How to order a West Virginia birth certificate
Who holds it: WV Vital Registration Office (Health Statistics Center), 350 Capitol Street, Room 165, Charleston; county clerks also issue certified copies of county-held records1
On this page
Fee
$12 per copy (includes non-refundable search fee); additional searches $12 per three-year period; 4% surcharge for debit/credit cards at the walk-up counter1
Who may order
Application form (rev. 1/9/09): registrant 18 or older (or emancipated minor, court order required), parents/grandparents, adult children/grandchildren, adult siblings, spouse, legal guardians/representatives; ID required and proof of relationship may be required. § 16-5-28(a) wording differs. Open to the public after 100 years2
How to search and order
- How to order
- In person same-day at 350 Capitol Street, Charleston; by mail with application, color copy of ID and check/money order; online only through third-party vendors (VitalChek linked)1
Older records and indexes
- Years covered
- State: births 1917-present; delayed birth records from about 18503
Related records in West Virginia
- Death certificates: who holds it
- WV Vital Registration Office; county clerks for county-held records1
- Death certificates: fee
- $12 per copy at state; $5 certified copy from county clerk4
- Older records: online vitals
- Vital Research Records (searchable scans of birth, death and marriage records; not certified): wvculture.org/vital-records-interactive (older address archive.wvculture.org/vrr also still loads)5
Birth certificates in West Virginia counties with a full guide
The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.
| County | Office | Search online | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County | Berkeley County Clerk6 | — | — |
| Kanawha County | County Clerk Vital Statistics (304-357-0241) or WV Vital Registration Office ($12); county certified copy $57 | — | — |
| Monongalia County | Monongalia County Clerk - Vital Records8 | — | $5.00 per certificate; copy of ID required; cash, card or money order (no checks)9 |
| Wood County | County Clerk - Birth and Death Records10 | — | $5 per certified copy11 |
For any other county, see the county list on the West Virginia guide.
Official warnings
- Vital records online orders: only through third-party vendors; the state receives $12 per copy regardless of vendor fees.1
Official copies vs look-alike sites
A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any West Virginia office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.
Rules in other states: birth certificates in every state. Everything else in West Virginia: West Virginia public records guide.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Certificate RequestsWV Health Statistics Center, Vital Registration Officechecked November 4, 2026
- Application for Certified Copy of West Virginia Birth CertificateWV Vital Registrationchecked November 4, 2026
- GenealogyWV Health Statistics Center, Vital Registration Officechecked November 4, 2026
- Application for Copy of West Virginia Death CertificateWV Vital Registrationchecked November 4, 2026
- Vital Records (Interactive)West Virginia Culture Centerchecked November 4, 2026
- County ClerkBerkeley County, WVchecked November 4, 2026
- W. Va. Code § 59-1-10WV Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
- Office of the Monongalia County Clerk - HomeMonongalia County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Application for Birth Certificate (PDF)Monongalia County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Wood County home pageWood County Commissionchecked November 8, 2026
- FAQsWood Countychecked November 8, 2026