Is there a way to avoid probate appointment in Kentucky?

Yes. A revocable living trust passes assets to beneficiaries without any court appointment — no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about 15 minutes.

How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Kentucky?

See the appointing court, the petition that opens the estate, what to file, and bond rules to be appointed in your state.

Got the Letters? Run the whole estate from here.

State

Document Type

Getting Appointed in Kentucky

Personal Representative (executor if testate; administrator if intestate)

Where you file

District Court (Probate Division)

The form that opens the estate

AOC-805Petition for Probate of Will; and/or Appointment of Executor/Administrator · Fillable PDF · View sourceStart this petition for Kentucky — we pre-fill it with your information. You review, sign, and file it with the court.

What the court issues (with a will)

Letters of Appointment (executor) / Letters Testamentaryissued by District Court judge signs the order probating/appointing; the Circuit Court Clerk then issues the Certificate of Qualification (AOC-807) and certified copies of the order, which serve as the letters of appointment

Letters are an output — the court issues them after granting the petition.

At a glance

UPC adoptedInformal trackE-filingSelf-represented filingLocal/county forms

The AOC publishes a "Guide to Basic Kentucky Probate Procedures" for self-represented litigants, and the Self-Help Portal offers A2J guided interviews for probate forms. File & Serve (KYeCourts) eFiling covers probate matters and registration is open to self-represented parties, but eFiling is not mandatory for probate — a pro se filer may file the AOC-805 packet on paper with the Circuit Court Clerk.

Bond

Required before Letters: No
Waivable by will: No
Waivable by beneficiaries: No

Other official forms

Letters form: AOC-807View source

What to file with the petition

Certified copy of the death certificate
Original will and any codicils, presented to the District Court for probate and recorded by the county clerk (KRS 394.140; KRS 394.300)
Written application/petition under oath listing the surviving spouse and heirs-at-law (AOC-805), filed in duplicate (KRS 395.015)
Separate written general financial disclosure statement of the decedent’s property, filed under seal with the application and confidential (KRS 395.015(3); required for applications filed on or after July 15, 2026 under 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134)
Proof of the will by a subscribing witness, unless self-proved or holographic (KRS 394.225-394.235, 394.040)
Fiduciary Bond (AOC-825) only when the court orders surety under KRS 395.130(2) — no bond is required by default for applications on or after July 15, 2026
Oath of the fiduciary, or the written declaration the amended statute permits in lieu of an oath when no hearing is required (KRS 395.120; KRS 62.030)

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form: AOC-830View source
Form name: Petition to Dispense With Administration

State-specific notes

There is no separate fillable "Letters Testamentary"/"Letters of Administration" form in Kentucky; per KRS 395.105 the fiduciary "shall receive letters of appointment from the District Court," and under KRS 395.110 a certified copy of the order probating/appointing (AOC-805.1 testate; AOC-805.2 "Order Appointing Administrator (No Will)" intestate) — together with the Certificate of Qualification (AOC-807) — is "as effectual as the probate or letters made out in due form." (There is no AOC-806 in the AOC Legal Forms repository.) "Dispensing with administration" (AOC-830; KRS 395.450-395.455, 391.030) lets a surviving spouse or, if none, the surviving children take a personal estate covered by the $30,000 exemption, or a preferred creditor recover a paid preferred claim, without any appointment or letters issuing. 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134 (effective July 15, 2026) rewrites the appointment chapter: bond is no longer required by default (KRS 395.130(1)), the applicant signs an acknowledgment and may satisfy the oath by a declaration under penalty of perjury (KRS 395.015(1)(e), (4); KRS 395.120(2)), and the decedent’s asset schedule becomes a separately filed, sealed general financial disclosure statement (KRS 395.015(3)). As of 2026-07-13 the AOC has not yet posted revised probate forms — AOC-805 is still Rev. 12-25 and still carries the pre-Act asset schedules and bond prayer.

A revocable living trust passes assets to your family without this court appointment process — no petition, no Letters, no bond.

Create a Revocable Trust in 15 minutes

This tool provides general information about how a personal representative is appointed and is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state for guidance specific to your situation.Data verified 2026-07-13

Frequently Asked Questions

Kentucky uses Petition for Probate of Will; and/or Appointment of Executor/Administrator (AOC-805), filed with the District Court (Probate Division). After the court grants the petition, District Court judge signs the order probating/appointing; the Circuit Court Clerk then issues the Certificate of Qualification (AOC-807) and certified copies of the order, which serve as the letters of appointment issues your Letters of Appointment (executor) / Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Appointment (administrator) / Letters of Administration (without a will).

Along with the petition, Kentucky generally requires: Certified copy of the death certificate; Original will and any codicils, presented to the District Court for probate and recorded by the county clerk (KRS 394.140; KRS 394.300); Written application/petition under oath listing the surviving spouse and heirs-at-law (AOC-805), filed in duplicate (KRS 395.015); Separate written general financial disclosure statement of the decedent’s property, filed under seal with the application and confidential (KRS 395.015(3); required for applications filed on or after July 15, 2026 under 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134); Proof of the will by a subscribing witness, unless self-proved or holographic (KRS 394.225-394.235, 394.040); Fiduciary Bond (AOC-825) only when the court orders surety under KRS 395.130(2) — no bond is required by default for applications on or after July 15, 2026; Oath of the fiduciary, or the written declaration the amended statute permits in lieu of an oath when no hearing is required (KRS 395.120; KRS 62.030).

Kentucky does not require a bond by default before Letters issue, though the court can order one.

Kentucky permits self-represented filers to open an estate, using Petition for Probate of Will; and/or Appointment of Executor/Administrator (AOC-805). E-filing is available. The Self-File Probate Assessment compares self-filing and attorney costs for Kentucky.

Yes. A revocable living trust passes assets to beneficiaries without any court appointment in Kentucky — no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about 15 minutes.

Getting Appointed in Kentucky

Authority to act for the estate comes from Letters issued in Kentucky by District Court judge signs the order probating/appointing; the Circuit Court Clerk then issues the Certificate of Qualification (AOC-807) and certified copies of the order, which serve as the letters of appointment, on appointment by the District Court (Probate Division). The document is Letters of Appointment (executor) / Letters Testamentary with a will and Letters of Appointment (administrator) / Letters of Administration without. UPC adoption in Kentucky: No.

The estate is opened by filing Petition for Probate of Will; and/or Appointment of Executor/Administrator (AOC-805) with the court, which carries a filing fee of $90. Whether an informal (registrar) appointment track is available for qualifying estates: No.

Kentucky does not require a bond by default before Letters issue, though the court can order one where it is needed to protect creditors or heirs.

For smaller estates, Kentucky offers a small-estate procedure for estates under $30,000 that can transfer assets without a full appointment or Letters (AOC-830). The Kentucky self-file probate assessment compares self-filing and attorney costs.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated July 14, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Kentucky statutes and official state code. How we research.

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