Augusta funeral home in the Joseph Doniphan House, built in 1856, family-owned since 1949 and under the Metcalfe-Hennessey name since 1979. A ramp gives wheelchair entry, families can buy monuments through Woodhead Monument company, and the home compiles submitted photos into a video memorial tribute.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Bracken County, Kentucky
When someone dies in Bracken County, Kentucky, an estate that needs probate is opened with the District Court in Brooksville, for a $90 filing fee.
The First Days After a Death in Bracken County
A certified copy of the death certificate from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family ServicesKentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Office of Vital StatisticsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source costs $6, and each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $6. The coroner for Bracken County is the Bracken County Coroner.
Who controls the funeral and the burial or cremation follows an order set by law: surviving spouse, then surviving adult children, or a majority of them if more than one, then surviving parent or parentsKRS 367.93117Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. An agent the person named in advance comes before that orderKRS 367.93101–367.93121Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. Cremation carries no statutory minimum waiting periodKRS 213.081Verified Oct 17, 2026View source.
Vital Records Office Record
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Office of Vital Statistics
Bracken County · State vital records office
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM ET (except state holidays)
Office
275 East Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40621
Website
Certified copies
From Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Office of Vital Statistics; the Local Health Department files the certificate and issues no copies to the public
Vital Statistics
275 East Main Street 1E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $6 |
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Bracken County · Bracken County Coroner
Phone
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
ToolsWhat Do I Do When Someone Dies? · How Do I Settle an Estate? · How Many Death Certificates Do I Need? · How Much Does a Funeral Cost?
Funeral Homes in Bracken County
Bracken County has 2 funeral homes and crematories, in Augusta and Brooksville: 1 lists cremation and 1 lists pre-need arrangements.
Brooksville funeral home of Moore & Parker Funeral Homes, a firm founded in 1925 that also runs homes in Augusta, Maysville and Germantown, the last as Palmer Funeral Home. The Brooksville home has stood in a remodeled former family home since 1974 and took in the McCarty and Ware Funeral Home in 1987.
Probate in Bracken County
Probate cases in Bracken County are filed with the District Court in Brooksville, in the 19th Judicial District. The same 19th Judicial District also serves Fleming County and Mason County. Kentucky's District Court probate filing fee is $50, with a $10 access-to-justice fee, a $20 court technology fee and, in most counties, a $10 court facilities fee, about $90 in total. The fee does not vary with estate size. Recording the admitted will with the county clerk is a separate $33KRS 24A.170(1); CR 3.03(1)(c) and (1)(m) as amended by Sup. Ct. Order 2026-15 (eff. 2026-07-01); KRS 27A.630(1); KRS 24A.185(2); AOC Circuit Court Clerks' Accounting ManualVerified Oct 17, 2026View source.
Probate in Kentucky typically takes 12 months to 18 months. In Kentucky, estates with personal property of $30,000KRS 391.030Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less qualify for the Petition to Dispense with Administration, a court procedure short of full probate. Creditors have 6 monthsKRS 396.011, 396.015, 396.055, 396.095, 424.340Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the opening of the estate.
Probate Court Record
Bracken County District Court
Bracken County · 19th Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM; Wednesday 8:00 AM-noon
Office
132 West Miami Street, Brooksville, KY 41004
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
Required for attorneysAttorneys must e-file probate, guardianship and conservatorship cases through KYeCourts. A self-represented filer files on paper at the circuit court clerk's office. On paper: Self-represented filers file on paper at the circuit court clerk's office; KYeCourts takes their e-filings in small claims cases only; An attorney not yet certified for e-filing may file on paper with AOC Form 108, Affidavit of Necessity, to meet a jurisdictional deadline.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe Kentucky Court of Justice Self-Help Portal prepares the Petition for Probate of Estate and the Petition to Dispense with Administration. Print the completed form and file it with the circuit court clerk in the county where the estate is handled.
Accepted payment
- At the counterCash, Check, Money order, Credit card, Debit card.Card payments carry a processing fee.
