Kentucky's useful first step is the PVA record
Every Kentucky county has a Property Valuation Administrator, or PVA, responsible for property assessment. The PVA record can give you an address match, parcel number, acreage used for assessment, owner record, and a map that helps you recognize the tract. The Kentucky Department of Revenue's mapping guidance draws an important line: PVA maps are to be used for identification, not conveyance.
The state's mapping guidance therefore makes the PVA map a locator, not a construction layout. Save the parcel number and every deed, plat, subdivision, or map reference shown. Those identifiers are more useful to a surveyor than a screenshot with a colored line.
Move from the tax record to the title record
Under KRS Chapter 382, deeds and subdivision plats are recorded through the county clerk. Ask for the current deed and follow any references to an earlier deed or recorded plat. A subdivision lot may be described by lot, block, and plat book. Rural land may use a metes-and-bounds description whose calls refer to roads, streams, adjoining owners, or older monuments.
Kentucky's historic land-patent material can explain the remote origin of an old description, but it is rarely the document a homeowner should use to place a fence today. The Secretary of State Land Office is a research archive; the current deed, adjoining records, physical evidence, and professional retracement still control the practical investigation.
Use the records to answer the right question
| Your goal | What the records can do | What to request |
|---|---|---|
| Understand the parcel | Confirm parcel identity and find deed or plat references. | Usually no field work yet. |
| Build a fence or wall | Show which side needs attention and reveal easements on a plat. | Boundary work with corners and, if needed, line stakes. |
| Resolve a neighbor disagreement | Preserve the record trail and identify conflicting descriptions. | A signed boundary survey focused on the disputed line. |
| Divide or convey part of a tract | Identify the parent deed and local review history. | A surveyor familiar with county planning and recordation requirements. |
Why an old marker is evidence, not an answer
An iron pin, stone, fence corner, or flagged stake may matter, but its appearance does not prove what it marks. Do not pull, move, or replace it. Photograph it in context and give the location to the surveyor. Kentucky's surveying standard, 201 KAR 18:150, requires record research, a search for physical monuments, and comparison of record and field evidence.
Before you request an estimate
- Give the street address, county, parcel number, and approximate acreage.
- Attach the deed, recorded plat, prior survey, and photos of any visible markers.
- Explain the decision: fence, sale, access, construction, division, or disagreement.
- Say whether you need corners, one line staked, or a complete signed boundary drawing.
- Verify the responsible professional through the Kentucky Board's searchable roster.
Use the Kentucky land surveyor directory to find firms, then confirm the scope directly. This guide explains a records path and is not legal advice.