The Bluegrass State of Kentucky is home to the world-famous Kentucky Derby. Many Native American tribes, such as the Cherokee, Shawnee, Chickasaw, and Yuchi, settled in Kentucky. Daniel Boone founded settlements in Kentucky, known for its musical history and bluegrass roots. Kentucky has lush, rich forests, coal fields, valleys, mountains, and rivers, making it a great place to call home. More than 4.512 million Americans live in Kentucky, generating millions of property records every year.

Kentucky property records impact the state, private companies, realtors, attorneys, government offices, and homeowners. They are generated through real estate transactions, property ownership transfers, and many other property-related events.

If you want to know all you can about Kentucky property records, keep reading to find out what they are, what kinds exist within the state, how they are used, where to find them, and how to change and correct them.

Kentucky property records are documents (some legal and some not) pertaining to real property. They contain a lot of information about the property, buildings, licenses/permits, insurance, taxes, and owners themselves. Many industries use property records daily to learn more about a property for business or personal reasons.

Sources of Property Records in Kentucky

Unfortunately, property records are not held by one single agency. They are spread out among local and state governments, the courts, private companies, and others. For example, if you needed to file a deed in Kentucky, you would contact the county clerk's office. Many counties like Fayette County have online portals where you can access deed records. Regarding property taxes, local property value administrators set tax rates and send out bills. The Kentucky Department of Revenue oversees these county-level officials. The Kentucky Department of Housing, Building, and Construction handles building permits and has an online portal to make applying easier. You may have to contact private companies for insurance records, appraisals, or other documents.

Most Kentucky county clerk's offices, like the one in Union County, handle many different tasks. They issue marriage licenses, process delinquent real estate taxes, and file and maintain all land records.

How Property Records are Maintained in Kentucky

Each Kentucky county has its own county clerk's office, which handles property records in its own way. When a new document is received, the clerk stamps it with the date and time, and immediately, it becomes a public record.

Accessing Records at the County Clerk's Office in Kentucky

Many of these counties, like Jefferson County, have an online search portal where you can locate records easily. The trick is knowing which county to look in. Here are a few county websites to help get you started.

County Clerk's Office Locations in Kentucky

Finding county records is the key to finding the information you need. To help you in your property history search, here is a complete listing of all Kentucky county clerk's offices.

When performing a property history search, you will come across many different types of records. The most common are deeds, property taxes, and building permits.

All real property in Kentucky is subject to annual revaluation and physical inspection once every four years. It occurs at the local level. Valuation methods are under the Kentucky Revised Statutes. Every property valuation administrator or PVA must use either of the following methods to determine the fair cash value of the property:

Easements and Covenants

Some properties come with special rules, often in the form of easements or covenants. Easements are rights-of-way where someone has the legal right to access the property even though they are not the owner. A good example would be a wireless company that installs towers on private land. The original owner agreed to the arrangement, and every owner after must respect that agreement.

Covenants are special rules about how land or property can be used. You see these often in condo developments, where they have strict rules about paint colors and lawn decorations.

Plats and Surveys

Plats and surveys are both types of maps of a property. Surveys show the specific boundaries of the property, whereas plats also show the boundaries of other neighboring properties.

Some of the common information found in surveys includes:

Historical Property Records

The Kentucky Archives and Records Management Division holds all archived historical land records for the state. If you need older records, you can contact them via email, phone, or in person.

Building Permits and Regulations in Kentucky

If you want to renovate your home, build a new one, or demolish a building, you must first obtain the proper building permit. The Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings, and Construction handles residential building permits. Kentucky Business OneStop manages the state's commercial building permits. Newport Kentucky states that whenever you need to "construct, enlarge, remodel, or change the occupancy of a building, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert, or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system", you need a building permit.

You might need to perform a property history search for dozens of reasons. Thankfully, you have some great options for quickly finding what you need.

Online Property Record Search

Your easiest option is to perform an online property search. Type the property address into the search bar of your favorite internet browser and see what surfaces. You might find what you need immediately, but you might need to dig deeper.

In-Person Property Record Search

All county clerk's offices have regular business hours, and you can visit in person to ask for records. By law, they must provide them. However, you might have to wait if they are busy, and they can charge you a small per-page fee.

Using Property Record Indexes

Property record indexes like realty websites, private party data collectors, and others are also an option. However, you never really know how fresh or stale the information is or when it was last updated. If you go through the route, always verify the information.

How to Search Property Records by Address

The most efficient way to find property records is to use the property address. It gets right to the heart of the matter. Type in the full property address to see what comes up.

How to Search Property Records by Name

Some search portals allow you to search using the property owner's name. You may get good results this way or find old, outdated records belonging to the previous owner, but this method can be hit or miss.