Hearing schedule
- District civil, probate and small claims: Tuesdays at 11 a.m., except the fifth Tuesday.
P.O. Box 205
Brooksville, KY 41004
Fax
1-606-735-3900
Departments
- Circuit Court1-606-735-3328
About the court
- Located at Bracken County Judicial Center.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
What Probate Costs in Bracken County
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, counting the court fee, the executor's and the attorney's pay, the bond and publication.
Free formsPetition for Probate and Letters →
ToolsDo I Need Probate? · How Much Does Probate Cost? · Who Inherits Without a Will? · What Is the Estate's Personal Property Worth for Probate?
Serving as Executor in Bracken County
The court's appointment comes as Letters of AppointmentKRS 395.015 (application for appointment; general financial disclosure statement, as amended by 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134 eff. 7/15/2026); KRS 395.105 (letters of appointment; when appointment effective); KRS 395.110 (copy of order effectual as letters); KRS 395.120 (oaths/declaration); KRS 394.140-394.145 (probate of will; combined application)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source. A person can apply for the appointment without a lawyer. Informal probate is not availableKRS 395.015; KRS 395.016 (District Court appointment on sworn application; no non-judicial registrar track)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; a probate case is a formal one. No bond is required by default before letters issueKRS 395.130 (bond, when required — no bond by default for appointments on or after July 15, 2026; 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134, sec. 11); KRS 395.140 (delivery of surety bond to court; who may not be surety); KRS 395.105(3) (appointment effective on order + bond when required + oath/declaration)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Notice to creditors is published in a newspaperKRS 396.011, 396.015, 396.055, 396.095, 424.340Verified Oct 18, 2026View source once. The estate inventory is due within 90 daysKRS 395.250Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment. An executor is paid reasonable compensation from the estateKRS 395.150(1) (not more than 5% of the personal estate plus 5% of income; real property excluded); KRS 395.150(2) (additional compensation for extraordinary services)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Probate attorneys are paid reasonable compensation from the estateReasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Filing Rules in Bracken County
Drive-thru window and document drop box. The drive-thru window and the document drop box are on the east side of the Bracken County Judicial Center.
ToolsHow Do I Get Letters Testamentary? · Can I Self-File Probate? · How Much Can an Executor Charge? · What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
Homes, Accounts and Debts in Bracken County
A deed from the personal representative, an affidavit that records a death, or a court order is recorded with the County Clerk for Bracken County. Recording a 2-page document there costs $46 in recording fees, before any form fee the office adds. The County Clerk accepts electronic recording through Hopdox, CSC, Simplifile and ePN. Kentucky has two survivorship vestings: joint tenants with a right of survivorship, where the deed shows the owners intended the share of one who dies to belong to the others, and a husband and wife holding with a right to the entirety by survivorship, which the deed must provide for expressly. Without that language the owners hold as tenants in commonKRS chs. 381 (§§ 381.050, 381.120, 381.130) and 382 (§§ 382.110 to 382.337); chs. 140, 213 and 391; KRS 64.012Verified Oct 26, 2026View source.
The estate's bank account can be at an institution located in KentuckyKRS 395.120(2)(a) (as amended by 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134, sec. 10, eff. 2026-07-15); KRS 395.195(5) (deposit power)Verified Nov 2, 2026View source. Property the state holds as unclaimed for the person who died is claimed from the Kentucky State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property DivisionKRS Chapter 393A (Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act); KRS 393A.510, 393A.520, 393A.530, 393A.540; 20 KAR 1:040Verified Aug 24, 2026View source. An estate that cannot pay every debt pays them in an order set by statute, in 4KRS 396.095Verified Sep 23, 2026View source classes.
