Grants

Issuance of the governor's grant finalizes the land patenting transaction. The document names the person receiving the patent, previous assigns, the type of warrant used, warrant number, date of survey, exact location, grant date, and the governor's name.

The Commonwealth officially conveys title with the issuance of the grant. The landowner receives a signed and sealed document from the Commonwealth and a copy of the grant is recorded in the Land Office Grant Book. Subsequent conveyances, or deeds, are filed with county clerks' offices.

The first governor to issue a grant for land in Kentucky was Thomas Jefferson. While Jefferson was governor of Virginia, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Land Law of 1779 pertaining to Kentucky territory. This act had many provisions, including the establishment of a military district in Kentucky for Virginia veterans of the Revolutionary War, authorization of certificates of settlement and other warrants, and appointment of a land commission to settle title disputes.

The Virginia Series of Kentucky land patents includes several grants approved and signed by Governor Thomas Jefferson, Governor Patrick Henry and Governor Benjamin Harrison. After the 1792 separation from Virginia, the first patent issued by a Kentucky governor  was signed by Governor Isaac Shelby. The most recent patent, County Court Order #70238, conveyed title to land in Lyon County. The grant was signed by Governor Paul Patton and Kentucky Secretary of State John Y. Brown III declared the warrant "satisfied."