Someone died in Kentucky. Start here.
The first 24 hours, in order, then the first week and the first month, with Kentucky's actual rules for death certificates, cremation, and probate. This page is free. No account required.
Sources: official Kentucky statutes and agencies, linked below. Last updated: October 2026.
Start with safety, the required local response, and the people who can help. The exact process depends on where and how the death occurred.
These figures come from the same data as our full Kentucky guide, built from state statutes and official agencies.
Death certificate
Filed within 5 days
The window runs from the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs. Confirm the current fee with the issuing office; the guide's last-reviewed first-copy or search fee starts at $6. Additional-copy, vendor, and expedited fees may differ.
Source: Kentucky Revised Statutes & KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services (opens in a new tab)Cremation
No fixed statutory wait
Kentucky doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Source: Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 367.93117, 367.97501 to 367.97537 & 213.081; 901 KAR 5:090 (opens in a new tab)Probate
$30,000 listed amount
The amount alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Confirm which property counts, how it’s valued, the waiting period, ownership, any pending court case, and every other state condition.
Source: Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 391.030 & 395.455 (dispensing with administration) (opens in a new tab)Inheritance tax
Yes, this state has one
Inheritance-tax treatment can depend on the beneficiary's relationship to the person who died and other state rules. Check the linked state tax authority.
Source 1: Ky. Rev. Stat. ch. 140 & Kentucky Department of Revenue (opens in a new tab)Source 2: IRS: 2026 estate tax basic exclusion amount (opens in a new tab)Days 2 to 7 · 1 to 7 days
These tasks often begin during the first week, but local requirements and the family's circumstances may change the order.
Weeks 2 to 4 · 1 to 4 weeks
The immediate calls may slow down. Estate, account, benefit, property, and tax work often continues for months.
The Long Game · 1 month+
Estate administration may take months or longer. The timing depends on the assets, claims, disputes, tax work, court schedule, and state procedure.
Have the death officially pronounced. For an expected hospice death, call the hospice nurse and follow the hospice instructions. For an unexpected death, call 911 and don’t move the body until you’re told you can. Then notify the closest people and, after the body is released, contact the funeral, cremation, burial, or donation provider the person chose.
In Kentucky, the death certificate must be filed within 5 days of the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs.
Kentucky's official pages print no eligibility list. The office says every request is subject to eligibility requirements, identity verification and a record search, and the application asks your relationship to the person who died. Expect to state that relationship and show ID. The office issues certified copies only, no photocopies or electronic copies. Certified copies come from Kentucky's Office of Vital Statistics, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, in Frankfort.
$6 for a certified copy from the state office, per the fee page linked on this page. Additional copies are $6 each. The fee is a non-refundable search that includes one copy if the record is found.
From Kentucky's Office of Vital Statistics, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, in Frankfort, online, by phone or by fax through VitalChek, by mail to the Frankfort office, in person, or by drop box. The official order page is linked on this page. The funeral home usually orders the first copies for you.
Kentucky doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Kentucky's stated small-estate threshold is $30,000. Value alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Ownership, asset type, timing, beneficiaries, debts, and other state requirements can affect whether a simplified procedure is available.
Yes. Kentucky has a state inheritance tax. Whether tax is due can depend on the beneficiary's relationship to the person who died and other state rules. Check the linked state tax authority. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026, and Form 706 may also be relevant for certain elections.
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