Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Kanawha County, West Virginia, has about 174,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Kanawha County Circuit Court and the Magistrate Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Circuit Clerk, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Kanawha County public records, Kanawha County warrants, Kanawha County inmate search, Kanawha County criminal records, Kanawha County police reports, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Kanawha County
Court cases from Kanawha County are filed in the Kanawha County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, the larger civil cases and juvenile matters.
Below it, the Magistrate Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases up to $10,000.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Family Court, and the file stays with the Family Court clerk.
The Circuit Clerk keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
Looking Up a Case from Kanawha County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kanawhacounty.westvirginiacourt.us/court-records.html (page title: Kanawha County Court Records | Case Lookup), phone 304-357-0440, 111 Court Street Charleston, WV 25301, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026. That page belongs to a lower court, the Magistrate Court, not to the Kanawha County Circuit Court.
West Virginia has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The West Virginia court page SearchSystems verified is at courtswv.gov/lower-courts/magistrate-courts/magistrate-record-search.
What Reaches the Court from Kanawha County
The Prosecuting Attorney decides which arrests in Kanawha County become cases in the Kanawha County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at kanawha.us/prosecuting-attorney (page title: Prosecuting Attorney | Kanawha County, West Virginia), phone (304) 357-0300, 301 Virginia Street East Charleston, WV 25301, Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
Criminal cases, divorces, traffic tickets and evictions all end up as files of these courts, and the file is what the public sees of each.
The other Kanawha County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Kanawha County criminal records, Kanawha County divorce records, Kanawha County traffic tickets, Kanawha County DUI and Kanawha County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Kanawha County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Kanawha County and West Virginia. These court pages from its Kanawha County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Kanawha, Family Court (courtswv.gov)
Cities in Kanawha County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Kanawha County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Kanawha County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population:
- Charleston (46,482)
- St. Albans (10,301)
- Dunbar (7,111)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Kanawha County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kanawhacounty.westvirginiacourt.us, phone 304-357-0440; it belongs to a lower court, the Magistrate Court, not to the Kanawha County Circuit Court.
Which court hears felonies in Kanawha County?
The Kanawha County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, the larger civil cases and juvenile matters. The Magistrate Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases up to $10,000.
Who keeps the court records in Kanawha County?
The Circuit Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in West Virginia?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Kanawha County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.