Hancock County Probate Court Venue
Probate of wills is handled in Kentucky District Court. In Hancock County, District Court sits at the Hancock County Judicial Center, 310 Hawesville School Drive, P.O. Box 250, Hawesville, Kentucky 42348-0250. Circuit Court Clerk Michael T. Boling serves as the local court clerk for District Court, Circuit Court, and Family Court records. The clerk's office phone numbers are 270-927-8144 and 270-927-8145, and the fax number is 270-927-8629. KCOJ lists local court office hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
District Court handles probate of wills, while contested probate and higher-level estate disputes may involve Circuit Court because Circuit Court jurisdiction includes contested probate. That means a simple estate may stay in District Court, but a dispute over a will, title, injunction, or appeal can move into the broader Circuit Court record system. The same Circuit Court Clerk counter is still the starting point for official court copies in Hawesville.
Probate Division of District Court
Clerk: Michael T. Boling / Mike Boling
Hancock County Judicial Center
310 Hawesville School Drive
Hawesville, KY 42348-0250
270-927-8144 or 270-927-8145
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hancock County Probate Terms
Probate files use words that are plain once tied to the task in the estate. These terms appear in Kentucky probate forms, estate petitions, inventories, settlements, and orders. They also help when searching KYeCourts or asking the Circuit Court Clerk for a specific document instead of a broad file pull.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out estate duties after court appointment.
- Administrator
- The person appointed when there is no will or no executor can serve.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
- Inventory
- A filed list of estate assets, often using AOC-841.
- Settlement
- An accounting of estate receipts and disbursements, often using AOC-846 or AOC-850.
Search Hancock County Probate Records
Probate record access depends on the age and type of the file. Public case information may appear through KYeCourts if the estate case is indexed and public. The official probate file, certified copies, older files, and court-stamped documents route through Michael T. Boling's Circuit Court Clerk office. Historical material may also be held by Hancock County Archives, which reports County, Circuit, and District court records dating back to 1829. Recorded wills may appear in the County Clerk's legal record system, where the clerk fee schedule lists will recording at $47.
- Search public case information through KYeCourts guest access when the probate case is public and indexed.
- Use the decedent name, estate case number, filing year, or representative name to narrow the request.
- Contact the Hancock Circuit Court Clerk for certified probate copies, file inspection, and older court-file questions.
- Check Hancock County Archives for historical files, loose case documents, and older court records.
- Use the County Clerk's eCCLIX/CCLIX records path for recorded wills where the document is part of clerk legal records.
The Kentucky Court of Justice legal forms page is one official source for probate forms used with Hancock County estate filings.
Forms are not the record itself, but they show the fields and filings that become part of the Hancock County probate case file.
Hancock County Probate Process
The Kentucky probate guide describes the basic estate flow. The process starts with locating the original will if one exists, then filing a petition asking the District Court judge to admit the will and appoint an executor or to appoint an administrator when there is no will. After appointment, the representative handles inventory, notice, property, creditors, settlement, and closing steps under court supervision.
| Stage | Record Created | Local Access Point |
|---|---|---|
| Petition filed | Estate petition and case opening | Circuit Court Clerk |
| Will admitted or representative appointed | Order and appointment papers | District Court file |
| Inventory due | AOC-841 inventory, generally within 60 days of appointment | Probate case file |
| Settlement phase | AOC-846 settlement or AOC-850 informal final settlement | Probate case file |
| Older estate research | Archived court records and loose documents | Hancock County Archives |
Hancock County Probate Form Fields
Probate forms are a useful map of what the estate record may contain. AOC-841 inventory records identify estate assets. AOC-846 settlement records show the estate accounting. AOC-850 can be used for informal final settlement when the legal conditions are met. Other forms are available through KCOJ or from the District Court Division of the Office of Circuit Court Clerk.
| Form | Fields Captured | Use in Probate Record |
|---|---|---|
| AOC-841 Inventory | Estate, case, county, real property, vehicles, personal property, cash, other property, representative signature | Shows estate assets and values. |
| AOC-846 Settlement | Case, court, county, estate name, settlement type, receipts, disbursements, vouchers, representative signature | Shows accounting and settlement activity. |
| AOC-850 Informal Final Settlement | Estate and settlement information | Used for informal closing when allowed. |
Hancock County Probate Fees
The Kentucky probate guide says the local Circuit Court Clerk can provide the required filing fee. The Hancock KCOJ county page did not publish a probate-specific filing fee in the reviewed research. It does list court payment methods for Hancock court obligations, including cash, money order, certified check, personal check from a local bank, and ePay where eligible. The County Clerk fee schedule separately lists a will recording fee, but that is not the same as a District Court probate filing fee.
| Item | Amount or Handling |
|---|---|
| Probate filing fee | Confirm with Hancock Circuit Court Clerk. |
| Court payment methods | Cash, money order, certified check, local personal check, or ePay where eligible. |
| Recorded will through County Clerk | $47 listed on the County Clerk recording fee schedule. |
| County Clerk non-commercial copy | $0.50 per copy under the open-records policy. |
| Historical file research | Contact Hancock County Archives for availability and handling. |
Note: Probate filing fees and recorded-instrument fees come from different offices, so confirm the office before paying.
Restricted Hancock County Probate Records
Most estate filings are public unless a law, order, or redaction rule limits access. Probate files can still contain sensitive information such as account data, minor names, protected addresses, or medical details. Guardianship, conservatorship, mental-health-related matters, sealed disputes, and confidential attachments may not be available through a public portal. KRS 61.878 lists public-record exemptions, and court-specific rules control case-record access.
The probate research also flagged the Kentucky State Police sex offender registry page as a source captured for this page, but it is not a probate access channel. It can be relevant only when estate, guardianship, or fiduciary research intersects with a separate public-safety check.
For probate access, the controlling local sources remain the Circuit Court Clerk, KYeCourts, the County Clerk for recorded wills, and Hancock County Archives.