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Kentucky County
Magoffin County, Kentucky
Salyersville's Appalachian headwaters heritage and the Licking River country - from Magoffin County's Licking River headwaters position (Magoffin County sits near the headwaters of the Licking River - one of Kentucky's most significant river systems - in the eastern Kentucky mountains where the Appalachian cultural traditions of ballad singing, quilting, woodcraft, and storytelling have been preserved with unusual fidelity by communities whose relative isolation maintained cultural practices from the original Scots-Irish and English settlers) and the county's navigation of the post-coal economic transition.
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Office: Magoffin County Emergency Management – 201 East Maple Street, Salyersville, KY 41465 | (606) 349-2313. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM. Magoffin County 911 conducts regular countywide tornado siren tests.
Sheriff: Magoffin County Sheriff’s Office – 56 E. Maple Street, Salyersville, KY 41465 | (606) 349-2914 | Fax (606) 349-7037 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Carson Montgomery. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-4 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: KY-114 and US-460 serve Salyersville, the county seat, in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields region.
Notes: Magoffin County, formed in 1860 from parts of Floyd, Johnson, and Morgan counties, is named for Beriah Magoffin, Governor of Kentucky (1859-1862).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Magoffin County Justice Center – Salyersville, KY.
Notes: Magoffin County is home to a significant stretch of the Dawkins Line Rail Trail, Kentucky’s longest rail-trail. Built on a former logging and coal-hauling railroad corridor first constructed in 1912 by the Dawkins Lumber Company (a Canadian firm, whose presence gave the nearby town of Royalton its name, after the Royal Bank of Canada), the trail runs roughly 18-35+ miles through Johnson, Magoffin, and Breathitt counties, passing 24 scenic trestles and the 662-foot Gun Creek Tunnel. Opened in phases starting June 2013, it is a genuine adventure-tourism draw for the region, popular with cyclists, hikers, and horseback riders.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Magoffin County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via magoffincounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Salyersville City/Magoffin County Public Library – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Dawkins Line Rail Trail (Royalton trailhead) is the county’s premier outdoor recreation attraction and adventure-tourism draw.
Notes: The genuine “Kentucky’s longest rail trail” distinction is a notable regional outdoor-recreation fact covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Magoffin County Property Valuation Administrator – confirm current contact via magoffincounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Magoffin County Animal Shelter (co-located with the Recycling Center) – 44 Broadway Street, Salyersville, KY 41465 | (606) 349-6336. Opened in 2021 after years of contracting shelter services out to another county; 15 dog kennels, capacity for 8 cats; prioritizes strays, with owner surrenders accepted secondarily as space allows. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM, Sat 1-4 PM, Sun 11 AM-4 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Magoffin County Recycling Center – 44 Broadway Street, Salyersville, KY 41465 | (606) 349-6336 (co-located with the animal shelter).
NOTES: Magoffin County is the third county in Kentucky’s eleventh batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine “Kentucky’s longest rail trail” distinction of the Dawkins Line is a notable regional outdoor-recreation fact 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 Magoffin County
Magoffin County is eastern Kentucky’s Licking River headwaters Appalachian heritage community – the relative isolation of the mountain hollows preserved Scots-Irish and English ballad, craft, and storytelling traditions that have made Appalachian cultural preservation a focus of the region’s identity.
Salyersville (the county seat, population ~1,600) serves Magoffin County’s communities navigating economic transition in the eastern Kentucky mountains.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Magoffin County PVA at 35 S. Church Street, Suite 4, Salyersville, KY 41465, phone 606-349-6144. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Magoffin County Circuit Court at 35 S. Church Street, Salyersville, KY 41465, phone 606-349-2216, 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)
109 S. Church St., Salyersville, KY 41465
(606) 349-2216
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
109 S. Church St., Salyersville, KY 41465
(606) 349-3010
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
109 S. Church St., Salyersville, KY 41465
(606) 349-2216
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Magoffin County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum, 239 South Church Street, Salyersville, holds a collection of reconstructed historic log buildings.
Local societies
Magoffin County Historical Society confirmed as a dedicated local resource, maintaining a Library and Archives Center with genealogical and historical materials at the Pioneer Village and Museum site.
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
Magoffin County District Court Magoffin County Justice Center, 100 East Maple Street, P.O. Box 147, Salyersville, KY 41465 (606) 349-2215
Magoffin County was formed 1860, named for Governor Beriah Magoffin. Its seat, Salyersville, 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
109 S. Church St., Salyersville, KY 41465
(606) 349-6166
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
109 S. Church St., Salyersville, KY 41465
(606) 349-6166
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
109 S. Church St., Salyersville, KY 41465
(606) 349-2216
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
109 S. Church St., Salyersville, KY 41465
(606) 349-2216
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Magoffin 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: Salyersville
Population: 13,000
Area: 308 sq mi
Established: 1860
Tier: 3
Public Records
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