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Office: Carlisle County Office of Public Safety (Emergency Management, E-911, Solid Waste) – 65 John Roberts Drive, Bardwell, KY 42023 | (270) 628-0248/0428 | Director Wayne Floyd. The county’s 911 center was the 2nd in Kentucky able to send/receive 911 text messages.
Sheriff: Carlisle County Sheriff’s Office – 985 US Highway 62, Bardwell, KY 42023 | (270) 628-3377; Sheriff Will Gilbert.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Non-emergency dispatch: (270) 628-5420 or (270) 628-0147.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-51 and US-62 intersect in Bardwell, the county seat, in Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase region near the Mississippi River. Carlisle County is the fourth-least populous county in Kentucky.
Notes: Carlisle County, created May 3, 1886 as Kentucky’s 119th county, is named for John Griffin Carlisle, a Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky. The county remains legally “dry.” When the county was formed, neighboring Arlington was initially named county seat, but Bardwell successfully challenged the decision due to its more central location, and the seat moved there.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Carlisle County Courthouse – Bardwell, KY.
Notes: Carlisle County holds two significant Mississippian-culture archaeological sites near Bardwell, both on the National Register of Historic Places: the Marshall Site (occupied roughly 900-1300 CE) and the nearby Turk Site (occupied roughly 1100-1500 CE), whose inhabitants are believed to have relocated from Marshall to the neighboring bluff spur. Both sites feature the characteristic Mississippian layout of platform mounds surrounding a central plaza, overlooking the Mississippi River floodplain, and have been the subject of academic excavation since the 1880s.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Carlisle County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via carlislecounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Carlisle County Public Library (Bardwell) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Carlisle County Park and the Marshall/Turk archaeological sites are the county’s notable local features.
Notes: The genuine Mississippian-culture Marshall and Turk sites are among the archaeologically significant prehistoric facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Carlisle County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via carlislecounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Carlisle County Animal Shelter – 93 West Court Street, Bardwell, KY 42023 (P.O. Box 279) | (270) 628-3744; Animal Control Officer Jason Frazier. ⚠️ Houses stray dogs only, no cat intake. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-3:30 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Carlisle County Solid Waste (part of Office of Public Safety) – confirm current contact via carlislecounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Carlisle County is the sixth county in Kentucky’s third batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Mississippian-culture Marshall and Turk archaeological sites are among the archaeologically significant prehistoric 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 Carlisle County County
Carlisle County is one of Kentucky’s smallest and most rural counties – a Mississippi River bottomland farming community in the far western Jackson Purchase where Bardwell serves the county’s governmental needs in a flat agricultural landscape that has more in common with the Missouri and Tennessee Delta country than with the Kentucky most people know.
Bardwell (the county seat, population ~700) is Carlisle County’s governmental hub, one of Kentucky’s smallest county seats – a small western Kentucky Purchase Region community serving the county’s row crop farming communities near the Mississippi River.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Carlisle County Property Valuation Administrator at 100 Court Square, Bardwell, KY 42023, phone 270-628-5451. KY assessed at 100% fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Carlisle County Circuit Court at 100 Court Square, Bardwell, KY 42023, phone 270-628-3362, 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)
1017 Bardwell Rd., Bardwell, KY 42023
(270) 628-5431
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
1017 Bardwell Rd., Bardwell, KY 42023
(270) 628-3731
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1017 Bardwell Rd., Bardwell, KY 42023
(270) 628-5431
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Carlisle County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Carlisle 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
Carlisle County District Court Carlisle County Courthouse, 985 U.S. Highway 62, P.O. Box 337, Bardwell, KY 42023 (270) 628-5425
Carlisle County was founded 1886, named for statesman John G. Carlisle. It is Kentucky’s fourth-least populous county. Its seat, Bardwell, 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
1017 Bardwell Rd., Bardwell, KY 42023
(270) 628-5551
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
1017 Bardwell Rd., Bardwell, KY 42023
(270) 628-5551
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
1017 Bardwell Rd., Bardwell, KY 42023
(270) 628-5431
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1017 Bardwell Rd., Bardwell, KY 42023
(270) 628-5431
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Carlisle County Health Dept
(270) 628-5431
KY CHFS — Purchase Region
(270) 444-9625
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Lourdes Hospital (Paducah)
lourdes.com (McCracken County — primary regional hospital)
Baptist Health Paducah
baptisthealthpaducah.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Carlisle 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: Bardwell
Population: 4,900
Area: 194 sq mi
Established: 1886
Public Records
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