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Kentucky County
Spencer County, Kentucky
Taylorsville Lake and Louisville's southeastern horse country suburbs - from Taylorsville Lake State Park (the 3,050-acre Salt River reservoir providing boating, fishing, and hiking within 30 minutes of Louisville) to Spencer County's rapid growth as a Louisville southeastern exurb (the combination of affordable land, Bluegrass scenery, and I-64 access has driven significant residential development as Louisville families seek horse country living) and the Salt River's scenic Spencer County corridor.
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Office: Spencer County Emergency Management/EMS – 66 Spears Drive, Taylorsville, KY 40071 | (502) 477-3244 | Email: [email protected].
Sheriff: Spencer County Sheriff’s Office – 18 E. Main Street, Taylorsville, KY 40071 | Mailing: PO Box 475 | (502) 477-3200 | Fax (502) 477-3249 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Scott Herndon (also reported as Sheriff Andrew Ware in some sources – confirm current officeholder). Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM. Non-emergency dispatch: (502) 477-5533.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: KY-155 and US-155 serve Taylorsville, the county seat, southeast of Louisville.
Notes: Spencer County was formed in 1824 from parts of Bullitt, Nelson, and Shelby counties, named for Spier Spencer, who died at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Spencer County was a dry county until 2009, when residents voted to overturn the alcohol ban.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Spencer County Courthouse – Taylorsville, KY.
Notes: Taylorsville, founded in 1799, is named for Richard Taylor, a colonel and prominent local landowner who was the father of Zachary Taylor, the 12th President of the United States. The Spencer County Courthouse area and downtown Taylorsville include several National Register of Historic Places listings, including All Saints Church and Minor Chapel A.M.E. Church.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Spencer County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via spencercountyky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Spencer County Public Library (Taylorsville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Taylorsville Lake and Taylorsville Lake State Park are the county’s premier outdoor attractions. Taylorsville Lake, an 18.5-mile, 3,050-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Salt River, was built between 1974-1983 at a cost of $103 million and has prevented an estimated $30.5+ million in flood damage since becoming operational, while serving as a major economic driver for the county through fishing and recreation.
Notes: The genuine Zachary Taylor family connection to Taylorsville is a distinctive piece of presidential history covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Spencer County Property Valuation Administrator – Court House Annex, 27 E. Main Street, Taylorsville, KY 40071.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Spencer County Animal Care & Control – 98 Community Drive, Taylorsville, KY 40071 | (502) 902-0608 or (502) 477-3332; Director Victoria Shelburne. No-kill facility with 16 dog kennels; currently unable to take in cats due to space constraints. No pull fee for legitimate rescue groups. Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM-3:30 PM, weekends by appointment only.
Spencer County Humane Society – 98 Community Drive, Taylorsville, KY 40071 | (502) 477-1477 | Email: [email protected]; separate nonprofit partner.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Spencer County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via spencercountyky.gov.
NOTES: Spencer County is the sixth county in Kentucky’s fifteenth batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Zachary Taylor family connection to Taylorsville is a distinctive piece of presidential 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 Spencer County
Spencer County is Louisville’s southeastern Bluegrass exurb county – Taylorsville Lake’s recreation and the Bluegrass landscape’s affordability relative to Jefferson County have driven residential growth in a community that maintains rural character within commuting distance of Louisville.
Taylorsville (the county seat, population ~1,400) is one of Kentucky’s smaller county seats – the county’s population is largely rural residential, spread across the Salt River valley’s rolling Bluegrass terrain.
Taylorsville Lake’s 3,050 acres provide boating, fishing, and camping recreation.
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Spencer County PVA at 30 Main Street, Suite 2, Taylorsville, KY 40071, phone 502-477-3207. KY property assessed at fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Spencer County Circuit Court at 30 Main Street, Taylorsville, KY 40071, phone 502-477-3215, 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)
22 W. Main St., Taylorsville, KY 40071
(502) 477-3207
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
22 W. Main St., Taylorsville, KY 40071
(502) 477-8917
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
22 W. Main St., Taylorsville, KY 40071
(502) 477-3207
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Spencer County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Spencer 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
Spencer County District Court 27 East Main Street, Taylorsville, KY 40071 (502) 477-3220 Spencer County is in central Kentucky, seated in Taylorsville, 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
22 W. Main St., Taylorsville, KY 40071
(502) 477-2234
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
22 W. Main St., Taylorsville, KY 40071
(502) 477-2234
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
22 W. Main St., Taylorsville, KY 40071
(502) 477-3207
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
22 W. Main St., Taylorsville, KY 40071
(502) 477-3207
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Spencer County Health Dept
(502) 477-2386
KY CHFS — Louisville Region
(502) 595-4200
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
UofL Health / Baptist Health Louisville
accessible from Taylorsville via US-60
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Spencer County Health Department – confirm current contact via spencercountyky.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Taylorsville
Population: 20,000
Area: 186 sq mi
Established: 1819
Tier: 3
Public Records
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