The Secretary of State's office is the place to start when researching Kentucky land acquisitions and seeking information about Kentucky's cities and counties.
In Kentucky, land is allocated via the patenting process. The Kentucky Secretary of State's office is the repository for all records pertaining to patents issued within the Kentucky boundary, including those issued by the state of Virginia prior to Kentucky's statehood in 1792. This website contains searchable databases and information regarding military warrants issued for service in the French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War and the Revolutionary War; non-military warrants and the resulting patents and a number of other databases.
You can also find on this website information about Kentucky cities, including filings since 1942, classification, incorporation date, and status.
For additional information about Kentucky land records and related topics, please visit the Land Office's Online Resources page, which houses materials that will aid researchers in their study of the Kentucky land patenting process and Land Office databases.
If you would like to obtain copies of records maintained by the Land Office, please print and return or submit online a Land Office Order Form. Prepayment is not required; an invoice will be included when your order is returned to you.
The Land Office would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us about your research:
- phone: (502) 564-3490
- email
- mail: Office of the Secretary of State
Land Office
700 Capital Ave., Ste. 80
Frankfort, KY 40601
The Office of the Secretary of State is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., ET.