State guide
Kentucky
Kentucky adult guardianship and conservatorship for disabled persons is handled in District Court. Kentucky’s court system publishes statewide legal forms, and current fee schedules break out a specific filing category for an application for appointment of guardian or conservator unrelated to probate.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
- Court that handles adult guardianship
- Adult guardianship and conservatorship petitions for disabled persons are handled in Kentucky District Court.
- What it's called
- guardian (personal affairs) and conservator (financial resources); Kentucky also uses limited guardian and limited conservator.
- Filing fee
- $50.00 Civil Filing Fee + $10.00 Access to Justice Fee + $20.00 Court Technology-MCFO + $10.00 Court Facilities Fee, if applicable + $2.50 Attorney Tax Fee – MCFO, if applicable, for each application for appointment of guardian, conservator, and curator unrelated to a probate proceeding.
- Less-restrictive alternatives
- No separate supported decision-making statute was found on the official pages reviewed, but Kentucky regulations list supported decision making, power of attorney, advance directives, representative payee, trustee, curator, informal support, and other least restrictive alternatives for state appointment decisions.
- Law
- KRS Chapter 387, especially KRS 387.510 and 387.520.
Official resources in Kentucky
Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 387
Main official chapter for guardianship and conservatorship of disabled persons.
Kentucky Circuit Clerks’ Accounting Manual
Published court fee manual listing filing charges for appointment of guardian or conservator unrelated to probate.
Key facts for Kentucky
- Kentucky law places guardianship and conservatorship jurisdiction in District Court.
- Kentucky defines a guardian as managing the personal affairs of a disabled person.
- Kentucky defines a conservator as managing the financial resources of a disabled person.
- Kentucky publishes a distinct filing-fee category for each application for appointment of guardian, conservator, and curator unrelated to probate.
- Kentucky statewide court forms include adult disabled-person guardianship and conservatorship forms such as AOC-765, AOC-777, and AOC-790.
- Kentucky regulations list supported decision making among least restrictive alternatives for state guardianship appointments.
County court guardianship pages in Kentucky
| Court | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County Office of Circuit Court Clerk Jefferson | Louisville | Not published* | Starting point for District Court probate and guardianship-related records and filings in Kentucky’s largest county. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- Use the statewide Legal Forms page first, then file with the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case belongs.
- Confirm all local fee components with the clerk because the published fee schedule includes court-facilities and attorney-tax charges only if applicable.
- If a full guardianship is not necessary, review whether a limited guardian, limited conservator, or existing power of attorney could fit the person’s needs.
Not seeing your court or county?
Not every court publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Kentucky's population center, for comparison only):
- Hamilton County Probate Court - Mental Health / Guardianship, Ohio · about 99 miles
- Hamilton County Probate Court - Guardianship Investigator, Ohio · about 99 miles
- Hamilton County Probate Court - Guardianship Forms and Instructions, Ohio · about 99 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 387
Website →Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Kentucky page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.