Lee County Probate Court Split
Kentucky does not place Lee County probate records in a separate local probate court building. District Court has probate jurisdiction for wills and uncontested probate, while Circuit Court handles contested probate matters. Both court levels are served locally by the Office of Circuit Court Clerk at the Lee County Courthouse in Beattyville. That means a requester looking for an estate file, certified order, will record, or fiduciary appointment should start with the court clerk even when the matter itself is a District Court probate matter.
The Kentucky Court of Justice court-structure page says District Court handles probate of wills. The same state court structure places contested probate within Circuit Court jurisdiction. In Lee County, the Circuit Court Clerk is Tyler Phillips, phone 606-464-8400, and the court clerk office is on the second floor of the Lee County Courthouse. The courthouse address is 256 Main St., P.O. Box E, Beattyville, KY 41311, with public hours listed by KCOJ as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Lee County District Court Probate Jurisdiction
Lee County Courthouse
256 Main St., P.O. Box E
Beattyville, KY 41311
606-464-8400
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Routine probate of wills and uncontested probate matters
Lee County Circuit Court
Lee County Courthouse
256 Main St., P.O. Box E
Beattyville, KY 41311
606-464-8400
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Contested probate matters and related Circuit Court proceedings
Lee County Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that can be plain once the role is known. These definitions help distinguish a will filing from an estate administration, a fiduciary appointment, or a guardianship-related court file. The terms also help when asking the Lee County Circuit Court Clerk for the right file or certified copy.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out the will and handle estate duties after appointment.
- Intestate
- A death without a will. The court may appoint an administrator rather than an executor.
- Guardianship
- A court-supervised role for personal care or legal decisions for a minor or qualifying adult.
- Conservatorship
- A court-supervised role tied to managing property or finances for a protected person.
- Fiduciary
- A person appointed to act for the estate or protected person, such as an executor, administrator, guardian, or conservator.
Note: Guardianship and conservatorship filings can be probate-related, but access can vary when minors or protected persons are involved.
Search Lee County Probate Records
Lee County probate record access has several channels. KYeCourts guest public records may show public probate case information if the case is indexed and available. The courthouse clerk channel remains the main route for certified copies, older estate files, offsite files, and questions about whether a matter is District Court probate or Circuit Court contested probate. County clerk records can also matter when an estate involves deeds or recorded instruments, but those are not the same as the probate case file.
- Start with KYeCourts guest public records if a public case search is enough and the case may be indexed online.
- Call the Lee County Circuit Court Clerk at 606-464-8400 for certified copies, will probate questions, and file availability.
- Ask whether the matter is routine probate of a will in District Court or a contested probate matter in Circuit Court.
- If the file is old, ask whether it is still at the clerk's office, stored at a record facility, or no longer retained under Kentucky Court of Justice retention schedules.
- If the clerk says the file is at the State Records Center, get the case and file locator numbers before submitting the state records request.
The eCCLIX county clerk records page is relevant only for county-clerk records, such as recorded instruments that may relate to estate real property.
That distinction matters because deed records can help trace estate property, but the court probate file stays with the court-record process.
What Lee County Probate Records Show
Probate records can document the court steps used to admit a will, open an estate, appoint a fiduciary, report estate assets, and close the matter. The exact contents depend on whether the case involves a will, an estate without a will, a contested dispute, guardianship, conservatorship, or another related filing. A simple will probate file may be much smaller than a contested estate case in Circuit Court.
| Field or Item | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Estate name | Usually the decedent name used to identify the probate matter. |
| Case number | The court case identifier needed for exact clerk searches and copy requests. |
| Court | District Court for probate of wills or Circuit Court if the matter is contested. |
| Filing date | The date the probate matter opened. |
| Fiduciary | Executor, administrator, guardian, or conservator. |
| Bond | Required security if ordered by the court. |
| Will | The testamentary document filed for probate, if one exists. |
| Inventory | Estate assets reported to the court. |
| Settlement | Accounting or closing report filed in the estate. |
| Orders | Judicial decisions, appointments, approvals, or other authorizations. |
Lee County Probate Filing Fees
No Lee-specific probate filing fee table was found in official county or state sources. That is an important limit because probate filings can be affected by statewide court fee schedules, local clerk instructions, case type, copy type, and filing date. The Kentucky Court of Justice home page noted that civil filing fees in Circuit and District Courts increase effective July 1, 2026 under Supreme Court Orders 2026-15 and 2026-18, so a fee quoted before that date may be wrong for a later filing.
| Probate Cost Item | Verified Amount | Action Before Filing |
|---|---|---|
| Opening routine probate or will matter | Not verified in official Lee County sources | Call the Lee County Circuit Court Clerk for the current District Court probate fee. |
| Contested probate filing | Not verified in official Lee County sources | Ask the clerk whether the matter routes to Circuit Court and what fee applies. |
| Certified probate copy | Not verified in official Lee County sources | Confirm copy and certification costs before ordering. |
| Older record retrieval | Not verified in official Lee County sources | Ask whether State Records Center or KDLA handling affects timing or cost. |
The Kentucky county recording fees page is useful for county clerk recorded instruments, but county recording fees are not a substitute for a court probate filing fee schedule.
Use county recording fee information for recorded instruments, then verify probate court filing and copy fees with the court clerk before filing.
Older Lee County Probate Records
KCOJ guidance for court case records says older files may be in the court clerk's office, at a record facility, or destroyed under Kentucky Court of Justice retention schedules. If the Lee County Circuit Court Clerk states that a probate record is at the State Records Center and available for public access, the requester needs the case and file locator numbers. KCOJ says those locator numbers must be submitted with the State Records Center request form to state.records@ky.gov or handled by calling 502-564-3617.
Those older State Records Center files cannot be searched by name or Social Security number through that state storage process. That makes the local clerk's case number and file locator information crucial. If the probate record is held by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives instead, follow KDLA's instructions for the record type after the clerk identifies the storage path.
Important: For old Lee County probate records, get case and file locator numbers from the clerk before contacting the State Records Center.
Lee County Estate Property Records
Probate case records and county property records can overlap in estate work, but they are not the same record. The probate file may show the will, petition, fiduciary appointment, inventory, accounting, and orders. Deeds and recorded instruments tied to estate real property may be kept by the Lee County Clerk. That county clerk office is separate from the Circuit Court Clerk and is located at 256 Main Street, Room 11, Beattyville, with phone 606-464-4115.
eCCLIX describes itself as the Internet version of CCLIX for public records archived in participating Kentucky county clerk offices. It can allow online viewing or printing of documents from participating clerks. Lee availability should be confirmed before buying access because eCCLIX tells subscribers to verify available counties and documents before subscribing.
The eCCLIX login page shows the county clerk records login path that may be relevant to estate-related recorded instruments.
Check court probate files through the Circuit Court Clerk first, then use county clerk records when estate property documents need to be traced.