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West Virginia court records

Who holds it: Circuit courts (general jurisdiction trial courts; 55 counties in 30 circuits with 80 circuit judges), family courts, magistrate courts; appeals to the Intermediate Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Appeals. The circuit clerk stores family court case files and collects family court fees1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. What is public and what is sealed
  2. More details
  3. Related records in West Virginia
  4. How West Virginia handles it
  5. Court records in West Virginia counties with a full guide
  6. Official warnings
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Sources

Fees

Circuit clerk: $1 per page for a transcript, copy or paper to go out of the office; $200 civil filing fee; $135 divorce filing2

Statewide case search

Circuit courts: WVPASS (West Virginia Public Access Search System) wvpass.courtswva.com — all 55 counties, public circuit documents from 1999; free registration and search, documents $0.25/page plus card fee. Magistrate courts: mcrsearch.courtswv.gov (all 55 counties)3

What is public and what is sealed

What is public
Publicly available criminal and civil case files; sealed filings and juvenile cases are not available online3
Sealed and confidential records
Sealed filings and juvenile cases excluded; family court files confidential (orders and indices public)3

More details

Expungement
WVSP says to get a background check first, contact the circuit clerk of the county where the arrest originated, then petition the circuit court; State Police notifies the circuit clerk by certified letter when expunged4
Criminal history checks: state repository
West Virginia State Police, Criminal Identification Bureau (Criminal Records Section), under W. Va. Code § 15-2-244
Criminal history checks: who may order
Non-law-enforcement requests require a written authorization signed and acknowledged by the record subject4
Divorce records: who holds it
Divorce cases are heard in family court; all case files are filed with and stored by the circuit clerk of the county5
Probate: who holds it
Clerk of the county commission (County Clerk): wills are delivered to the clerk and probated by the county commission or its clerk6

How West Virginia handles it

  • County commissions (not courts) handle probate: wills are delivered to and probated by the clerk of the county commission, so probate records are at the County Clerk, not the circuit clerk.7
  • Family court files (divorce, custody) are confidential except orders and indices; physical files are kept by the circuit clerk.5

Court records 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.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Berkeley County—Circuit Court8
Magistrate Court9		Photocopies $1.00 per page; civil filing $200.00; divorce filing $135.0010
Kanawha County——Circuit clerk: $1 per page for copies going out of the office (WV Code § 59-1-11)11
Monongalia County—Circuit Court12
Magistrate Court13		—
Wood County—Circuit Court14Copies $1.00/page; civil complaint $200; divorce $135; exemplified copy $3.00 plus copies15

For any other county, see the county list on the West Virginia guide.

Official warnings

  • WV Attorney General (2014) warned of official-looking 'Recorded Deed Notice' letters from Record Transfer Services selling deed copies for $83; homeowners are not obligated to pay and can get copies from the county clerk for much less. Consumer Protection hotline 1-800-368-8808.16

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: court records 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.

  1. Circuit CourtSupreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
  2. W. Va. Code § 59-1-11 Fees to be charged by clerk of circuit courtWest Virginia Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  3. Supreme Court Announces Launch Date for Online Circuit Court Records System (Feb 24, 2025)Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
  4. Criminal RecordsWest Virginia State Policechecked November 4, 2026
  5. Rules of Practice and Procedure for Family CourtSupreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
  6. W. Va. Code § 41-5-1 Custodian of will to deliver same to clerkWest Virginia Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  7. W. Va. Code § 41-5-10 Ex parte procedure to probateWest Virginia Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  8. Circuit ClerkBerkeley County, WVchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Court Record AccessSupreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 6, 2026
  10. Circuit Court Fees (PDF)Berkeley County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
  11. W. Va. Code § 59-1-11WV Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  12. Supreme Court Announces Launch Date of WVPASS Search Site (press release)Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
  13. Court Records AccessSupreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
  14. Supreme Court Announces Launch Date for Online Circuit Court Records System (Feb 24, 2025)Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 8, 2026
  15. Fees collected by Circuit CourtWood County Circuit Clerkchecked November 8, 2026
  16. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey Says Deed Scam Has Returned To West Virginia (10/22/2014)West Virginia Office of the Attorney Generalarchived copy; the page is no longer on the office's sitechecked November 4, 2026