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Kentucky County
Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County - the namesake of America's native spirit - from the origin of bourbon whiskey's name (the distilled corn whiskey made in the limestone spring water country of Bourbon County, Kentucky was shipped down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in charred oak barrels - barrels labeled "Old Bourbon" at the Bourbon County shipping point gave the spirit its name that has defined American whiskey ever since) to the Cane Ridge Meeting House (the site of the 1801 Cane Ridge Revival - the outdoor camp meeting that launched the Second Great Awakening, attracting an estimated 20,000 people to a frontier clearing in Bourbon County in what became the largest religious gathering in American history to that point).
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Office: Bourbon County Emergency Management – 345 East Main Street, Paris, KY 40361 | (859) 987-2140 | Fax (859) 987-2141.
Sheriff: Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office – 301 Main Street, Room 104, Paris, KY 40361 | (859) 987-2130 | Fax (859) 987-9284 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Tony Asbury. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-27 and US-68 serve Paris, the county seat, in the Bluegrass region near Lexington.
Notes: Bourbon County, established in 1785 from part of Fayette County, Virginia, is one of Kentucky’s nine original counties, named for the French House of Bourbon in gratitude for France’s support during the American Revolution.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bourbon County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Paris, KY (built 1902-05, Beaux Arts style, designed by Frank P. Milburn, on the National Register of Historic Places); it is the fourth courthouse on the site, following an 1901 fire whose cause remains a mystery – courthouse workers reportedly saved all records by locking them in fireproof vaults that night, though the vaults had inexplicably been left unlocked most other nights.
Notes: Bourbon County is at the center of one of American whiskey’s most enduring debates: whether “bourbon” whiskey is genuinely named for this county. The original Bourbon County (established 1785, later subdivided into 34 modern Kentucky counties) covered a huge swath of the Bluegrass, and one long-standing theory holds that whiskey barrels stamped “Bourbon County” as their origin gave the spirit its name once shipped down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Other historians attribute the name instead to Bourbon Street in New Orleans or argue the timeline doesn’t quite support the county theory – the term “bourbon whiskey” doesn’t reliably appear in print until the 1820s, decades after the county’s founding. Whatever the true etymology, the connection remains a genuine point of pride locally, and the county seat, fittingly, is named Paris.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bourbon County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via bourbonky.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bourbon County Public Library (Paris) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Paris Courthouse Square Historic District and the Bourbon County Fairgrounds are the county’s notable local sites.
Notes: The genuine, contested “bourbon whiskey” naming debate is one of the most historically fascinating facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bourbon County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via bourbonpva.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Bourbon County Animal Control – 301 Main Street, Room 101, Paris, KY 40361-2005 | (859) 987-2100 ext. 1 (or 859-988-9800 per some listings) | Email: [email protected]; handles animal control, rescue, and owner surrenders. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-4:30 PM; emergencies handled 24/7.
Paris Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) – 6 Legion Road, Paris, KY 40361 | (859) 988-9800; a nonprofit partner offering low-cost spay/neuter ($15 for Bourbon County residents) and lost-and-found support.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Bourbon County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via bourbonky.com.
NOTES: Bourbon County is the second county in Kentucky’s second batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine, contested “bourbon whiskey” naming debate is one of the most historically fascinating 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 Bourbon County
Bourbon County is the namesake of America’s most celebrated spirit – the barrels of corn whiskey labeled “Old Bourbon” at the county’s shipping points gave bourbon whiskey its name, and the 1801 Cane Ridge Revival transformed American religious history.
Paris (the county seat, population ~9,500) has a dual heritage of extraordinary historical significance. The county gave bourbon whiskey its name – the most iconic American spirit traces its designation to Bourbon County shipping labels. The Cane Ridge Meeting House preserves the site of the 1801 revival that launched the Second Great Awakening.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Bourbon County PVA at 301 Main Street, Suite 15, Paris, KY 40361, phone 859-987-2152. KY property assessed at fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Bourbon County Circuit Court at 301 Main Street, Paris, KY 40361, phone 859-987-2624, 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)
301 Main St., Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2139
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
301 Main St., Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2034
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
301 Main St., Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2139
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bourbon County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1902-1905 Bourbon County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark within the Paris Courthouse Square Historic District.
Local societies
No dedicated Bourbon 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
Bourbon County District Court Bourbon County Judicial Center, 310 Main Street, Paris, KY 40361 (859) 987-2624
Bourbon County was founded 1785, named for the House of Bourbon. Its seat, Paris, is home to the 1902-1905 Bourbon County Courthouse (Beaux Arts, National Register of Historic Places), the fourth courthouse built on the same site.
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
301 Main St., Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2011
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
301 Main St., Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2011
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
301 Main St., Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2139
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
301 Main St., Paris, KY 40361
(859) 987-2139
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Bourbon County Health Dept
(859) 987-1930
KY CHFS — Bluegrass Region
(859) 246-2090
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Bourbon Community Hospital
bourbonhospital.com (Paris — quality community hospital)
University of Kentucky Medical Center
uky.edu/healthcare (Lexington — elite academic medical center)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Bourbon County Health Department – confirm current contact via chfs.ky.gov local health department directory.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Paris
Population: 20,000
Area: 292 sq mi
Established: 1786
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Bourbon County residents.
