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Office: Fulton County Emergency Management – 2216 Myron Cory Drive, Suite 1, Hickman, KY 42050 | (270) 236-3480. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Sheriff: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office – 2216 Myron Cory Drive, Suite 4, Hickman, KY 42050 | (270) 236-2545 | Fax (270) 236-3373; Sheriff Chad Parker. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-51 and KY-125 serve Hickman, the county seat, on the Mississippi River in Kentucky’s extreme southwestern corner.
Notes: Fulton County, formed in 1845 from Hickman County, is named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat. Fulton County is the westernmost county in Kentucky, bordered by the Mississippi River.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Fulton County Courthouse – Hickman, KY.
Notes: Fulton County contains one of the most genuinely bizarre geographic quirks in the United States: the Kentucky Bend (also called New Madrid Bend, Bessie Bend, or locally “Bubbleland”), a roughly 17-27 square mile exclave of Kentucky completely cut off from the rest of the state by a hairpin oxbow loop of the Mississippi River, and bordered on its landward side by Tennessee. Because of surveying uncertainty when the Kentucky-Tennessee border was drawn, this small peninsula legally belongs to Fulton County even though it can only be reached by road through Tennessee – there is no bridge or ferry connection to the Kentucky mainland. As of the 2020 census, only about nine people lived there. The area sits near the epicenter of the powerful 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes, and Mark Twain wrote about a decades-long family feud in the Bend in “Life on the Mississippi.” Separately, Hickman itself was largely pro-Confederate during the Civil War and retains Confederate memorial sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Fulton County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via fultoncounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Fulton County Public Library (Hickman branch, plus Fulton branch) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Kentucky Bend/Bubbleland exclave (a genuine geographic curiosity worth the drive for those who “really want to go there”) and the Hickman riverfront are the county’s most distinctive features.
Notes: The genuine Kentucky Bend exclave is one of the most extraordinary geographic facts covered anywhere in this project – a piece of Kentucky reachable only by driving through Tennessee.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Fulton County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via fultoncounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
⚠️ A dedicated Fulton County, Kentucky animal shelter facility was not confirmed during this research – confirm current animal control arrangements directly with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office or Fiscal Court. (Note: searches for “Fulton County Animal Services” return results for the much larger Fulton County, Georgia, which includes Atlanta – a naming trap worth flagging for anyone researching this independently.)
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Fulton County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via fultoncounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Fulton County is the second county in Kentucky’s sixth batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Kentucky Bend exclave is one of the most extraordinary geographic facts covered anywhere in this project. ⚠️ Naming trap: Fulton County, Georgia (Atlanta) dominates search results for “Fulton County animal shelter” – always confirm Kentucky. 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 Fulton County County
Fulton County is Kentucky’s westernmost county and the state’s most geographically unusual – the Mississippi River meander that creates Kentucky Bend, a portion of the state surrounded by Tennessee and accessible only through another state, and Hickman’s dramatic bluff above the great river define a far western Purchase Region county whose geography is as remarkable as any in Kentucky.
Hickman (the county seat, population ~2,000) is Fulton County’s governmental hub on the Mississippi River bluffs, a small western Kentucky river town whose dramatic overlook, Purchase Region agriculture, and Kentucky Bend curiosity anchor its quiet community identity near the Missouri and Tennessee borders.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Fulton County Property Valuation Administrator at 2216 S. 7th Street, Hickman, KY 42050, phone 270-236-3852. KY assessed at 100% fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Fulton County Circuit Court at 2216 S. 7th Street, Hickman, KY 42050, phone 270-236-3852, 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)
2216 Moscow Ave., Hickman, KY 42050
(270) 236-2727
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
2216 Moscow Ave., Hickman, KY 42050
(270) 236-3852
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
2216 Moscow Ave., Hickman, KY 42050
(270) 236-2727
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Fulton County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Fulton 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
Fulton County District Court Fulton County Courthouse, 114 East Wellington Street, P.O. Box 198, Hickman, KY 42050
Fulton County was formed 1845 from Hickman County, named for inventor Robert Fulton. It is Kentucky’s westernmost county, with the Mississippi River forming its western boundary. Its seat, Hickman, 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
2216 Moscow Ave., Hickman, KY 42050
(270) 236-3711
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
2216 Moscow Ave., Hickman, KY 42050
(270) 236-3711
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
2216 Moscow Ave., Hickman, KY 42050
(270) 236-2727
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
2216 Moscow Ave., Hickman, KY 42050
(270) 236-2727
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Fulton County Health Dept
(270) 236-2533
KY CHFS — Purchase Region
(270) 444-9625
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Baptist Memorial Hospital (Union City, TN)
baptistonline.org (Tennessee — primary hospital)
Lourdes Hospital (Paducah)
lourdes.com (accessible for regional care)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Fulton 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: Hickman
Population: 5,800
Area: 213 sq mi
Established: 1845
Public Records
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