Hart County Probate Court
Kentucky probate for Hart County is handled through the District Court Probate Division for probate of wills and ordinary estate administration. The local filing and records access channel is the Hart County Circuit Court Clerk at the Hart County Judicial Center. That can sound confusing because the Circuit Court Clerk serves as the court records clerk for both Circuit Court and District Court case files in Hart County.
Contested probate matters are different. Kentucky Circuit Court has general jurisdiction and handles contested probate matters, along with felony cases, divorces, land-title disputes, and appeals from District Court. A simple estate may remain in District Court Probate Division. A dispute over a will, fiduciary, or estate issue may involve Circuit Court authority. The clerk can help identify which court file exists and how to request copies.
District Court Probate Division
Hart County Judicial Center
117 E. South St., P.O. Box 248
Munfordville, KY 42765
270-524-5181
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hart Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that may not appear in other Hart County court records. The short definitions below help identify the role of each person or filing in the estate file. These terms do not replace court instructions, but they make the probate forms easier to read.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out the estate duties after court appointment.
- Administrator
- The person appointed to handle an estate when there is no will or no executor can serve.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
- Guardianship
- A court process for appointing someone to handle personal decisions for a person who needs legal protection.
- Conservatorship
- A court process tied to management of property or finances for a protected person.
Search Hart Probate Records
Hart County probate records may be found through statewide court search tools, docket tools, or a direct request to the Circuit Court Clerk. The KYeCourts Public Court Records guest login provides free public case information throughout Kentucky, but it is protected by a checkbox and CAPTCHA gate. The research could not inspect all post-login probate fields. For official copies or older files, KCOJ directs requesters to the clerk of the court that heard the case.
- Search public Kentucky court systems when looking for a recent Hart County probate case number.
- Use the Kentucky docket portal for hearing date clues, selecting Hart County and the correct division when available.
- Contact the Hart County Circuit Court Clerk for official copies, certified copies, older probate files, or storage status.
- If the file is offsite and public, ask the clerk for the case or file locator numbers needed by the State Records Center.
- For pre-1978 probate-related records, also check whether the Hart County Clerk has county-court or title-chain recordings.
Note: A docket listing is not the official probate record and should be verified through the clerk before relying on it.
Filing a Hart Will
The Kentucky probate guide says a person should locate the original will and file AOC-805 in District Court to admit the will and appoint an executor. If there is no will, the same petition can request appointment of an administrator. Non-self-proved wills generally need proof in court by at least one witness. Holographic wills require proof of the decedent's handwriting by someone familiar with it.
After appointment, the personal representative must file an estate inventory in duplicate within 60 days. The guide identifies AOC-841 as the inventory and appraisement form. A final settlement uses AOC-846 after debts, taxes, and distributions are handled. The guide says final settlement cannot be filed until at least six months after appointment. If an estate remains open more than two years, a periodic settlement may be required.
Probate filing point: The District Court Probate Division handles the local estate case, but the Circuit Court Clerk is the counter for filing and records access.
Hart Probate Forms
The Kentucky Court of Justice legal forms page is the state source for probate forms. Form choice depends on whether there is a will, whether a fiduciary must be appointed, whether administration can be dispensed with, and whether the estate is ready for settlement. Hart County filers should confirm local filing requirements with the Circuit Court Clerk before submitting forms.
| Form | Title or Use |
|---|---|
| AOC-805 | Petition for Probate of Will and/or Appointment of Executor or Administrator. |
| AOC-805.1 | Order Probating Will or Probating Will and Appointing Executor or Administrator. |
| AOC-805.2 | Order Appointing Administrator when there is no will. |
| AOC-807 | Certificate of Qualification. |
| AOC-825 | Fiduciary Bond. |
| AOC-830 / AOC-830.1 | Petition and order dispensing with administration. |
| AOC-841 | Inventory and Appraisement of Estate. |
| AOC-846 | Settlement of Estate. |
| AOC-850 / AOC-850.1 | Application and order for informal final settlement. |
| AOC-851 | Affidavit of Waiver of Formal Settlement. |
Small Estate Options
Dispensing with administration may be possible in a limited estate. The probate guide says AOC-830 and AOC-830.1 are used for petition and order dispensing with administration. The guide describes a personal estate of $30,000 or less for a surviving spouse, or children if there is no spouse. Preferred creditors may petition up to the amount of the paid preferred claim.
