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Kentucky County
Martin County, Kentucky
The 2000 Martin County Coal Slurry Spill - Appalachia's environmental disaster - from the October 11, 2000 Martin County coal slurry spill (the failure of a coal waste impoundment at the Massey Energy Martin County Coal Corporation facility released 306 million gallons of toxic coal slurry - more than 30 times the volume of the Exxon Valdez spill - into Coldwater Creek and Wolf Creek, contaminating water supplies for thousands of eastern Kentucky residents and killing aquatic life in hundreds of miles of streams in what was called the worst environmental disaster in the history of the southeastern United States).
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Office: Martin County Emergency Management/E-911 – 100 Main Street, Inez, KY 41224 | (606) 298-2088.
Sheriff: Martin County Sheriff’s Office – 32 Main Street, Inez, KY 41224 | (606) 298-2828; Sheriff John Kirk.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: KY-40 and KY-3 serve Inez, the county seat, in eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian coalfields along the Tug Fork/West Virginia border.
Notes: Martin County was formed in 1870. Inez, incorporated 1942, is named for the daughter of a local postmaster.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Martin County Courthouse – Inez, KY.
Notes: Martin County holds a genuinely significant place in American political history. On April 24, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson traveled to Inez as part of his “Poverty Tour,” visiting the modest cabin of Tom Fletcher, an unemployed sawmill worker with eight children, and declaring from the porch an “unconditional war on poverty in America.” The visit – covered nationally and captured in government film – helped give President Johnson’s Great Society anti-poverty agenda a human face and directly contributed to the following year’s Appalachian Regional Development Act. The Fletcher family has since reflected candidly on the complicated legacy of that attention for them personally; the original cabin still stands in Inez today.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Martin County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via martincounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Martin County Public Library (Inez) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Tom Fletcher cabin site and downtown Inez are the county’s notable historical points of interest.
Notes: The genuine LBJ “War on Poverty” declaration site is one of the most significant 20th-century American political-history landmarks covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Martin County Property Valuation Administrator – confirm current contact via martincounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Martin County Animal Shelter (operated by Stray Hearts Animal Rescue) – 33 Dog Pound Road, Inez, KY 41224 | Mailing: PO Box 1328, Inez, KY 41224 | (606) 298-4035 | Email: [email protected]; Director Mary Kirk Blanton. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating since 2015, no-kill, foster-based; has saved over 2,000 animals. Hours: Tue-Thu 8 AM-2 PM, Sat 10 AM-4 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Martin County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via martincounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Martin County is the sixth county in Kentucky’s eleventh batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine LBJ “War on Poverty” declaration site is one of the most significant 20th-century American political-history landmarks 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 Martin County
Martin County is the site of the worst environmental disaster in southeastern US history – the 2000 Massey Energy coal slurry spill released 306 million gallons of toxic waste into Kentucky streams, 30 times the volume of the Exxon Valdez, devastating aquatic life and contaminating water supplies across eastern Kentucky.
Inez (the county seat, population ~500) serves Martin County’s post-coal communities in the Tug Fork headwaters of the eastern Kentucky mountains.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Martin County PVA at 101 Main Street, Suite 3, Inez, KY 41224, phone 606-298-2807. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Martin County Circuit Court at 101 Main Street, Inez, KY 41224, phone 606-298-2810, 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)
9 Church St., Inez, KY 41224
(606) 298-2810
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
9 Church St., Inez, KY 41224
(606) 298-3555
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
9 Church St., Inez, KY 41224
(606) 298-2810
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Martin County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1938-41 Martin County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Martin 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
Martin County District Court Martin County Courthouse, 14 Court Street, P.O. Box 309, Inez, KY 41224 (606) 298-3508
Martin County is in eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian region, seated in Inez. The current Martin County Courthouse (1938-41, National Register of Historic Places) is the fourth courthouse built on the site.
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
9 Church St., Inez, KY 41224
(606) 298-3551
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
9 Church St., Inez, KY 41224
(606) 298-3551
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
9 Church St., Inez, KY 41224
(606) 298-2810
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
9 Church St., Inez, KY 41224
(606) 298-2810
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Martin County Health Dept
(606) 298-3453
KY CHFS — Kentucky River Region
(606) 439-3557
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Three Rivers Medical Center
threeriversmedicalcenter.com (Louisa — Lawrence County)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Martin County Health Department – confirm current contact via chfs.ky.gov local health department directory.
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Inez
Population: 11,000
Area: 231 sq mi
Established: 1870
Tier: 3
Public Records
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