial user | Subscription search with added counties available | Business research use | Subscription fee |
The eCCLIX Caldwell private citizen signup is the local no-charge resident search channel described by the clerk.
The private-citizen option is local to Caldwell residents and is not the same as a statewide court case search.
The eCCLIX subscription page is the official channel for commercial users.
The subscription path is meant for businesses and researchers who need commercial document-search access.
Caldwell County DOC ALERT
DOC ALERT is a free Software Management, LLC service advertised by the Caldwell County Clerk. A person or business registers a name and email address. The tool then sends email notices when a mortgage or deed bearing the registered personal or business name is recorded in the Caldwell County Clerk's Office. It is a notification service, not a replacement for a title search or full land-record review.
The Caldwell DOC ALERT page provides the registration channel for mortgage and deed notifications. DOC ALERT is useful for county land-record monitoring because it is tied to Caldwell recorded deeds and mortgages.
Caldwell County Recording Fees
The County Clerk records page lists a local recording-fee table. These fees are for County Clerk recording, not for Circuit or District Court filing fees. That distinction matters for probate users because a probate case filing may be handled by District Court through the Circuit Court Clerk, while a will or related instrument may later be recorded with the County Clerk.
| Record or document | Category | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Deed | Deed / Condo Deed | $50 |
| Mortgage | Mortgage / Condo Mortgage | $80 |
| Mortgage with assignment | Mortgage / Condo Mortgage | $126 |
| Will | Will | $47 |
| Renunciation of Will | Will | $46 |
| Disclaimer of Will | Will | $46 |
| Judgment lien | Encumbrance | $46 |
| Mechanic lien | Mechanic lien | $46 |
| Tax lien, state | Encumbrance | $5 |
Caldwell Marriage License Clerk
Marriage licenses in Caldwell County are issued by the County Clerk. The official services page says applicants must apply together and complete a worksheet before arrival. Both applicants must be 18 or older. There is no waiting period, blood test, or physical requirement. The license is valid for 30 days including the date issued and is valid anywhere in Kentucky.
Both parties must present acceptable identification, such as a driver's license, government-issued picture ID, original birth certificate, or passport. Non-U.S. citizens need an original birth certificate and passport or government ID. The local page lists a $60 license fee, but its check-payee wording appears to be a template error from another county. Confirm payee and payment method with the Caldwell County Clerk before applying.
The Caldwell County Clerk services page lists marriage-license requirements and other services.
The services page is the local source for marriage-license steps before visiting Room 23.
Caldwell Clerk Contact Form
The County Clerk contact page provides a public contact form and lists e-recording vendors. The exposed fields are simple: name, email, comment, CAPTCHA, and submit. The official e-recording vendors listed in the research include CSC, Simplifile, ePN, and Indecomm, with phone and email contacts shown in the source material.
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Placeholder example uses a full name. |
| Used for a response from the clerk office. | ||
| Comment | Textarea | Open message field for the request or question. |
| CAPTCHA | Verification | Site uses CAPTCHA before submission. |
The Caldwell County Clerk contact page shows the contact form and vendor list.
The contact page is useful for county clerk services, but court case files still belong with the Circuit Court Clerk.
Caldwell County E-Recording
The Caldwell County Clerk research lists several e-recording vendors for document submitters. CSC is listed with phone 866-652-0111 and email erecording@cscglobal.com. Simplifile is listed with phone 800-460-5657 and email support@simplifile.com. ePN is listed with phone 888-325-3365 and email support@goepn.com. Indecomm appears on the contact page with phone 704-412-3179. These vendor details matter for deed, mortgage, lien, and other county recording work.
E-recording is not the same as a court e-filing or court case search. A mortgage, deed, lien, or plat may be sent to the County Clerk for recording, while a civil complaint, criminal motion, divorce decree, traffic citation, or probate petition is a court record handled through the Circuit Court Clerk and Kentucky Court of Justice systems. The two workflows can touch the same life event, but they create different records in different offices.
| Vendor | Phone | Email or note |
|---|---|---|
| CSC | 866-652-0111 | erecording@cscglobal.com |
| Simplifile | 800-460-5657 | support@simplifile.com |
| ePN | 888-325-3365 | support@goepn.com |
| Indecomm | 704-412-3179 | Listed on the Caldwell County Clerk contact page |
Caldwell County Record Boundaries
The County Clerk can be the right office for a recorded will, but not necessarily for the probate case. Kentucky District Court handles probate of wills, and contested probate belongs in Circuit Court. After probate, a will or order may be recorded with the County Clerk, which is why County Clerk fee tables list will, renunciation of will, and disclaimer of will recording fees. Search both paths when a probate matter has court filings and recorded instruments.
Marriage and divorce also split by office. The County Clerk issues Caldwell County marriage licenses. The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics holds statewide marriage and divorce certificates from June 1958 forward. Divorce decrees and divorce case files are Circuit Court records from the county where the divorce was granted. That means a Caldwell marriage license, a Caldwell divorce decree, and a statewide divorce certificate can involve three different access channels.
Note: County Clerk records are county recordings; Circuit Court Clerk records are trial court case files.
Caldwell Clerk Visit Timing
The County Clerk's posted office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the research notes that the recording office closes from 12-1 p.m. for lunch. That hour is easy to miss and can affect deed recording, paper record review, marriage-license questions, and same-day document work. Anyone traveling to Room 23 for recording services should plan around the lunch closure and confirm payment requirements before arriving.