Informal settlement is another separate process. It may be accepted when each heir signs a notarized waiver and required proof and tax documentation are included. AOC-850 and AOC-851 are tied to informal final settlement and waiver of formal settlement. The correct path depends on the estate facts, the heirs, the debts, and the court's review.
Probate Fees July 2026
The probate guide says the local Office of Circuit Court Clerk can tell the required filing fee. Kentucky Supreme Court Order 2026-15 posts civil filing-fee changes effective July 1, 2026. Because the project date is June 30, 2026, those amounts should be described with the exact effective date and not as current June 30 fees. The order lists probate-related District Court fees that will matter to Hart County probate filings after the effective date.
The Kentucky Supreme Court certified-mail service fee order sets a $35 certified-mail service fee effective July 1, 2026. That service fee may matter when service by certified mail is used in civil or probate-related filing context.
| Probate Fee Item | Amount and Date Context |
|---|---|
| District Court probate of estate filing | $50 under Supreme Court Order 2026-15, effective July 1, 2026. |
| Guardians, conservators, or curators not related to a pending probate | $50 per application under Order 2026-15, effective July 1, 2026. |
| Court technology fee | $20 listed in the July 1, 2026 fee-change context. |
| Certified-mail service fee | $35 under Supreme Court Order 2026-18, effective July 1, 2026. |
| Hart court copies | Confirm plain and certified copy charges with the Hart Circuit Court Clerk. |
Hart Probate Record Contents
A Hart County probate record can include petitions, orders, the will if one is filed, proof of will, appointment papers, inventory, bond, settlement papers, waivers, and orders that close or change the estate. Some records are routine case filings. Others affect property, creditor claims, or the authority of a personal representative to act for the estate.
| Record Item | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Petition | Who asks the court to open probate or appoint a fiduciary. |
| Will | The document offered for probate, if one exists. |
| Order | The court's ruling on probate, appointment, settlement, or related relief. |
| Certificate of Qualification | Proof that a fiduciary has authority after appointment. |
| Inventory | Estate property values as of the date of death. |
| Settlement | Debts, taxes, distributions, and final or periodic accounting facts. |
Older Hart Probate Records
KCOJ's retention schedule indicates many pre-1978 probate-related records were filed in County Court and are usually located in the County Clerk's Office through 1977. After 1978, probate case records are officially filed and retained in District Court. That history matters for Hart County estate research because an older will, title-chain issue, or county-court estate file may not follow the same access path as a modern District Court probate case.
The Hart County Clerk records page lists will-related recordings that are separate from District Court probate filing fees. Will recording is listed at $47. Renunciation of will is listed at $46. Disclaimer of will is listed at $46. Those are County Clerk recording fees, not District Court probate case filing fees. A probate case may be with the court clerk while a recording that affects title may appear with the County Clerk.
| County Clerk Will-Related Recording | Amount |
|---|---|
| Will recording | $47. |
| Renunciation of will | $46. |
| Disclaimer of will | $46. |
Restricted Probate Records
Most probate estate filings are public unless a specific rule, order, or confidential record type limits access. Guardianship, conservatorship, mental-health, adoption, juvenile, or sealed material may have stronger access limits than a basic estate file. Hart County users should ask the Circuit Court Clerk whether the requested record is public, sealed, partly redacted, or available only to a party or attorney.
Kentucky's open records statutes in KRS Chapter 61 provide public-record context, but court records also depend on court rules and case-specific orders. For probate records stored offsite, KCOJ says the clerk should provide locator numbers when a public record is at the State Records Center because that center cannot search by name or Social Security number.