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Kentucky County
Butler County, Kentucky
The Green River and Butler County's south-central Kentucky farming heritage - from the Green River's Butler County corridor (the Green River flowing through Butler County is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in North America - its mussel fauna represents one of the richest freshwater mollusk communities on the continent, and the river's limestone-filtered water and varied habitat support extraordinary aquatic biodiversity in one of the most species-rich river systems east of the Mississippi) and Butler County's traditional tobacco and livestock farming communities.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Butler County Emergency Management – 110 North Main Street, Morgantown, KY 42261 (P.O. Box 626) | (270) 526-0395 | Email: [email protected].
Sheriff: Butler County Sheriff’s Office – 110 North Main Street (1st floor of courthouse), Morgantown, KY 42261 (P.O. Box 100) | (270) 526-3676 | Fax (270) 526-2846 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Scottie Ward.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: The Natcher Parkway (formerly Green River Parkway) and US-231 serve Morgantown, the county seat, in south-central Kentucky along the Green River.
Notes: Butler County, formed January 18, 1810 as Kentucky’s 53rd county, is named for Major General Richard Butler, who died at the 1791 Battle of the Wabash. Morgantown, founded in 1813, began as a settlement of Revolutionary War veterans awarded land for military service.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Butler County Courthouse – 110 N. Main St, Morgantown, KY (P.O. Box 625). No building permit is required for a single-family dwelling in the county.
Notes: Butler County is home to a genuinely significant concentration of prehistoric archaeology along the Green River, part of what archaeologists call the “Green River Shell Mound Archaic” – a cluster of shell midden sites dating back roughly 6,000-3,000 years, among the most intensively studied hunter-gatherer sites in North America. The county contains several individually listed National Register sites, including the Carlston Annis Shell Mound and DeWeese Shell Mound, and the Annis Mound and Village Site, a later Middle Mississippian-culture platform mound (occupied roughly 800-1300 CE) with a 110-foot-square, 12-foot-tall earthen mound. Large-scale excavations here during the 1930s, conducted as WPA-funded Depression-era relief work, produced foundational research on the region’s earliest inhabitants.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Butler County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via butlercounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Butler County Public Library (Morgantown) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Green River shell mound archaeological sites and the Annis Mound and Village Site are the county’s most nationally significant historic features; numerous local parks along the Green River support fishing and boating.
Notes: The genuine Green River Shell Mound Archaic heritage is one of the most archaeologically important prehistoric-era facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Butler County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via butlercounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Butler County Animal Shelter – 463 Boat Factory Road, Morgantown, KY 42261 | (270) 526-2694 | Email: [email protected]; supervised by Ruby Fooks, relies heavily on volunteer participation.
Friends of Butler County Animals (FOBCA) – same address | a 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner running a spay/neuter clinic (270) 999-4695 and adoption support.
Butler County Animal Control (strays/nuisance/abuse) – (270) 526-3676 (county) or (270) 526-3662 (city).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Butler County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via butlercounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Butler County is the second county in Kentucky’s third batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Green River Shell Mound Archaic heritage is one of the most archaeologically important prehistoric-era facts 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 Butler County
Butler County sits on one of North America’s most biologically diverse rivers – the Green River’s extraordinary freshwater mussel fauna and aquatic biodiversity make it one of the continent’s most species-rich river systems, flowing through a south-central Kentucky agricultural landscape of tobacco and livestock farms.
Morgantown (the county seat, population ~2,500) serves Butler County’s Green River valley communities between Bowling Green and Owensboro.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Butler County PVA at 110 N. Main Street, Suite 1, Morgantown, KY 42261, phone 270-526-5052. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Butler County Circuit Court at 110 N. Main Street, Morgantown, KY 42261, phone 270-526-3594, 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)
110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261
(270) 526-3433
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261
(270) 526-3492
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261
(270) 526-3433
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Butler County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Butler 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
Butler County District Court Butler County Courthouse, 110 North Main Street, P.O. Box 625, Morgantown, KY 42261 (270) 526-5631
Butler County was founded January 18, 1810, named for General Richard Butler. Its seat, Morgantown, 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
110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261
(270) 526-3676
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261
(270) 526-3676
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261
(270) 526-3433
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261
(270) 526-3433
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Butler County Health Dept
(270) 526-3367
KY CHFS — Barren River Region
(270) 780-2340
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Medical Center at Bowling Green
themedicalcenter.org (Bowling Green — primary regional hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Butler County Health Department – 104 N. Warren Street, Morgantown, KY 42261 | (270) 526-3221.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Morgantown
Population: 13,000
Area: 427 sq mi
Established: 1810
Tier: 3
Public Records
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