Blog · October 8, 2026 · Kentucky
Using a Kentucky Landowner Map
Use a free Kentucky landowner map to find who owns hunting land: county parcel maps, public versus private ground, land records and permission.
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A Kentucky landowner map answers the first question every hunter asks about private ground: who owns it? In Kentucky, that answer sits in county parcel records, and most of them are free to view online. You'll find links to the Platbookmapper Kentucky directory, notes on public versus private ground, and a short permission checklist.
Where to find a free Kentucky landowner map
Kentucky has 120 counties covering roughly 39,490 square miles of land, by Census Bureau figures. Pike County is the biggest Kentucky county by land area, followed by Christian County and Pulaski County. Platbookmapper's directory lists a free, login-free parcel map for 71 of the Kentucky counties. For 1 of those, the working link is a statewide Kentucky viewer rather than a county-run site. The Kentucky directory links every listed county, from Johnson County to Kenton County.
Aerial and topo layers in Kentucky county viewers
Overlay Kentucky parcel lines on aerial imagery and the funnels, field corners and creek crossings start to show up before you ever leave home. Aerial photos can be a few years old, and Kentucky timber gets cut and fields get built on.
What a Kentucky parcel record tells a hunter
On a Casey County record, the owner's name is only the start; the mailing address and parcel ID matter as much. An out-of-area mailing address on a Kentucky record usually means an absentee owner, common on timber and farm ground. Scan the adjoining parcels. If one family owns all the ground around a spot near West Liberty, that's one letter instead of five.
Kentucky land records
In Kentucky, deeds and plats are recorded with the county clerk. In Kentucky the county Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) assesses real property and keeps ownership and parcel maps, and the county clerk records deeds. With the parcel number from the Carroll County map in hand, a records clerk can find the deed far faster.
Turning a Kentucky parcel click into permission
Around Somerset, start by clicking the field edge you want to hunt; the record names the owner and the mailing address to write to. Offer value to a Kentucky owner: a share of the harvest, help with chores, or simply a promise to report trespassers. Seasons, licenses and any statewide access programs come from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Survey lines and legal descriptions in Kentucky
Expect crooked lines in Kentucky, where metes-and-bounds deeds follow creeks, ridges and old markers rather than a grid. Tax-map lines in Kentucky can be off by several feet or more; a survey is the only legal answer.
Free Kentucky maps or a hunting app?
Hunting apps that show Kentucky landowner names usually license the same county parcel data, so the official map is the source of truth when they disagree. Download offline maps before you head out to Casey County or anywhere rural; signal is unreliable.
Getting it in writing
A written agreement for ground in Pulaski County, even a short one, should list the parcel IDs and the season dates. Outline the hunting area on a printed Kentucky parcel map and sign it along with the agreement. For more on leasing Kentucky ground, see what a hunting lease is.
Pitfalls to avoid in Kentucky
On Johnson County ground or anywhere in Kentucky, the classic error is treating the parcel line as the legal boundary. Data lag is the other trap, since a Kentucky tract sold last month may still show the old owner.
Kentucky public ground and its private neighbors
Public ground in Kentucky includes places such as Daniel Boone National Forest and Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge. Around Daniel Boone National Forest, check the parcel lines wherever public ground meets private; edges are where hunters get in trouble.
Kentucky county maps worth bookmarking
A few places to start in Kentucky:
- Pulaski County (658 sq mi of land)
Field tips
Scout Kentucky boundaries in daylight and mark corners as waypoints so you can find them in the dark. If a line on the Kentucky map doesn't match what's posted, go with what's posted and ask the owner.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Kentucky landowner map?
Not one statewide map; Kentucky ownership data lives in county parcel viewers like the one for Pulaski County.
Is unposted land in Kentucky open to hunting?
Don't assume so. Get permission from the owner and read Kentucky's trespass rules.
Who sets hunting seasons in Kentucky?
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
How do I find the owner of hunting land in Kentucky?
In the Kenton County viewer or any Kentucky county map, click the field and the record shows the owner and mailing address.
Open the Kentucky county GIS directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.