Guide
West Virginia Judgments & Liens Search at a Glance
In West Virginia, money judgments come from the circuit courts and the magistrate courts. A money judgment is a lien on the debtor's real estate from its date, but it is good against a buyer for value without notice only if an abstract of it is docketed in the judgment docket of the county clerk where the land is before the buyer's deed is recorded. UCC financing statements are filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State.
Always confirm the official record by ordering a certified copy from the originating office when accuracy matters for closing, refinancing, or litigation.
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Where to search court judgments in West Virginia
The West Virginia Judiciary's court records access page searches circuit court records and magistrate court case information from all fifty-five counties statewide.
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Where liens are recorded in West Virginia
Every money judgment rendered in West Virginia is a lien on all of the debtor's real estate, lasting as long as the judgment stays valid and enforceable (W. Va. Code 38-3-6). The county clerk keeps a judgment docket and dockets any judgment when given an authenticated abstract (38-3-5), and an undocketed judgment is not a lien against a buyer for value without notice (38-3-7). A general contractor must record a notice of mechanics lien in the county clerk's office within one hundred days after completing the work (38-2-8).
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West Virginia UCC filings
UCC financing statements are filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State, whose UCC online filing, search and retrieval system also searches the UCC database, orders certified and non-certified searches and downloads documents.
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How long a judgment lien lasts in West Virginia
Execution may issue on a judgment within ten years after its date, and further executions within ten years from the return day of the last one returned unsatisfied (W. Va. Code 38-3-18). Against a later buyer, a docketed judgment stops being a lien after ten years unless an execution issued within those ten years and was filed with the county clerk (38-3-7).
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Finding the debtor's assets after judgment in West Virginia
West Virginia's procedure is the interrogatories to the execution debtor in W. Va. Code 38-5-1, titled ascertainment by interrogatories of estate upon which fieri facias or execution is a lien and of real estate to which judgment debtor is entitled. The clerk issues a summons requiring the execution debtor, or an officer of a corporate debtor, or a person indebted to the debtor or holding the debtor's property, to appear before a commissioner at a stated time and place and answer upon oath the questions propounded by counsel for the execution creditor or by the commissioner, covering the estate subject to the lien and any real estate in or outside the state.
In West Virginia the divorce file gives a stranger only the orders, because Family Court Rule 6(a) makes the pleadings, the sworn Financial Statement and the exhibits confidential; the final divorce order and the equitable distribution order still show who received each asset the court divided. A bankruptcy file in the Northern or Southern District is the opposite, public under 11 U.S.C. 107 with Schedule A/B listing each deposit account by institution and Schedule I the employer by name. The West Virginia asset search page covers both.
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Court forms and self-help in West Virginia
The West Virginia Judiciary posts statewide court forms and court information for each county.
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Federal & National Authoritative Sources
By state
Judgments and liens in other states
Straight answers
West Virginia Judgments & Liens Search, questions
How long is a judgment lien enforceable in West Virginia?
In West Virginia, a money judgment is enforceable as a lien for 10 years from the date it is entered or properly docketed. Creditors who want to extend collection beyond that period must file a renewal motion with the issuing court before the lien lapses. Read the West Virginia statute.
What is the deadline for filing a mechanics lien in West Virginia?
In West Virginia, a mechanics lien (also called a construction or materialman's lien) must generally be filed within 100 days after the claimant last furnished labor or materials to the project. Different deadlines may apply to general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, so check the exact statute before relying on this window. Source: West Virginia statute.
What property is protected from judgment creditors in West Virginia?
West Virginia protects a homestead, the debtor's primary residence, up to $35,000 in equity from forced sale by most judgment creditors. Per WV Code §38-10-4 (debtor exemption). Personal property exemptions (motor vehicle, household goods, tools of trade, retirement accounts) are listed separately in the state code. Confirm the current amount on the official source.
Where do I file or search a UCC-1 in West Virginia?
UCC-1 financing statements for personal-property collateral in West Virginia are filed with the Secretary of State (or equivalent state filing office). Open the official West Virginia UCC filing portal. Real-property liens (mortgages, judgment-lien dockets, mechanics liens) are recorded at the county recorder/clerk where the property is located, not at the state level.