Kentucky County Formations

​​​​​This database includes the complete text of the Acts of the Virginia General Assembly and the Kentucky General Assembly creating all 120 Kentucky counties. It also includes Fincastle, Kentucky, Henrietta, Beckham  and Zollicoffer counties. This database uses original spelling and punctuation formats. The "Note" field contains information from Rone's Kentucky & Her Counties, Collins' History of Kentucky, and The Kentucky Encyclopedia.

Although the Office of the Kentucky Secretary of State receives, files and certifies maps of state and city boundaries, official maps of county boundaries and boundary changes, suitable for certification, are not filed with this office.

To assist in your research, the Land Office has compiled a number of prebuilt lists and queries. If you need additional information about the formation of Kentucky's counties, please consult the frequently asked questions. page or contact the Land Office at (502) 564-3490 or via ​ email.

Disclaimer: The text of these Acts was entered manually; researchers should consult the published versions of the Virginia and Kentucky Acts for official use. Those Acts can be researched at the Kentucky History Center Library, the Department for Libraries and Archives, and the Supreme Court Law Library, all in Frankfort. Enrolled Bills and Governor's Journals (1792-1927) are available on microfilm at the Department for Libraries and Archives.