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Kentucky County
Estill County, Kentucky
Irvine's Kentucky River Gorge and the Estill County sandstone landscape - from the Kentucky River Gorge (the dramatic 300-foot canyon carved by the Kentucky River through the Pottsville Escarpment near Irvine - the High Bridge and the Pinnacles areas represent some of the most spectacular river gorge scenery in the eastern Kentucky interior, and the geology of sandstone and shale exposed in the gorge walls documents hundreds of millions of years of geological history) and Estill County's position at the transition between the Bluegrass and Appalachian Kentucky.
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Office: Estill Emergency Operation Center (EMA/CSEPP) – 182 Broadway, Irvine, KY 40336 | (606) 723-6533; Director Ronnie Riddell. Estill County is part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) Protective Action Zone around the Bluegrass Army Depot chemical stockpile in neighboring Madison County (shared program with Clark, Fayette, Powell, Jackson, Rockcastle, and Garrard counties); the EOC distributes free weather radios to residents.
Sheriff: Estill County Sheriff’s Office – 119 Broadway, Irvine, KY 40336 | (606) 723-2323 | Fax (606) 723-6166 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Chris Flynn. Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:30 AM-4 PM, Wed 8:30 AM-12 PM (extended drive-thru hours during October tax season).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: KY-15 and KY-52 serve Irvine, the county seat, in the Appalachian foothills along the Kentucky River.
Notes: Estill County, formed in 1808, is named for Captain James Estill, a Kentucky militia officer killed at the Revolutionary War-era Battle of Little Mountain. The county is “moist” – Irvine allows alcohol sales within city limits following a 2013 vote, but the rest of the county remains dry.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Estill County Courthouse – Irvine, KY.
Notes: Irvine hosts the annual Mountain Mushroom Festival, established in 1991 and held the last full weekend of April to coincide with the traditional morel mushroom hunting season. Morel hunting is a genuine, deeply rooted Appalachian family tradition in Estill County, passed down across generations of local “shroomers.” The festival – now a multi-decade community institution run by an all-volunteer committee – features mushroom cooking demonstrations and a cook-off, a mascot named “Morey Morel,” a Fungus 5K/2K run, and a Kentucky agate/gem/mineral show (Kentucky agate became the official state gem in 2024). Local heritage displays also cover the historic Fitchburg Furnace, an early iron-industry site in the county.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Estill County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via estillky.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Estill County Public Library (Irvine) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Mountain Mushroom Festival, the Kentucky River, and proximity to the Daniel Boone National Forest are the county’s premier draws.
Notes: The genuine, decades-old morel-mushroom-hunting tradition behind the Mountain Mushroom Festival is one of the most charming Appalachian folklife facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Estill County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via estillky.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Estill County Animal Shelter – 50 Ginter Road, Ravenna, KY 40472 | (606) 723-3587 | Email: [email protected]. Adoptions by appointment only (call or message via Facebook). Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM, Sat 10:30 AM-2 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Estill County Road Department & Recycling Center – confirm current contact via estillky.com.
NOTES: Estill County is the fourth county in Kentucky’s fifth batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine, decades-old morel-mushroom-hunting tradition behind the Mountain Mushroom Festival is one of the most charming Appalachian folklife 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 Estill County
Estill County is Kentucky River gorge country – the dramatic canyon carved through the Pottsville Escarpment near Irvine exposes some of the most spectacular geological scenery in eastern Kentucky, and the county’s position at the Bluegrass-Appalachian transition defines its cultural and landscape character.
Irvine (the county seat, population ~2,800) serves Estill County’s agricultural and small manufacturing communities in the Kentucky River valley.
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Estill County PVA at 130 Main Street, Suite 2, Irvine, KY 40336, phone 606-723-4476. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Estill County Circuit Court at 130 Main Street, Irvine, KY 40336, phone 606-723-3977, 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)
130 Main St., Irvine, KY 40336
(606) 723-5521
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
130 Main St., Irvine, KY 40336
(606) 723-3664
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
130 Main St., Irvine, KY 40336
(606) 723-5521
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Estill County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Estill 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
Estill County District Court 130 Main Street, Room 207, Irvine, KY 40336 (606) 723-3970 Estill County is in eastern Kentucky, seated in Irvine.
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
130 Main St., Irvine, KY 40336
(606) 723-3664
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
130 Main St., Irvine, KY 40336
(606) 723-3664
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
130 Main St., Irvine, KY 40336
(606) 723-5521
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
130 Main St., Irvine, KY 40336
(606) 723-5521
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Estill County Health Department – confirm current contact via chfs.ky.gov local health department directory.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Irvine
Population: 14,500
Area: 254 sq mi
Established: 1808
Tier: 3
Public Records
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