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Office: Ballard County Office of Emergency Management – 150 Broadway, LaCenter, KY 42056 | (270) 665-9928. Ballard County E-911 – 132 Mayolo Ave, Wickliffe, KY | (270) 335-5411.
Sheriff: Ballard County Sheriff’s Office – 1718 Barlow Rd, Wickliffe, KY 42087 | (270) 335-3561 or (270) 335-5153 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Ronnie Giles. Ballard County Jail – 132 Mayola Ave, Wickliffe, KY | (270) 335-3561; holds up to 48 detainees.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Ballard County Ambulance Service – 150 Broadway, LaCenter, KY | (270) 665-5000 or (270) 665-9328.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-60 and US-62 serve Wickliffe, the county seat, in far western Kentucky’s “Jackson Purchase” region, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; LaCenter is the county’s largest city.
Notes: Ballard County, created in 1842 from parts of Hickman and McCracken counties, is named for Captain Bland Ballard, a Kentucky soldier and statesman.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Ballard County Courthouse – 132 North 4th Street, Wickliffe, KY 42087 | (270) 335-5123.
Notes: Ballard County is home to Wickliffe Mounds, a Mississippian-culture archaeological site (occupied roughly 1100-1350 CE) on a bluff overlooking the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, about 3 miles from their confluence. The site once served as a ceremonial and administrative center for a regional chiefdom, featuring two large platform mounds plus at least eight smaller mounds around a central plaza. First excavated in 1932, it was later transferred by Murray State University to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2004; it is on the National Register of Historic Places, a Kentucky Archaeological Landmark, and operates today as a state historic site with a museum, open April through mid-November.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ballard County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via ballardcounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Ballard-Carlisle County Public Library – 257 N. 4th St, Wickliffe, KY 42087 | (270) 335-5059.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site – part of both the Great River Road National Scenic Byway and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Route – is the county’s premier attraction.
Notes: The genuine Mississippian-culture heritage at Wickliffe Mounds is one of the most archaeologically significant facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Ballard County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via ballardcounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Ballard County Animal Control – (270) 335-3961; confirm current physical address and hours directly, as listings vary across sources.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Ballard County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via ballardcounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Ballard County is the fourth county in Kentucky’s inaugural batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Mississippian-culture heritage at Wickliffe Mounds is one of the most archaeologically significant facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Ballard County County
Ballard County is western Kentucky’s Wickliffe Mounds and sandhill crane county – the Mississippian culture ceremonial site overlooking the Ohio-Mississippi confluence and the spectacular winter crane migration that fills the Purchase Region wetlands define a remote far-western Kentucky county at the state’s southwestern tip where great rivers meet.
Wickliffe (the county seat, population ~700) is Ballard County’s governmental hub at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, a small western Kentucky river town whose Wickliffe Mounds, crane migration, and Mississippi River overlook anchor its community identity.
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Ballard County Property Valuation Administrator at 132 N. 4th Street, Wickliffe, KY 42087, phone 270-335-3400. KY assessed at 100% fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Ballard County Circuit Court at 132 N. 4th Street, Wickliffe, KY 42087, phone 270-335-5168, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
132 N. 4th St., Wickliffe, KY 42087
(270) 335-3211
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
132 N. 4th St., Wickliffe, KY 42087
(270) 335-3742
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
132 N. 4th St., Wickliffe, KY 42087
(270) 335-3211
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ballard County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Ballard County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Ballard County District Court Ballard County Courthouse, 132 North Fourth Street, Wickliffe, KY 42087
Ballard County is in far western Kentucky at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, seated in Wickliffe.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Kentucky has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code; probate is governed by KRS Chapter 395 (Administration of Estates), handled by the District Court in the county where the decedent resided (KRS 24A.120).
Dispensing with Administration – Kentucky’s simplified small-estate procedure, governed by KRS 395.450, 395.455, and 395.470. Available when the value of the personal estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $30,000, and the petitioner is a surviving spouse, adult child, or other qualifying heir/preferred creditor. The petitioner files a Petition to Dispense with Administration (Form AOC-830) with an affidavit listing assets, debts, and proposed distribution – no personal representative or full administration is required. Real estate is generally not covered by this procedure.
Regular (Full) Administration – for larger or more complex estates, the District Court appoints a personal representative (executor if named in a will, administrator if intestate), who gathers assets, pays debts, and distributes what remains under court oversight.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor/Administrator (Form AOC-805) with the District Court in the county of residence.
If there’s a will, the court admits it to probate; it is then recorded with the county clerk (KRS 394.140).
The personal representative files an Inventory and Appraisement (Form AOC-841) of estate assets.
Notice to creditors is published; creditors generally have 6 months from appointment to file claims.
The personal representative pays valid debts, taxes, and expenses.
A Settlement of Estate (Form AOC-846) is filed, and the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Filing fees and publication costs are collected by the clerk and vary somewhat by county.
Kentucky does not require an attorney for probate, though it is commonly recommended, especially for formal administration.
Typical timelines: full probate generally takes 6-12 months; the creditor claims period is 6 months. Dispensing with Administration can move significantly faster once the estate qualifies.
Before distribution, a surviving spouse may petition for release of up to $2,500 from the estate as an exempt charge against estate property.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
132 N. 4th St., Wickliffe, KY 42087
(270) 335-5141
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
132 N. 4th St., Wickliffe, KY 42087
(270) 335-5141
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
132 N. 4th St., Wickliffe, KY 42087
(270) 335-3211
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
132 N. 4th St., Wickliffe, KY 42087
(270) 335-3211
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Ballard County Health Dept
(270) 335-3332
KY CHFS — Purchase Region
(270) 444-9625
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Lourdes Hospital (Paducah)
lourdes.com (McCracken County — major regional hospital)
Baptist Health Paducah
baptisthealthpaducah.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Ballard County Health Department – 198 Bluegrass Dr, LaCenter, KY 42056 | (270) 665-5432.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Wickliffe
Population: 8,000
Area: 250 sq mi
Established: 1842
Public Records
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