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Kentucky County
Bath County, Kentucky
Owingsville's mineral springs heritage and the Salt Lick country - from Bath County's mineral springs history (Bath County was named for the famous mineral springs found throughout its territory - the salt licks and mineral springs that drew buffalo, deer, and early settlers to the northeastern Kentucky knobs and hills gave the county its name in reference to England's famous spa city Bath - the springs that defined early Kentucky settlement patterns remain part of the county's geological heritage) and the Knobs landscape between the Bluegrass and the mountains.
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Office: Bath County Emergency Management – 19 East Main Street, Owingsville, KY 40360 | (606) 674-6346.
Sheriff: Bath County Sheriff’s Office – 17 West Main Street, Owingsville, KY 40360 | (606) 674-2931 | Fax (606) 674-9290; Sheriff John Snedegar. Bath County Detention Center – (606) 674-2713.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-60 and I-64 serve Owingsville, the county seat, in northeastern Kentucky.
Notes: Bath County, formed in 1811 from the eastern part of Montgomery County, takes its name from the medicinal mineral springs found throughout the county, most famously Olympian Springs.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bath County Courthouse Annex – 19 East Main Street, Owingsville, KY 40360 | (606) 674-2186. The original Owingsville courthouse was destroyed by an accidental fire caused by Union troops during the Civil War in 1864.
Notes: Bath County is home to two genuinely distinctive facts. Olympian Springs (originally called Mud Lick), a mineral spring resort operating for over a century starting in the late 1700s, was favored by prominent visitors including Henry Clay, hosted Kentucky’s first stagecoach line (established 1803, connecting to Lexington), sheltered Lexingtonians fleeing the 1833 cholera epidemic, and was the site of an 1864 Civil War cavalry battle. Separately, Bath County is the site of the famous “Kentucky Meat Shower” – on March 3, 1876, a mysterious substance believed to be meat reportedly fell from a clear sky for about an hour, an event still referenced in discussions of unexplained atmospheric phenomena to this day.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bath County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via bathcounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bath County Public Library (Owingsville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cave Run Lake (8,270 acres, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood protection, offering fishing and wildlife habitat) and the historic Olympian Springs site are the county’s premier natural and historic attractions.
Notes: The genuine Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876 is one of the most unusual historical curiosities covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bath County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via bathcounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Humane Society of Bath County – 116 Rocky Lane, Owingsville, KY 40360 | (606) 674-2422.
⚠️ Additional smaller/foster-based operations reportedly serve the broader area (e.g., Bath County Animal Rescue in Salt Lick, Sylvia’s Animal Sanctuary in Owingsville) – confirm current status and intake policies directly, as availability for these smaller organizations can vary.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Bath County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via bathcounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Bath County is the sixth county in Kentucky’s inaugural batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876 is one of the most unusual historical curiosities covered anywhere 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 Bath County
Bath County was named for its mineral springs – the salt licks and natural springs that drew early settlers to the northeast Kentucky knobs gave the county its name in reference to England’s famous spa city, and the geological heritage of the springs-rich landscape continues to define the community’s identity.
Owingsville (the county seat, population ~1,500) serves Bath County’s agricultural and small manufacturing communities in the northeastern Kentucky hills.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Bath County PVA at 19 E. Main Street, Suite 1, Owingsville, KY 40360, phone 606-674-6382. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Bath County Circuit Court at 19 E. Main Street, Owingsville, KY 40360, phone 606-674-6328, 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)
19 E. Main St., Owingsville, KY 40360
(606) 674-2613
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
19 E. Main St., Owingsville, KY 40360
(606) 674-2911
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
19 E. Main St., Owingsville, KY 40360
(606) 674-2613
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bath County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bath 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
Bath County District Court Bath County Judicial Center, 19 East Main Street (P.O. Box 558), Owingsville, KY 40360 (606) 674-2186
Bath County was formed in 1811, named for its medicinal springs. Its seat, Owingsville, is also its largest city.
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
19 E. Main St., Owingsville, KY 40360
(606) 674-2121
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
19 E. Main St., Owingsville, KY 40360
(606) 674-2121
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
19 E. Main St., Owingsville, KY 40360
(606) 674-2613
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
19 E. Main St., Owingsville, KY 40360
(606) 674-2613
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Bath County Health Dept
(606) 674-6325
KY CHFS — Gateway Region
(606) 784-4165
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center
pbhrmc.com (Paintsville — adjacent Johnson County)
Morehead/St. Claire Regional Medical Center
saintclaire.org (adjacent Rowan County — primary hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Bath County Health Department – 68 Oberlin Street, Room 232, Owingsville, KY 40360 (P.O. Box 537) | (606) 674-9297 | Fax (606) 674-9298.
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