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Office: Lyon County Emergency Management – Email: [email protected]; team includes an Emergency Manager plus Rescue/Fire Chiefs, law enforcement, and EMS.
Sheriff: Lyon County Sheriff’s Office – 500 West Dale Avenue, Suite 100, Eddyville, KY 42038 | (270) 388-2311 | Fax (270) 388-2397 | Non-emergency dispatch (270) 388-0911; Sheriff Brent White. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (Central Time).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-62 and the Western Kentucky Parkway serve Eddyville, the county seat, on Lake Barkley/the Cumberland River in western Kentucky.
Notes: Lyon County was established in 1854. Remarkably, Eddyville has served as the county seat of three separate Kentucky counties over its history – Livingston County (from 1799), then Caldwell County (from 1809), and finally Lyon County (from 1854) – making it the only city in Kentucky to hold that distinction.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lyon County Courthouse – Eddyville, KY.
Notes: Lyon County is home to the Kentucky State Penitentiary, known as the “Castle on the Cumberland” – a Gothic Revival maximum-security and supermax prison built of massive limestone blocks by Italian stonemasons and completed in 1889. It is Kentucky’s oldest operating prison and the state’s only facility housing male death row inmates and the state’s execution chamber; former Confederate brigadier general and Eddyville native Hylan B. Lyon was instrumental in securing the prison’s location. Though widely known throughout the state as a metonym for the prison, the penitentiary itself actually sits about 3 miles south of downtown Eddyville, in “Old Eddyville” on the shore of Lake Barkley.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lyon County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via lyoncountyky.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Lyon County Public Library – 261 Commerce Street, Eddyville, KY 42038 | (270) 388-7720.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lake Barkley and access to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area are the county’s premier outdoor destinations.
Notes: The genuine “Castle on the Cumberland” and Eddyville’s unique three-county-seat history are distinctive Kentucky facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lyon County Property Valuation Administrator – confirm current contact via lyoncountyky.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
⚠️ Lyon County does not operate its own animal shelter – stray animals from Lyon County are taken to the Mary Hall Ruddiman Animal Shelter in neighboring Crittenden County. Lyon County Animal Control coordinates spay/neuter grant programs and livestock burial assistance locally; confirm current contact via lyoncountyky.com/animalcontrol. Lyon County Animal Hospital (private veterinary clinic, not a shelter) – 638 Trade Avenue, Eddyville, KY 42038 | (270) 388-0334.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Lyon County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via lyoncountyky.com.
NOTES: Lyon County is the first county in Kentucky’s eleventh batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine “Castle on the Cumberland” and Eddyville’s unique three-county-seat history are distinctive Kentucky 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 Lyon County County
Lyon County is western Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes gateway and Castle on the Cumberland county – the national recreation area peninsula between two great reservoirs and the Gothic Revival prison perched on Lake Barkley’s cliffs define a small western Kentucky lake county whose natural assets and unusual landmarks give it a profile exceeding its modest population.
Eddyville (the county seat, population ~2,400) is Lyon County’s governmental hub on Lake Barkley, a small western Kentucky lake community whose Kentucky State Penitentiary landmark, Land Between the Lakes access, and lake recreation anchor its identity.
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Lyon County Property Valuation Administrator at 300 Courthouse Square, Eddyville, KY 42038, phone 270-388-7274. KY assessed at 100% fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Lyon County Circuit Court at 300 Courthouse Square, Eddyville, KY 42038, phone 270-388-9551, 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)
100 W. Dale Crum Dr., Eddyville, KY 42038
(270) 388-7231
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
100 W. Dale Crum Dr., Eddyville, KY 42038
(270) 388-4282
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 W. Dale Crum Dr., Eddyville, KY 42038
(270) 388-7231
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lyon County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Lyon County’s location within the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a significant local historical and natural resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Lyon 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
Lyon County District Court Lyon County Judicial Center, 500 West Dale Avenue, Suite A, Eddyville, KY 42038 (270) 388-7231
Lyon County is in western Kentucky between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley (the “Land Between the Lakes” region), seated in Eddyville.
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
100 W. Dale Crum Dr., Eddyville, KY 42038
(270) 388-2211
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
100 W. Dale Crum Dr., Eddyville, KY 42038
(270) 388-2211
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
100 W. Dale Crum Dr., Eddyville, KY 42038
(270) 388-7231
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 W. Dale Crum Dr., Eddyville, KY 42038
(270) 388-7231
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Lyon County Health Dept
(270) 388-7279
KY CHFS — Pennyrile Region
(270) 825-3500
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Lourdes Hospital (Paducah)
lourdes.com (primary regional hospital)
Western Baptist Hospital (Paducah)
westernbaptist.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Lyon 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: Eddyville
Population: 8,400
Area: 216 sq mi
Established: 1854
Public Records
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