Small estates in Kentucky (2026)

Kentucky at a glance

Affidavit cap

No affidavit

Court shortcut

Petition to dispense with administration (KRS 395.455; AOC-830) (up to $30,000)

Can you use it?

Enter the date of death and the value. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

The rules in Kentucky

• The affidavit. Kentucky has no small-estate affidavit that works without a court. Small estates use a District Court order dispensing with administration (KRS 395.455) or an agreed dispensing order (KRS 395.470).
• Conditions. For KRS 395.455: the $30,000 exemption alone or with preferred claims paid by the spouse or children must equal or exceed distributable assets; works for testate and intestate estates.
• Who can sign. Petition by the surviving spouse; if none, the surviving children; or a preferred creditor/person who paid preferred claims where the spouse/children waive or none survive.
• Court filing. Petition to Dispense with Administration (AOC-830) is filed in District Court; the court's order (AOC-830.1) transfers the listed assets.

Houses, land and vehicles

• Real estate. No small-estate affidavit for land. The official sources reviewed do not provide a no-court small-estate route for real estate.
• Vehicles. Joint titles pass to the survivor with a death certificate (or court papers); otherwise the county clerk transfers on probate papers such as a dispensing-with-administration order listing the vehicle by VIN.

When the affidavit isn't enough

District Court may order no administration and transfer assets to the surviving spouse (or, if none, the surviving children, or a person the spouse designates) when the $30,000 exemption alone or with paid preferred claims equals or exceeds distributable assets. Alternatively (KRS 395.470), administration can be ended by a written agreement of all beneficiaries under penalty of perjury when the estate owes no debts, after creditors are advertised for 6 weeks; the motion may be filed only after any will is probated and a personal representative is appointed, and the court may require a surety bond.

Good to know in Kentucky

• The limit field for summaryProcedure is the $30,000 KRS 391.030 exemption; preferred claims paid (funeral, etc.) can raise the asset value that qualifies.
• 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134 (SB 50), effective 2026-07-15, amended KRS 395.455 to let surviving children use it when there is no spouse, and amended 395.470 (agreement under penalty of perjury). It also changed intestate shares (KRS 391.010).
• A spouse may get a court order to withdraw up to $2,500 from a bank before the exemption is set apart (KRS 391.030(2)).
• The Kentucky Courts probate guide URL now returns 404; selfHelpUrl left null.

Official help and forms

• Kentucky small-estate form

Sources

• KRS 395.455 Transfer of assets without administration (read October 23, 2026)
• KRS 395.470 Dispensing with administration by written agreement (read October 23, 2026)
• KRS 395.450 Jurisdiction to dispense with administration (read October 23, 2026)
• KRS 391.030 Exemption for surviving spouse and children (read October 23, 2026)
• 2026 Ky. SB 50 (Acts ch. 134) (read October 23, 2026)
• AOC-830 Petition to Dispense with Administration (read October 23, 2026)
• Kentucky DRIVE - Vehicle Titling (read October 23, 2026)

Legal information, not legal advice. Caps and forms change — confirm with the court or the statute before you sign. How we check: methodology.