Recording Office Record
County Clerk
Bracken County
Phone
Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM; Wednesday, Saturday 8:00 AM-noon; Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
116 West Miami Street, Brooksville, KY 41004
Website
E-recording
available via Hopdox, CSC, Simplifile and ePN
Fees
Recording fees
| Base fee (first 5 pages) | $46 |
| Each page beyond 5 | $3 |
| Legal Process TaxRequired with most deeds | $4 |
KRS 64.012(1)(a), KRS 64.012(3)(a), KRS 142.010(1)(d), KRS 142.050
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
ToolsWhat Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies? · How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies? · How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property? · What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?
Taxes and Benefits
Inheritances are taxed in KentuckyKRS 140.060, 140.070, 140.080, 140.160, 140.210Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, at rates set by the heir's relationship to the person who died. The final state income tax return for the year of death is Form 740KRS 140.060, 140.070, 140.080, 140.160, 140.210, 140.222; KRS 141.020, 141.160, 141.190Verified Sep 10, 2026View source. The federal estate tax exempts the first $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source per person.
Social Security pays a one-time death payment of $25542 U.S.C. § 402(i) (Social Security Act § 202(i)), first sentenceVerified Oct 26, 2026View source to a surviving spouse who lived in the same household, or else to a spouse or child entitled to survivor benefits for the month of death42 U.S.C. § 402(i), first and second sentencesVerified Oct 26, 2026View source.
ToolsDo I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died? · What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance? · What Social Security Survivor Benefits Can I Get? · How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?
Probate Attorneys
More for settling an estate in KentuckyAll Kentucky settlement forms · All Kentucky settlement tools
Legal Sources
(27)·
- 26 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106
- 42 U.S.C. § 402(i) (Social Security Act § 202(i)), first sentence
- 42 U.S.C. § 402(i), first and second sentences
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Office of Vital Statistics
- KRS 140.060, 140.070, 140.080, 140.160, 140.210
- KRS 140.060, 140.070, 140.080, 140.160, 140.210, 140.222; KRS 141.020, 141.160, 141.190
- KRS 213.081
- KRS 24A.170(1); CR 3.03(1)(c) and (1)(m) as amended by Sup. Ct. Order 2026-15 (eff. 2026-07-01); KRS 27A.630(1); KRS 24A.185(2); AOC Circuit Court Clerks' Accounting Manual
- KRS 367.93101–367.93121
- KRS 367.93117
- KRS 391.030
- KRS 395.015 (application for appointment; general financial disclosure statement, as amended by 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134 eff. 7/15/2026); KRS 395.105 (letters of appointment; when appointment effective); KRS 395.110 (copy of order effectual as letters); KRS 395.120 (oaths/declaration); KRS 394.140-394.145 (probate of will; combined application)
- KRS 395.015; KRS 395.016 (District Court appointment on sworn application; no non-judicial registrar track)
- KRS 395.120(2)(a) (as amended by 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134, sec. 10, eff. 2026-07-15); KRS 395.195(5) (deposit power)
- KRS 395.130 (bond, when required — no bond by default for appointments on or after July 15, 2026; 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134, sec. 11); KRS 395.140 (delivery of surety bond to court; who may not be surety); KRS 395.105(3) (appointment effective on order + bond when required + oath/declaration)
- KRS 395.150(1) (not more than 5% of the personal estate plus 5% of income; real property excluded); KRS 395.150(2) (additional compensation for extraordinary services)
- KRS 395.250
- KRS 396.011, 396.015, 396.055, 396.095, 424.340
- KRS 396.095
- KRS Chapter 393A (Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act); KRS 393A.510, 393A.520, 393A.530, 393A.540; 20 KAR 1:040
- KRS chs. 381 (§§ 381.050, 381.120, 381.130) and 382 (§§ 382.110 to 382.337); chs. 140, 213 and 391; KRS 64.012
- Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)
- KRS 64.012(1)(a), KRS 64.012(3)(a), KRS 142.010(1)(d), KRS 142.050
- Bracken County District Court, official page
- Bracken County District Court: Drive-thru window and document drop box
- Bracken County Clerk, official page
- Bracken County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Kentucky statutes and official state code. How we research.
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