Property ownership in Kentucky comes with some responsibilities. You must pay your mortgage, interest, and taxes on time. If you do not, you could end up losing your home. Your name and address appear in property records, and too many liens or a foreclosure could sully your reputation.

A good way to find a property in Kentucky is to look at the legal property description. It contains accurate map coordinates along with a written description of where it is, landmarks, and other things to help you find it easily. Legal property descriptions appear on deeds, tax documents, insurance, and other records.

Surveys and Land Measurements

Surveys measure the land and provide coordinates and boundaries defining the real property. They can be used with new construction, utilities installation, and sometimes during boundary disputes.

Boundary Disputes and Resolutions

A boundary dispute is when someone believes another person is encroaching upon their land unlawfully. They usually end up in court, and a judge decides the outcome. The courts often rely on expert testimony from professional surveyors to help make an informed decision.

Most people will have at least one lien on their property (for the mortgage). But sometimes there are multiple liens, which is not good, especially when the owner wants to sell. Too many liens indicate a problem, and they show up all over public property records. There are two main types of liens: voluntary and involuntary.

Voluntary Liens

Voluntary liens are those that you control. Whenever you borrow money and use your house as collateral, you must allow the lender to place a lien on the property. Even so, if you default on the loan, the lender still has the right to seize and sell the property.

Involuntary Liens

Involuntary liens are those over which you have no control. They typically result in foreclosure and the loss of your home. You gamble with losing your home whenever you don't pay a serious debt.

The Process of Property Liens in Kentucky

The process of setting up a mechanics' lien in Kentucky goes as follows:

Real estate sales are a common vehicle for property records. Before the transaction, many participants consult property records to gather information. During the transaction, many more records are created, and eventually, some will replace older ones, like the new deed with the current owner.

Buying Property: Due Diligence

Buying property can be risky. It's important to perform due diligence and find out all you can before buying. You can use property records to find out information about insurance, taxes, liens, foreclosures, and previous owners. You can even find out if any renovations have been completed.

Selling Property: Providing Disclosure

Before selling property in Kentucky, you must disclose to potential buyers any material defects, such as a leaky roof, broken furnace, structural issues, or pest infestation. If you don't have all the details, you can consult older property records to fill in the blanks.

Title Searches and Insurance

Another aspect of buying real estate is title insurance. If you borrow money to buy the house, your lender will require you to purchase title insurance to protect themselves and you from any legal claims after the sale. Your title company or attorney will perform a property title search looking for any title defects before closing.

Foreclosure and Property Records in Kentucky

Foreclosures show up in public property records. A foreclosure occurs whenever the homeowner doesn't pay a debt (mortgage, taxes, creditor, worker, etc.). These can reflect poorly on the property and the owner, making it harder to sell.

Pre-Foreclosures in Kentucky

Pre-foreclosure homes are in the process of foreclosure, and it's an optimal time for an investor to come in and offer the homeowner a deal to get out of debt. These investors pay far less than fair market value, so they can usually turn it around for a profit quickly.

When was the House Built?

Property records can also reveal when the house was first built. Check building permits. One would have been needed when it was first built, and then others if any renovations were done.

Knowing the value of a piece of real property can help you assess whether it is a good deal and evaluate how it compares with other properties in the area. Property values appear in many different property records, such as insurance, assessments, appraisals, tax bills, mortgages, and more.

Assessments and Appraisals

Property tax officials use assessments to determine a property's value for tax purposes. Every resident must pay their fair share, and taxes are based on the property's value. Assessments do not always match the fair market value (FMV) of the property.

Lenders and estate planners use appraisals to form an opinion of the value of a property to see if it is a good risk or value for inheritance purposes. Banks want to know the property is valued high enough that if the homeowner defaults on the loan, they can seize and sell the property to get their money back.

Property Records and Market Value

Some property records contain the fair market value, which is the price the house would fetch on the open market in a real estate sale. The FMV is just an estimate but is usually pretty accurate based on other recently sold properties in the same local area.

Anyone can access public property records at any time. You don't need any special permission. You can find records online or in person, but you don't even need a reason to review them. Some personal information about the property owners may be found in property records.

Why are Property Records Public?

All public records were designed to provide transparency in government so that no one agency has too much power over the people. Property records are also public to preserve the chain of title.

How Do I Protect My Personal Information in Property Records?

Protecting your personal information is crucial to staying safe from identity theft and fraud. However, removing all your personal information from public records is impossible. You can contact the agencies that hold your property records and ask that they remove anything beyond your name and address. You won't want your email address or phone number showing up online for everyone to see.

Maintaining property records is an important task you should not take lightly. These records affect you, and if they are incorrect, they could cause problems. The agency in charge of your records will not know to change them unless you contact it.