How to search West Virginia court records

West Virginia runs a single statewide case-lookup system, so one search — with the name spelled correctly — reaches courts across the entire state. Searching itself is free, but the portal requires creating a free account before you can view results.

statewide free · account criminal data

Open the official West Virginia portal →

What's actually there

Since March 2025, WVPASS searches circuit court records in all 55 counties (civil and criminal, documents back to 1999) with free registration; document downloads cost 25 cents a page. The free Magistrate Record Search covers magistrate cases in all 55 counties. Sealed filings and juvenile cases are excluded.

Other official lookups for West Virginia

DCR offender search

How West Virginia's courts are organized

West Virginia's 55 counties are grouped into 30 judicial circuits. Circuit courts are the state's only general-jurisdiction trial courts of record: they hear all felonies, certain misdemeanors, larger civil cases and equity cases, and they take appeals from magistrate, municipal and family courts. Civil appeals from circuit court go to the Intermediate Court of Appeals; criminal, juvenile, abuse and neglect, and domestic violence appeals go to the Supreme Court of Appeals.

Below the circuit courts are magistrate courts in every county and family courts, which handle divorce, custody and paternity. Cities run municipal courts. The Supreme Court also runs a Business Court Division with its own case search.

Searching West Virginia court records online

Since March 10, 2025, the West Virginia Public Access Search System (WVPASS) has covered circuit court records in all 55 counties. Registration is free and searching is free for registered users. It gives access to publicly available civil and criminal circuit court documents back to 1999. Downloading documents costs 25 cents a page plus a small card processing fee; attorneys of record download their own case files free. The system is run for the Supreme Court by an outside vendor, i3 Verticals, and before it launched the only way to see most circuit records was a trip to the courthouse.

Magistrate court cases have a separate free Magistrate Record Search, online since January 2024, that needs no registration. You search by first or last name or case number, and it returns up to 30 records with names, birthdates and general case details. Magistrate documents are not online.

Not in WVPASS: filings made under seal and juvenile cases
Family court and appellate cases are not part of either search; the Judiciary says an appellate search is still being developed
Business Court cases have their own search on the Judiciary's website

Getting copies and certified copies

For circuit court cases, download public documents from WVPASS or ask the circuit clerk in the county where the case was filed. Copies the circuit clerk's office has to print cost $1.00 per page under W. Va. Code 59-1-11(b)(2).

For magistrate cases, call or visit the magistrate court clerk in the county where the case was filed. The clerk charges a small fee set by law for copies. Fee waiver forms are posted on the Judiciary's court forms page.

Records that are not public

Under W. Va. Code 61-11-25, a person found not guilty or whose charges were dismissed (including after pretrial diversion) can petition the circuit court where the charges were filed, starting 60 days after the order. There is no fee, but the remedy is not available to someone with a prior felony conviction. If granted, the court seals its records and the proceedings are treated as if they never happened.

Under W. Va. Code 61-11-26, convictions can be expunged by petition: one year after a single misdemeanor, two years after the last of several misdemeanors, and five years for nonviolent felonies from the same transaction, counted from the end of the sentence or supervision. Violent felonies, crimes against minors, DUI and several other offenses are excluded. The petition carries the civil filing fee plus $100 to the State Police if granted, and it can be used only once. For your situation, talk to a lawyer or use the court forms and resources on the Judiciary's public information page.

Tip: two searches, one for each court level

Felonies are tried in circuit court, and magistrate rulings can be appealed there, so one person's history can be split across two systems. Search the same name in both the Magistrate Record Search and WVPASS before concluding there is no record. Older circuit records before 1999 still require a request to the county circuit clerk.

Sources

Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.

Federal cases filed in West Virginia

State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.

Search tips

Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to search West Virginia court records online?

Searching is free once you create an account on West Virginia's portal — there's no subscription fee.

Does this include criminal records?

Yes. West Virginia's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.

Does one search cover the whole state?

West Virginia runs one statewide system, so a single search covers the whole state.

Links move. If the West Virginia portal link above is dead, tell us on the corrections page.