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Kentucky County
Breathitt County, Kentucky
"Bloody Breathitt" - Kentucky's most legendary feuding county - from Breathitt County's feud history (Breathitt County earned the nickname "Bloody Breathitt" from the extraordinary concentration of political and family feuds that claimed dozens of lives in the decades following the Civil War - the Strong-Little feud, the Hargis-Cockrell feud, the French-Eversole feud, and multiple political assassinations made Breathitt County the most violent county in Kentucky and one of the most feud-ridden in Appalachia, attracting national newspaper coverage and cementing the image of eastern Kentucky mountain conflict in the American imagination) and the North Fork Kentucky River's coal and timber heritage.
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Office: Breathitt County Emergency Management – Jackson, KY.
Sheriff: Breathitt County Sheriff’s Office – 1137 Main Street, Jackson, KY 41339 | (606) 666-3800 or (606) 666-3805; Sheriff John Hollan, in office since 2019.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. ⚠️ Breathitt County was among the areas devastated by catastrophic flooding in eastern Kentucky in late July 2022, one of the deadliest flood events in recent state history; residents should confirm current flood-preparedness resources with the county.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: KY-15 and the Mountain Parkway serve Jackson, the county seat, in the Appalachian foothills of eastern Kentucky, along the North and Middle Forks of the Kentucky River.
Notes: Breathitt County, formed April 1, 1839, is named for John Breathitt, Kentucky’s governor from 1832-1834. Jackson, originally called Breathitt Town/Breathitt Court House, was renamed in 1843 to honor Andrew Jackson.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Breathitt County Courthouse – Jackson, KY. The historic Breathitt County Jail (built c. 1934 by the Works Progress Administration, Classical Revival style) is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Notes: Breathitt County carries a well-documented, complicated legacy sometimes called “Bloody Breathitt” – a period of intense feud and political violence from roughly 1870 to 1912, driven by kinship rivalries, courthouse power struggles, and breakdowns in formal law enforcement, resulting in an estimated several hundred deaths countywide. The most infamous single incident was the 1903 assassination of U.S. Commissioner James B. Marcum on the courthouse steps, part of the Hargis-Marcum feud; Kentucky state militia was dispatched to Jackson multiple times (1870s and 1903) to restore order. Historians caution against reducing the county to this history alone – the violence stemmed from specific, documentable political and institutional failures rather than any inherent regional trait, and the county has moved well beyond this era.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Breathitt County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via breathittcounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Breathitt County Public Library (Jackson) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Breathitt County Honey Festival (running since 1978, held Labor Day weekend) and the Breathitt County Heritage Festival (July 4th) are the county’s signature annual events.
Notes: The historically significant, honestly-covered “Bloody Breathitt” era is treated as an important but not defining part of the county’s story.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Breathitt County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via breathittcounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Kentucky River Regional Animal Shelter – 194 Animal Shelter Lane, Hazard, KY 41701 | (606) 439-4064; a regional shelter serving Breathitt, Perry, Letcher, and Knott counties jointly, averaging over 300 animal intakes monthly with a reported 90%+ save rate over recent years through partnerships with 30+ rescue organizations nationwide. Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-5 PM, Sat 10 AM-2 PM. Adoption fees: dogs $125 (includes spay/neuter, shots, heartworm test), cats $35 (includes spay/neuter, shots).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Breathitt County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via breathittcounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Breathitt County is the sixth county in Kentucky’s second batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The historically significant “Bloody Breathitt” era is covered honestly here as an important but not defining part of the county’s story, alongside the recent and serious 2022 flooding. 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 Breathitt County
Breathitt County is “Bloody Breathitt” – the extraordinary concentration of feuds and political assassinations in the decades after the Civil War made this eastern Kentucky county the most violent in the state and one of the most feud-ridden in all of Appalachia, earning a national reputation that defined Kentucky mountain culture in the American imagination.
Jackson (the county seat, population ~2,100) serves Breathitt County’s post-coal communities in the North Fork Kentucky River valley.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Breathitt County PVA at 1137 Main Street, Suite 2, Jackson, KY 41339, phone 606-666-2488. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Breathitt County Circuit Court at 1137 Main Street, Jackson, KY 41339, phone 606-666-3802, 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)
1137 Main St., Jackson, KY 41339
(606) 666-3800
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
1137 Main St., Jackson, KY 41339
(606) 666-2352
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1137 Main St., Jackson, KY 41339
(606) 666-3800
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Breathitt County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Breathitt 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
Breathitt County District Court Breathitt County Justice Center, 1131 Main Street, Jackson, KY 41339 (606) 666-5768 Breathitt County is in eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian region, seated in Jackson.
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
1137 Main St., Jackson, KY 41339
(606) 666-7111
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
1137 Main St., Jackson, KY 41339
(606) 666-7111
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
1137 Main St., Jackson, KY 41339
(606) 666-3800
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1137 Main St., Jackson, KY 41339
(606) 666-3800
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Breathitt County Health Department – (606) 666-5274.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Jackson
Population: 12,000
Area: 495 sq mi
Established: 1839
Tier: 3
Public Records
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