Kentucky Land Warrants

In 1815 the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation that established the patenting process for the "large quantities of waste and unappropriated lands" in Kentucky. Under this patent series, potential landowners paid the Kentucky State Treasurer $20 for every one hundred acres they wished to patent. The Treasurer issued a receipt declaring the fee had been paid, and the receipt was then delivered to the Auditor of Public Accounts, and the Auditor issued a certificate stating the quantity of land the applicant could patent. The certificate was then lodged with the Register of the Land Office, who issued a printed warrant authorizing the county surveyor to survey the acreage.

Under the Kentucky Land Warrant Patent Series, warrants could be used in any county in the Commonwealth, even across county lines.

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.