West Virginia Public Records

West Virginia is one of the smaller states in the U.S., which did not become an official state until it broke away from Virginia during the Civil War.  Today, this state boasts an estimated population of just over 1.8 million people. Finding pieces of West Virginia history often involves looking up public records in Virginia that offer vital facts about the people who were born, married and died in this state.

Launching a public records search in West Virginia must begin with a collection of information about where these records are held.  The West Virginia Department of Health is the primary location for many West Virginia vital records, which also includes much of the genealogical data as well.  The West Virginia Archives and History office provides an additional glimpse into the history of the state, through archived records that can be accessed right on the Internet in some cases. This state is working to make public records searches in West Virginia as quick and efficient as possible. Before beginning a public records search in Virginia, keep these tips in mind:

Eligibility for West Virginia Public Records

Like other states across the country, West Virginia limits access to some public records under state law. Birth records in West Virginia may be obtained by the person on the document or immediate family members of that individual. Additional persons may request the records if they can show legal reason for doing so.  West Virginia death records are also restricted to immediate family members of the deceased, the funeral director or anyone who can show legal interest in the document. Marriage records in West Virginia are restricted to the bride and groom listed on the license, as well as their children.

Birth records become open to the public 100 years after the date of birth. Death and marriage records are available to the general public 50 years after the date of the event. At that time, anyone can retrieve the records for genealogical or personal reasons.

West Virginia Public Records Search: Best Locations

The majority of public records in West Virginia may be found at the Department of Health and Human Resources Health Statistics Center. This government agency stores all birth and death records from 1917 to present, marriage indexes from 1924, marriage records from 1964 and divorce indexes from 1967. Indexes provide minimal information about the event, for events where insufficient information was available to create an authentic certificate. Those who need a West Virginia marriage certificate prior to 1964 will need to contact the county clerk’s office where the event took place.

Additional vital records for West Virginia can be found at the office of the West Virginia Archives and History. This office provides online West Virginia public records searches for birth, death and marriage records in the state. Scanned images of the original documents are available for perusal and printing, although official copies will still need to be ordered from the Health Statistics Center. In addition to these vital records, the Archives and History also provides information on Civil War records, naturalization records, periodicals and state documents.

Online Public Records in West Virginia

Conducting a public records search in West Virginia is not as easy as in other states, but there are options. While the Health Statistics Center doesn’t offer online services directly, the agency has partnered with VitalChek to make this option available to interested individuals. VitalChek is used by many states and allows researchers to search for vital records and request copies from the comfort and privacy of any location with Internet access. Turnaround for documents is typically much faster than through other methods. There is an additional fee for using the VitalChek service.