West Virginia marriage records
Who holds it: County clerk (clerk of the county commission) issues licenses and records marriages; state Vital Registration Office also issues certified marriage certificates1
On this page
County copy fee
$5 for a certified copy of a marriage license from the county clerk2
Who may order
State copies: the parties on the certificate, adult children of the marriage, legal representatives; records public after 50 years3
Fees
- Marriage license fee
- $55 marriage license; reduced to $35 with premarital education certificate dated within one year2
- State copy fee
- $12 nonrefundable search fee including one copy if found; each additional copy $12 (Vital Registration Office)3
Older records and indexes
- State years
- State: marriage indexes 1924-present; marriage records 1964-present (earlier records at county clerks)4
Related records in West Virginia
- 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
- 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)6
Marriage 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.
| County | Office | Search online | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County | Berkeley County Clerk7 | — | — |
| Kanawha County | Kanawha County Clerk8 | — | $5 certified copy from the county clerk9 |
| Monongalia County | Monongalia County Clerk10 | — | License $57.00 ($37 with pre-marital counseling certificate); cash, money order or card (2.4% / $1.00 min fee); no checks11 |
| Wood County | County Clerk12 | — | Certified copy fee: $5.0013 |
For any other county, see the county list on the West Virginia guide.
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: marriage 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.
- W. Va. Code § 48-2-101 Necessity of marriage licenseWest Virginia Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
- W. Va. Code § 59-1-10 Fees to be charged by clerk of county commissionWest Virginia Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
- Application for Certified Marriage CertificateWV Vital Registrationchecked November 4, 2026
- GenealogyWV Health Statistics Center, Vital Registration Officechecked November 4, 2026
- Rules of Practice and Procedure for Family CourtSupreme Court of Appeals of West Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
- Vital Records (Interactive)West Virginia Culture Centerchecked November 4, 2026
- County ClerkBerkeley County, WVchecked November 4, 2026
- County ClerkKanawha County Commissionchecked November 4, 2026
- W. Va. Code § 59-1-10WV Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
- Monongalia County Assessor - HomeAssessor of Monongalia Countychecked November 4, 2026
- Marriage LicenseMonongalia County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Wood County home pageWood County Commissionchecked November 8, 2026
- County ClerkWood Countychecked November 8, 2026