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Kentucky County
Clark County, Kentucky
Winchester's Beer Cheese and the Kentucky River palisades - from Winchester's Beer Cheese heritage (Winchester, Kentucky claims to be the birthplace of beer cheese - the spreadable processed cheese seasoned with beer and spices that has become a Kentucky culinary staple, served with crackers at every Bluegrass gathering - the recipe is traced to the Driftwood Inn on the Kentucky River in Winchester in the 1930s) to the Kentucky River Palisades (the dramatic limestone cliffs rising 300-400 feet above the Kentucky River in Clark County are one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the Bluegrass, providing hiking, paddling, and biodiversity in a UNESCO-recognized area).
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Office: Winchester/Clark Co. CSEPP/EOC (Emergency Management) – 200 Maryland Avenue, Winchester, KY 40391 | (859) 745-7415/7416 | Director Perri Wilson. Clark County participates in the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP), a FEMA/U.S. Army partnership created in 1985 to protect nearby communities from the Bluegrass Army Depot’s chemical weapons stockpile in neighboring Madison County – Clark is part of the designated Protective Action Zone alongside Fayette, Powell, Estill, Jackson, Rockcastle, and Garrard counties.
Sheriff: Clark County Sheriff’s Office – 200 Maryland Avenue, Winchester, KY 40391 | (859) 744-4390 | Fax (859) 901-5176; Sheriff Berl Perdue Jr. | Cell (859) 808-2020. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (patrol operates 24/7).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-64 and US-60 serve Winchester, the county seat, in the Bluegrass region east of Lexington.
Notes: Clark County, created in 1792 from Bourbon and Fayette counties, is named for Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clark County Courthouse – Winchester, KY.
Notes: Winchester is genuinely the birthplace of Ale-8-One, the only soft drink invented in Kentucky still in existence and one of the oldest, privately family-held bottling companies in the United States. Inventor G.L. Wainscott, already running a Winchester bottling business since 1902, developed the ginger-and-citrus-flavored drink using recipes gathered during travels through northern Europe and introduced it at the 1926 Clark County Fair, where a naming contest produced the winning entry “A Late One” (1920s slang for “the latest thing”), later shortened to Ale-8-One. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2026, and Wainscott’s great-great-nephew still personally blends every batch today.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Clark County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via clarkcoky.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Clark County Public Library (Winchester) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Ale-8-One Bottling Company (historic tours available) and downtown Winchester’s Clark County Fairgrounds are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, century-old Ale-8-One story is one of the most beloved local-culture facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Clark County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via clarkcoky.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Clark County Animal Shelter – 5000 Ironworks Road, Winchester, KY 40391 (at the Clark County Fairgrounds) | (859) 737-0053 | Fax (859) 737-4688 | Email: [email protected]; Director Adreanna Wills. An open-admission, county-operated facility charging no surrender fee. Hours: Tue-Sat 10 AM-4 PM, closed Sun-Mon; surrenders/strays accepted Tue-Fri 8 AM-3 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Clark County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via clarkcoky.com.
NOTES: Clark County is the third county in Kentucky’s fourth batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine, century-old Ale-8-One story is one of the most beloved local-culture 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 Clark County
Clark County is central Kentucky’s Red River Gorge gateway and Bluegrass agricultural county – Winchester’s position on the edge of the Bluegrass and the Knobs makes it a natural launching point for the Daniel Boone National Forest’s spectacular gorge country while the surrounding limestone pastures and horse farms define the county’s Bluegrass agricultural identity.
Winchester (the county seat, population ~19,000) is Clark County’s governmental hub on US 60, a central Kentucky Bluegrass city whose Red River Gorge access, bourbon heritage, and agricultural character anchor its identity between Lexington and the eastern Kentucky mountains.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Clark County Property Valuation Administrator at 34 S. Main Street, Winchester, KY 40391, phone 859-745-0250. KY assessed at 100% fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Clark County Circuit Court at 17 Cleveland Avenue, Winchester, KY 40391, phone 859-745-0280, 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)
34 S. Main St., Winchester, KY 40391
(859) 745-0280
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
17 Cleveland Ave., Winchester, KY 40391
(859) 737-7230
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
34 S. Main St., Winchester, KY 40391
(859) 745-0280
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clark County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1853-1855 Clark County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark within the Winchester Downtown Commercial District.
Local societies
No dedicated Clark 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
Clark County District Court Governor James Clark Judicial Center, 17 Cleveland Avenue, P.O. Box 687, Winchester, KY 40392 (859) 737-7264
Clark County was created in 1792 from Bourbon and Fayette counties, named for Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark. Its seat, Winchester, is home to the 1853-1855 Clark County Courthouse (Greek Revival, National Register of Historic Places), the fourth building on its 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
17 Cleveland Ave., Winchester, KY 40391
(859) 744-4390
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
17 Cleveland Ave., Winchester, KY 40391
(859) 744-4390
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
34 S. Main St., Winchester, KY 40391
(859) 745-0280
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
34 S. Main St., Winchester, KY 40391
(859) 745-0280
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Clark County Health Dept
(859) 744-4482
KY CHFS — Bluegrass Region
(859) 246-2090
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Clark Regional Medical Center
clarkregional.com (Winchester — quality community hospital)
University of Kentucky Medical Center
uky.edu/healthcare (Lexington — elite academic medical center)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clark County Health Department – confirm current contact via chfs.ky.gov local health department directory.
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