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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationKentucky

What to do when someone dies in Kentucky

The first things Kentucky’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in Kentucky.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Filing the death certificate: who is responsible, when it must be filed, and the physician's part

Registering the death comes first. These are Kentucky’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

A certificate of death or a provisional certificate of death for each death which occurs in the Commonwealth shall be filed with the cabinet or as otherwise directed by the state registrar prior to final disposition

The funeral director, or person acting as such, who first takes custody of a dead body shall be responsible for filing the certificate of death.

shall within five (5) days of the death, present the certificate to the attending physician

Kentucky · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · KRS 213.076(1)(a), (c)

The court's power to make the holder of a will produce it

The will has its own rules. These are Kentucky’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

Any District Court, on being informed that a person has in his custody the will of a testator, may summon him, and, by proper process, compel him to produce it.

Kentucky · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · KRS 394.160

When the county clerk returns a recorded will, and to whom

For any will recorded on or after January 1, 2027, the county clerk shall return the will to the person designated in the order admitting the will to probate no earlier than two (2) years after it has been recorded by the county clerk.

Kentucky · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · KRS 394.300(1)(b)

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

A certificate of death or a provisional certificate of death for each death which occurs in the Commonwealth shall be filed with the cabinet or as otherwise directed by the state registrar prior to final disposition

The funeral director, or person acting as such, who first takes custody of a dead body shall be responsible for filing the certificate of death.

shall within five (5) days of the death, present the certificate to the attending physician

Kentucky · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · KRS 213.076(1)(a), (c)

Any District Court, on being informed that a person has in his custody the will of a testator, may summon him, and, by proper process, compel him to produce it.

Kentucky · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · KRS 394.160

For any will recorded on or after January 1, 2027, the county clerk shall return the will to the person designated in the order admitting the will to probate no earlier than two (2) years after it has been recorded by the county clerk.

Kentucky · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · KRS 394.300(1)(b)

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

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