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How to order a West Virginia death certificate

Who holds it: WV Vital Registration Office; county clerks for county-held records1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Older records and indexes
  2. Related records in West Virginia
  3. Death certificates in West Virginia counties with a full guide
  4. Official warnings
  5. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  6. Sources

Fee

$12 per copy at state; $5 certified copy from county clerk2

Who may order

Application form (rev. 01/06/09): informant on the certificate, parents/grandparents, adult children/grandchildren, adult siblings, spouse, legal representatives; ID required and proof of relationship may be required. § 16-5-28(a) wording differs. Open to the public after 50 years2

Older records and indexes

Years covered
State: deaths 1917-present3
Birth certificates: 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
Birth certificates: 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
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 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

Death 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.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Berkeley CountyBerkeley County Clerk6——
Kanawha CountyCounty Clerk Vital Statistics (records births, marriages and deaths) or WV Vital Registration Office ($12)7——
Monongalia CountyMonongalia County Clerk - Vital Records8—$5.00 per certificate; copy of ID required9
Wood CountyCounty Clerk - Birth and Death Records10—$5.00 each 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: death 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.

  1. Certificate RequestsWV Health Statistics Center, Vital Registration Officechecked November 4, 2026
  2. Application for Copy of West Virginia Death CertificateWV Vital Registrationchecked November 4, 2026
  3. GenealogyWV Health Statistics Center, Vital Registration Officechecked November 4, 2026
  4. W. Va. Code § 41-5-1 Custodian of will to deliver same to clerkWest Virginia Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  5. Vital Records (Interactive)West Virginia Culture Centerchecked November 4, 2026
  6. County ClerkBerkeley County, WVchecked November 4, 2026
  7. County ClerkKanawha County Commissionchecked November 4, 2026
  8. Office of the Monongalia County Clerk - HomeMonongalia County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Application for Death Certificate (PDF)Monongalia County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
  10. Wood County home pageWood County Commissionchecked November 8, 2026
  11. County ClerkWood Countychecked November 8, 2026