KRS 382.205: General cross indexes -- Adoption and maintenance.

(1) Any county where indexes to the records of deeds, mortgages, wills, marriages, or

other public records have been or may hereafter be prepared by the Work Projects

Administration or other appropriate agency of the United States government, or by

order of the fiscal court of any county, such indexes or any of them may be adopted

as the official general cross indexes of such records in the manner provided by this

section in addition to each individual book index. Upon the completion of any such

indexing project by an appropriate federal agency or by a person or persons acting

under the authority of a fiscal court, or at any time thereafter, any citizen of the

county may petition the county judge/executive to have said index adopted as the

official index. Upon t he filing of the petition, the county judge/executive may

forthwith by appropriate order designate a licensed attorney practicing in the county

who with the county attorney and county clerk shall comprise a commission to

examine the index proposed to be ad opted and ascertain whether the index is a

complete and accurate index of the records to which it pertains. The commission

shall thereupon make such examination as may be necessary to ascertain to its

satisfaction whether such index is complete and accurat e. Upon completion of such

examination, the commission shall make a written report to the county

judge/executive of the results thereof and of its recommendations, which report

shall lie over for exceptions for sixty (60) days. Notice of the filing of said report

shall be given by the clerk by publication pursuant to KRS Chapter 424. Exceptions

may be filed by any interested person, and if filed shall be heard and determined as

in other cases. If no exceptions are filed thereto, or upon the exceptions (if a ny) the

county judge/executive shall hear such proof as may be thought proper respecting

the report filed by the clerk and the exceptions, and shall determine whether the said

index is complete and accurate, and if it is determined that the index is comple te

and accurate, an order shall be entered adopting said index; provided, that if from

such report or such proof it appears that corrections or additions should be made to

such index in order to render it accurate and complete, the order may direct that

such corrections or additions shall be made by the clerk, and in that event it shall be

the duty of the clerk to make such corrections or additions forthwith, and upon his

report that he has done so an order shall be entered adopting the index as so

corrected. If adopted, said index shall thereupon become the official general cross

index of the records to which it pertains, and all persons shall be entitled to rely

thereon to the same extent as if the index had been prepared by the county clerk.

Upon the adoption of any such index, it shall be the duty of the clerk to bring same

up to date from the point at which same ceased to be made by the agency which

prepared it, and to continue and maintain said index thereafter in lieu of the

indexing system theretofore used, except he will continue to keep the regular

individual book index, and to index all instruments lodged for record in conformity

therewith. The indexes theretofore used shall not be destroyed after the adoption of

the new indexes, but shall be safely kept by the clerk as other records are kept,

subject to inspection by any person interested therein.

(2) Expenses incurred by the county clerk under the provisions of this section shall be

paid by the fiscal court of the county.