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Kentucky County
Marshall County, Kentucky
Kentucky Lake's eastern shore and the Big Singing tradition - from Kentucky Lake's Marshall County shoreline (the eastern shore of Kentucky Lake - the largest man-made lake in the eastern United States at 160,000 acres - provides boating, fishing, and resort recreation that has made Marshall County a premier western Kentucky vacation destination) to the Big Singing at Benton (the annual first Sunday in May gathering at the Marshall County Courthouse - one of the oldest continuous shape-note singing traditions in America, dating to the 1880s - draws Sacred Harp and shape-note singers from across the region for a day of unaccompanied four-part harmony singing).
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Office: Marshall County Emergency Management – 1101 Main Street, Benton, KY 42025 | (270) 527-4739 | Email: [email protected]. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Sheriff: Marshall County Sheriff’s Office – 202 W. 5th Street (also listed 52 Judicial Drive), Benton, KY 42025 | (270) 527-3112 | Email: [email protected].
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-68/641 and I-24 serve Benton, the county seat, in far western Kentucky along Kentucky Lake.
Notes: Marshall County was formed in 1842. Until the 1940s, the county’s economy was primarily agricultural.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Marshall County Courthouse – 1101 Main Street, Benton, KY 42025.
Notes: Marshall County was transformed in the 1940s when the Tennessee Valley Authority impounded the Tennessee River to create Kentucky Lake, part of the New Deal-era flood control and rural electrification program. The massive reservoir – one of the largest man-made lakes in the eastern United States – brought tourism, lakeside resorts, and sport fishing to the county, while cheap hydroelectric power from Kentucky Dam attracted chemical and manufacturing plants to the Calvert City area. Creating the lake required flooding and evacuating two historic Marshall County towns, Birmingham and Gilbertsville (the latter at the dam’s actual site). The county is now home to Kenlake State Resort Park and numerous long-running fishing resorts, including Big Bear Resort, which began as a simple fishing camp in 1948.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Marshall County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via marshallcountyky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Marshall County Public Library (Benton) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Kenlake State Resort Park, Kentucky Dam, and numerous lakefront resorts along Kentucky Lake are the county’s premier tourism attractions, alongside access to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
Notes: The genuine TVA/Kentucky Lake creation story – including the flooding of two historic towns – is a significant piece of New Deal-era Kentucky history covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Marshall County Property Valuation Administrator – confirm current contact via marshallcountyky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Marshall County Animal Care and Control – 839 Benton-Briensburg Road, Benton, KY 42025 | (270) 527-0954 | Email: [email protected]; Director Autumn English. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Humane Society of Marshall County – 6301 US Highway 68 East, Benton, KY 42025 | (270) 354-8738 | Email: [email protected]; separate no-kill, non-tax-funded nonprofit, limited-intake. Hours: Mon, Thu-Sat 10 AM-4 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Marshall County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via marshallcountyky.gov.
NOTES: Marshall County is the fifth county in Kentucky’s eleventh batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine TVA/Kentucky Lake creation story – including the flooding of two historic towns – is a significant piece of New Deal-era Kentucky history 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 Marshall County
Marshall County is western Kentucky’s Kentucky Lake resort and shape-note singing county – the largest man-made lake in the eastern United States and one of America’s oldest continuous Sacred Harp singing traditions define a distinctive western Kentucky community.
Kentucky Lake’s 160,000 acres and 2,380 miles of shoreline make it one of America’s premier freshwater recreation destinations. Marshall County’s eastern shore provides marinas, resorts, and vacation communities serving visitors from across the mid-South.
Benton’s Big Singing – shape-note singing at the courthouse since the 1880s – is one of Appalachian and Southern folk music’s most authentic surviving traditions.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Marshall County PVA at 1101 Main Street, Suite 4, Benton, KY 42025, phone 270-527-4728. KY property assessed at fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Marshall County Circuit Court at 1101 Main Street, Benton, KY 42025, phone 270-527-3732, 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)
1101 Main St., Benton, KY 42025
(270) 527-4740
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
1101 Main St., Benton, KY 42025
(270) 527-3477
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1101 Main St., Benton, KY 42025
(270) 527-4740
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Marshall County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Marshall 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
Marshall County District Court Marshall County Judicial Building, 80 Judicial Drive, Unit 101, Benton, KY 42025 (270) 527-1721
Marshall County was founded 1842, named for Chief Justice John Marshall. Its seat, Benton, is also its largest city, in Kentucky’s far western Lakes region.
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
1101 Main St., Benton, KY 42025
(270) 527-3112
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
1101 Main St., Benton, KY 42025
(270) 527-3112
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
1101 Main St., Benton, KY 42025
(270) 527-4740
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1101 Main St., Benton, KY 42025
(270) 527-4740
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Marshall County Health Dept
(270) 527-4200
KY CHFS — Purchase Region
(270) 444-9625
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Marshall County Hospital
mchky.com (Benton — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Marshall County Health Department – confirm current contact via marshallcohealthdepartment.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Benton
Population: 32,000
Area: 302 sq mi
Established: 1842
Tier: 3
Public Records
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