West Virginia, Kanawha County
Where Charleston's records are kept. Charleston has its own city government, clerk's office, police department and fire department; county and state offices keep its other public records.
Start here
The cards below include Charleston's own offices, along with State of West Virginia offices; the Kanawha County offices are on our Kanawha County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
City records
From the Culture Center in Charleston, West Virginia Archives and History offers birth, death and marriage databases and genealogy guides; written research requests cost $10 in state and $20 from elsewhere.
Open official site West Virginia Archives and HistoryCounty court
Bankruptcy court for southern West Virginia with court locations in Charleston, Beckley, Bluefield and Huntington; hearing and 341 calendars, written opinions and forms are posted, and dockets are reached through PACER.
Open official site United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of West VirginiaCounty court
Website of West Virginia's unified court system, with court information by county, forms, e-filing, payments, court record searches and Supreme Court of Appeals and Intermediate Court of Appeals opinions and dockets.
Open official site West Virginia JudiciaryVital records
The state's official repository of birth, death, marriage and divorce records issues certified birth, death, fetal death and marriage certificates for a fee and corrects or amends records; genealogy requests are handled too.
Open official site West Virginia Health Statistics Center Vital RecordsPolice & jail
See missing person cases posted by the West Virginia State Police, with photos, case details and how to report information to investigators.
Open official site West Virginia State Police Missing PersonsPolice & jail
Registry released by the West Virginia State Police under the state Sex Offender Registration Act; visitors accept its terms before searching, and listings may still be under verification by registry staff.
Open official site West Virginia State Police Sex Offender RegistryPolice & jail
Request a West Virginia criminal history record check through the State Police Criminal Records Section, the state's central repository for arrest records.
Open official site West Virginia State Police Criminal Records SectionFederal
Latest Census Bureau numbers for Charleston city, West Virginia: population estimates, veterans, median household income, housing and businesses, built from Population Estimates, the decennial census and American Community Survey data.
Open official site U.S. Census Bureau QuickFactsCity records
Charleston City Hall at 501 Virginia St. East, phone 304.348.8000, with the clerk and collector offices, the municipal code and fees, payments, rental registration, B and O tax help and the court docket.
Open official site City of CharlestonCity records
Official records and legal files 501 Virginia Street East Charleston WV 25301 Phone: (304) 348-8179 Fax: (304) 348-8038
Open official site Charleston City ClerkPolice & jail
Law enforcement services 501 Virginia Street East Charleston WV 25301 Phone: (304) 348-6460 Fax: (304) 348-6416
Open official site Charleston Police DepartmentCity records
Charleston Fire Department, serving West Virginia's capital city since 1893, with department history, fire safety and prevention resources, public training classes and firefighter job applications.
Open official site Charleston Fire DepartmentEverything else, organized
9 more Charleston sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Local profile
Charleston, a place of 48,864 people, is the seat of Kanawha County. Court and property records sit with Kanawha County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of West Virginia. Charleston's own offices are in the cards above, and our Kanawha County page lists each county office.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 3 named mine sites inside the city or town limits, 2 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 6 holes drawn inside the city or town limits, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The mineral the records name is crushed stone.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. The Office of Miners Health Safety and Training keeps the legal Mine Map Archives, the final certified maps required since the 1968 Hominy Falls disaster, at minesafety.wv.gov/historical-statistical-data/west-virginia-mine-map-archives under Historical and Statistical Data.
West Virginia abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Voter registration in West Virginia is run by the West Virginia Secretary of State and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, online voter registration, polling places and the local election office for Charleston.
Deeds for property in Charleston are recorded by the Kanawha County Clerk, and the county office that assesses property keeps the tax values. Our Kanawha County page lists the county offices.
Certified birth and death certificates for events in West Virginia come from the state vital records office, West Virginia Vital Registration. Its site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.