West Virginia, county records
Find the right office in McDowell County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
State records
The West Virginia Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer, taking consumer complaints and running the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Court case records are held by the West Virginia Judiciary and county circuit clerks.
Open official site West Virginia Attorney GeneralState records
Buy West Virginia hunting and fishing licenses, check in game, read season dates and regulations, and find state parks, wildlife management areas and boat ramps.
Open official site West Virginia Division of Natural ResourcesPolice & jail
Request criminal and crash reports from the West Virginia state police.
Open official site West Virginia Criminal RecordsVital records
West Virginia's Vital Registration Office, in the Health Statistics Center of the Department of Health, issues certified copies of birth, death and marriage certificates in person, by mail or online for a fee.
Open official site West Virginia Birth RecordsState records
Find active and inactive corporations by name from the WV Secretary of State.
Open official site West Virginia Business & Corporation SearchPolice & jail
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office covers western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, taking tips on federal crimes and posting wanted fugitives. Your own Identity History Summary is ordered from FBI CJIS at edo.cjis.gov.
Open official site Federal Bureau of Investigation Pittsburgh OfficeCourt records
Justice and Community Services runs West Virginia's criminal justice grant programs, the Statistical Analysis Center and the SAFE Commission, and posts publications, annual reports and public records information.
Open official site West Virginia Justice and Community ServicesPolice & jail
The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation offender search shows where a person is held in a state prison or regional jail and when release is expected.
Open official site West Virginia Inmates and offender SearchCounty court
Direct access to WV courts online; from County to Supreme courts.
Open official site West Virginia Court RecordsPolice & jail
Search the WV State Police database of registered offenders by name or location.
Open official site West Virginia Sex OffendersPolice & jail
Current posting of fugitives and absconders from the WV State Police.
Open official site West Virginia Most WantedPolice & jail
Search the West Virginia sex offender registry, view missing persons and most wanted listings, request criminal records, find detachment contacts, and send an anonymous crime tip to the State Police.
Open official site West Virginia State PoliceLocal record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. McDowell County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of McDowell County.
Police Departments. Law enforcement in McDowell County is provided by McDowell County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments in cities like Welch and Kimball.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Law enforcement in McDowell County is primarily provided by McDowell County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 122 West Howard Street, Welch, WV 24801.
Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.
122 West Howard Street, Welch, WV 24801 • Phone: 304-558-2931
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 0 named mine sites inside the county, 0 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 506 holes drawn inside the county, 466 of them shafts or tunnels.
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.
Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.
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.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the state police or a town or city police department. Ask that agency for its record. Under W. Va. Code 62-1-6a a state, county or city law enforcement agency may not share on social media the booking photograph of a person arrested for a minor offense unless the person is convicted, is a fugitive or threat, or a court orders it, and it must take a posted booking photograph down within 14 days on request after a dismissal, no indictment or an acquittal. The Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation is not covered by that section.
The West Virginia criminal history record comes from the West Virginia State Police, Criminal Identification Bureau. Background checks are fingerprint based and go through IdentoGO; schedule an appointment at www.identogo.com or call 855-766-7746.
Search the West Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register with the county clerk or through the West Virginia Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. Voter registration closes on the 21st day before the election (W. Va. Code 3-2-6).
Deeds and other recorded land documents in McDowell County are kept by the McDowell County clerk of the county commission. Property values are set by the county assessor, and tax bills come from the county sheriff. Source: official state page.
Certified birth and death certificates for West Virginia come from the West Virginia Health Statistics Center, Vital Registration Office. By mail with check or money order to Vital Registration Office, 350 Capitol Street, Room 165, Charleston, WV 25301-3701, online through VitalChek, or in person with same day walk in service at 350 Capitol Street in Charleston. Fee: $12 for each copy.
Business entity filings are searched with the West Virginia Secretary of State. Most cities and counties require a local business license or permit to operate within city or county limits, according to the state business portal.
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.