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Office: Nicholas County Emergency Management/Disaster & Emergency Services – 125 East Main Street, Carlisle, KY 40311. Residents can sign up for the CodeRED emergency alert system.
Sheriff: Nicholas County Sheriff’s Office – Nicholas County Courthouse, 125 East Main Street, Carlisle, KY 40311 | (859) 289-3740 | Fax (859) 289-3741; Sheriff Jeff Sidles. A small department (1 sworn officer per Discover Policing data) serving the county’s roughly 7,500 residents.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-68 and KY-32 serve Carlisle, the county seat and the only incorporated community in Nicholas County, in the Inner Bluegrass region of north-central Kentucky.
Notes: Nicholas County was formed in 1799 from parts of Bourbon and Mason counties, the 42nd Kentucky county in order of formation. It is named for Colonel George Nicholas, known as the “Father of the Kentucky Constitution” for his central role in drafting Kentucky’s first state constitution.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Nicholas County Courthouse – Carlisle, KY.
Notes: Nicholas County shares the Blue Licks Battlefield area with neighboring Robertson County – the site of the August 19, 1782 Battle of Blue Licks, often called the last battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought ten months after Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown. A Kentucky militia force including Daniel Boone was ambushed and routed near the Licking River’s salt licks by a combined force of Loyalist rangers and Native American warriors – the worst defeat suffered by Kentucky settlers in the frontier conflicts of the era. Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park, established in 1927, preserves the battlefield and a related museum. Nicholas County is also known for its scenic Bluegrass countryside, rolling farmland, and horse farms.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Nicholas County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via nicholascounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Nicholas County Public Library (Carlisle) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park (shared with Robertson County) is the region’s most historically significant attraction.
Notes: The genuine Battle of Blue Licks – one of the final engagements of the American Revolutionary War – is a nationally significant piece of frontier history covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Nicholas County Property Valuation Administrator – confirm current contact via nicholascounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Nicholas County Animal Shelter/Animal Control – confirm current contact via nicholascounty.ky.gov (“Animal Control Reports” page). Supported by the Nicholas County Animal Welfare Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2008 that receives no county or state funding and has reduced the county shelter’s euthanasia rate by over 85% through fostering, spay/neuter programs, and rescue placement – website ncaws.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Nicholas County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via nicholascounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Nicholas County is the third county in Kentucky’s thirteenth batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Battle of Blue Licks – one of the final engagements of the American Revolutionary War – is a nationally significant piece of frontier 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 Nicholas County County
Nicholas County is north-central Kentucky’s Licking River headwaters and inner Bluegrass tobacco county – the limestone pastures and stone fences of the authentic agricultural Bluegrass and the burley tobacco heritage that has shaped farming families for generations define a small county where Carlisle serves the surrounding farming communities in one of Kentucky’s most consistently rural inner Bluegrass landscapes.
Carlisle (the county seat, population ~2,100) is Nicholas County’s governmental hub, a small north-central Kentucky Bluegrass agricultural community on US 68 whose tobacco heritage, Licking River watershed position, and quiet county seat character anchor its identity.
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Nicholas County Property Valuation Administrator at 125 E. Main Street, Carlisle, KY 40311, phone 859-289-3752. KY assessed at 100% fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Nicholas County Circuit Court at 125 E. Main Street, Carlisle, KY 40311, phone 859-289-2378, 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)
125 E. Main St., Carlisle, KY 40311
(859) 289-3730
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
125 E. Main St., Carlisle, KY 40311
(859) 289-3747
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
125 E. Main St., Carlisle, KY 40311
(859) 289-3730
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Nicholas County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Nicholas 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
Nicholas County District Court Nicholas County Judicial Center, 217 North Broadway Street, Carlisle, KY 40311 (859) 289-2336 Nicholas County is in northeastern Kentucky, seated in Carlisle.
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
125 E. Main St., Carlisle, KY 40311
(859) 289-3747
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
125 E. Main St., Carlisle, KY 40311
(859) 289-3747
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
125 E. Main St., Carlisle, KY 40311
(859) 289-3730
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
125 E. Main St., Carlisle, KY 40311
(859) 289-3730
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Nicholas 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: Carlisle
Population: 7,100
Area: 197 sq mi
Established: 1799
Public Records
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