Henry County Probate Court Routing
Kentucky probate is not handled by a standalone county probate court in Henry County. District Court handles probate of wills. Circuit Court handles contested probate matters and real-property title disputes. Both court routes are accessed through the Henry County Office of Circuit Court Clerk at the Henry County Courthouse. The courthouse address is 30 N. Main St., P.O. Box 359, New Castle, KY 40050, and the court phone listed by KCOJ is 502-845-2868.
The Henry County Clerk has a different but related role. That office records wills and will-related documents. The County Clerk fee schedule lists Will, Renunciation of Will, and Disclaimer of Will recording fees. Recording a will-related document is not the same as opening or administering a probate case in District Court. A probate case file, appointment issue, court date, or contested matter should be checked through the Circuit Court Clerk and the court that has the case.
Henry County Probate Terms
Probate terms appear in court forms, clerk requests, and estate papers. These plain definitions help separate the person, the property, and the court role before contacting the Henry County clerk offices.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out a will after court appointment.
- Administrator
- A person appointed when an estate needs administration and no executor is serving.
- Intestate
- A death without a will.
- Guardianship
- A court-supervised authority to act for a minor or protected person.
- Conservatorship
- A court-supervised role tied to management of property or financial affairs for a protected person.
Search Henry County Probate Records
Henry County probate access uses several official channels. Start with the court clerk when the question is about an estate case, a filing, a probate hearing, a copy from the case file, or an off-site court file. Use the County Clerk when the question is about a recorded will or a recorded will-related document. Use the docket search only for court-date checks, not as a full probate file system.
- Identify whether the issue is routine probate, appointment of fiduciary, dispense-with-administration, a recorded will copy, or contested probate.
- Contact the Henry County Office of Circuit Court Clerk, District Court Division, for probate case files, filing requirements, and forms.
- Use KCOJ legal forms such as AOC-805, AOC-830, and AOC-841 when those forms fit the filing need.
- Search or request recorded will documents through the Henry County Clerk if a will was recorded in county clerk records.
- If the estate becomes contested or involves title litigation, confirm Circuit Court routing rather than assuming it remains a District Court matter.
Note: If an older probate court file is off-site, the Circuit Court Clerk should provide locator information for KDLA or the State Records Center.
Henry County Probate Contacts
The main probate court access point is the Office of Circuit Court Clerk because the clerk supports District Court, Circuit Court, and other state trial-court records in Henry County. The County Clerk card is included because recorded wills and copy requests may be handled there when the document is in county clerk records.
Office of Circuit Court Clerk
Henry County Courthouse
30 N. Main St., P.O. Box 359
New Castle, KY 40050
502-845-2868
HenryCountyCourts@kycourts.net
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Henry County Clerk
27 South Property Rd
New Castle, KY 40050
Mailing: P.O. Box 615, New Castle, KY 40050
502-845-5705
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; closed noon-1:00 p.m.
Henry County Probate Fees
Henry County research located County Clerk recording and copy fees for will-related documents, but it did not locate a verified Henry County court probate filing-fee schedule. Do not publish a court probate filing amount from another county. For court filing fees, contact the Circuit Court Clerk before filing. For recorded will documents, use the County Clerk fee schedule below.
| Record / Filing | Fee Source | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Will recorded by County Clerk | Henry County Clerk fee schedule | $47 |
| Renunciation of Will recorded by County Clerk | Henry County Clerk fee schedule | $46 |
| Disclaimer of Will recorded by County Clerk | Henry County Clerk fee schedule | $46 |
| County Clerk copies | Henry County Clerk records page | $0.25 per page |
| County Clerk certified copy | Henry County Clerk records page | $5; add $2 if over 10 pages |
| Court probate filing fees | Research gap | Not located in official Henry County research |
Henry County Probate Forms
KCOJ's probate guide and legal forms are the main official statewide sources located for Kentucky probate practice. Forms can be downloaded from kycourts.gov or obtained from the District Court Division of the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county. The form names below come from official Kentucky court forms described in the research.
| Form | Use Noted in Research |
|---|---|
| AOC-805 | Petition for Probate of Will and/or Appointment of Executor/Administrator, with options for probate of will and appointment, or appointment when there is no will. |
| AOC-830 | Petition/Order to Dispense With Administration and/or Probate of Will, including options related to testate or intestate status and surviving spouse, heirs, or next of kin. |
| AOC-841 | Inventory, requiring the fiduciary to list estate property, including real property description, address, and value at date of death. |
These forms do not replace advice from the clerk about local filing requirements. They also do not decide whether a matter belongs in District Court or Circuit Court when a dispute develops.
Henry County Probate Record Contents
Probate records may include petitions, orders, will filings, appointment papers, inventories, and documents that identify heirs, surviving spouse, next of kin, estate property, or fiduciary duties. AOC-805 includes estate or decedent name, petitioner details, a decedent SSN field, and petition statements. AOC-830 can identify whether administration or probate of will is being dispensed with and whether the decedent died testate or intestate. AOC-841 focuses on estate inventory details.
Recorded wills and will-related documents are a separate County Clerk record path. The Henry County Clerk's records section includes document copy rules, public computer access for clerk records, and a copy request form for specific documents. If the goal is a copy of a will recorded in clerk records, use the County Clerk. If the goal is a probate case file, court order, appointment paper, or docket setting, use the Circuit Court Clerk.
| Record Need | Start With | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Probate case file | Circuit Court Clerk | The clerk supports District Court probate files and Circuit Court contested matters. |
| Recorded will copy | County Clerk | The County Clerk records wills and will-related documents. |
| Probate hearing date | Trial Court Docket and Circuit Court Clerk | The docket may show settings, while the clerk can confirm file details. |
| Off-site older court file | Circuit Court Clerk | KCOJ says the clerk can provide file locator information for records held off-site. |
| Contested will or title dispute | Circuit Court Clerk | Contested probate and real-property title disputes route to Circuit Court. |
Restricted Henry County Probate Records
Most probate access questions should begin with the clerk that keeps the record, but not every document is automatically open in full. Probate filings can include sensitive personal information, financial details, protected-party information, or court orders that limit access. The research did not identify a Henry County-specific sealed-probate rule, so the page should not claim a local sealing policy beyond the need to confirm access with the clerk.
Guardianship, conservatorship, mental-health, juvenile, and other protected matters may involve access limits under Kentucky court practice and confidentiality rules. If a probate or related protective matter involves a minor, a protected person, or a sealed order, requesters should ask the Circuit Court Clerk what can be inspected and what requires a court order. The County Clerk cannot provide court-file documents such as divorce or child-support records, and the same office-boundary principle applies to probate questions.
Henry County Recorded Wills
The Henry County Clerk records wills and will-related documents as part of county recording work. The County Clerk homepage and about materials state that the office handles wills, deeds, mortgages, marriage licenses, motor vehicles, elections, delinquent taxes, and related county records. The records page also states the clerk does not prepare documents and recommends calling an attorney. That point is important for probate users because the clerk can handle records and copies, but cannot create estate documents or give legal advice.
The County Clerk copy request process is for a copy of a specific document. If the book and page number are known, provide them. If not, include recording date, parties, document control number, address, document type, or any other precise identifiers available. The clerk's form says documents are not sent until payment is received. For genealogy questions, the clerk recommends the Henry County Historical Society and states that the office does not do genealogy searches.
Note: A recorded will copy and an open probate case file may be related, but they are not the same record.