Inventory required -- Confidentiality -- Copies are evidence -- Petition when assets believed to be withheld or concealed -- Settlement -- Penalty
KRS 395.250
in effect395.250. Inventory required -- Confidentiality -- Copies are evidence -- Petition when assets believed to be withheld or concealed -- Settlement -- Penalty
(1) (a) It shall be the duty of a personal representative of a decedent to file an inventory no later than ninety (90) days from the time of qualifying as personal representative.
(b) The inventory shall be confidential except as provided in subsection (2)(a) of this section, and shall be placed under seal when filed. The clerk of the court shall transmit a copy of the inventory to the commissioner of the Department of Revenue.
(2) (a) It shall be the duty of the personal representative of a decedent to furnish a filed copy of the inventory required under subsection (1) of this section to any person authorized under KRS 395.015(3)(c) who has requested a copy, or to whom the court has ordered disclosure of assets and liabilities.
(b) No person or entity authorized under KRS 395.015(3)(c) or by the court to receive records under seal, including the inv entory filed under this section, shall copy, reproduce, or in any way release any information contained in the records without specific authorization from the court in which the personal representative qualified. Violation of this paragraph shall be a basi s for a finding of contempt of court.
(3) Copies from the record of the inventory or appraisement shall be prima facie evidence for or against the personal representative when required and approved for release by the court for that purpose.
(4) If any property not included in the initial inventory comes to the knowledge of the personal representative, or if the personal representative learns that the value or description of any item listed in the initial inventory is erroneous or misleading, the personal representative shall file an amended inventory with the court.
(5) (a) If the personal representative has cause to believe that any of the assets of the estate are concealed or wrongfully withheld from the personal representative, or that any person has in his or her possession or under his or her control any records, books, documents, or related information concerning withheld assets or the ownership of withheld assets, the personal representative shall petition the court before which the estate action is pe nding for an order compelling discovery of the required information.
(b) All parties named in the petition may be compelled to provide under oath either by response to the petition or by personal testimony to the court, all the facts known to them concerning the assets of the estate and any adverse claims relating to the assets of the estate.
(c) If the court finds that any person has property or assets of the estate to which there is no adverse claim, the court shall direct the property or asset be delivered to the personal representative who shall account for the property or asset in an amended inventory filed with the court no later than twenty (20) days following entry of the court's order.
(6) Any settlement ordered or filed under this chapter shall be filed in compliance with the confidentiality provisions in subsections (1) and (2) of this se ction.
(7) Additional documents containing information regarding the assets or value of the decedent's estate shall not be ordered to be filed except upon motion with good cause shown, and any document filed under this section shall be in compliance with the confidentiality provisions in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
(8) Failure to timely file any inventory when due shall be subject to the penalties in KRS 395.255 and 395.990.
Effective: July 15, 2026
History: Amended 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134, sec. 13, effective July 15, 2026. -- Amended 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 167, sec. 11. -- Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective October 1, 1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 3855.
Source: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (legislature.ky.gov)URL: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57677Fetched: 10/20/2026