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). The divorce record of a couple from Kanawha County is a file of the Family Court, kept by the Family Court clerk, not a vital record. This guide says where the file is, how a certified copy of the decree is had and what the state issues.
This guide covers the court, copies, related records, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Kanawha County public records, Kanawha County warrants, Kanawha County inmate search, Kanawha County criminal records, Kanawha County court records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Kanawha County Is Filed and Kept
A divorce in West Virginia is a court case, so the file and the final judgment of a divorce from Kanawha County stay with the Family Court. The Family Court clerk keeps it, and the case index tells whether a divorce was filed and when.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county, at kanawhacounty.westvirginiacourt.us/court-records.html, phone 304-357-0440, belongs to a lower court, the Magistrate Court, not to the Family Court; divorce files are with the Family Court clerk.
West Virginia has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Copies of a Divorce Decree from Kanawha County
The copy another court or an agency asks for is a certified copy of the judgment, issued by the Family Court clerk.
West Virginia Vital Registration keeps a divorce index from 1968 and issues verifications, not copies.
The West Virginia vital records page SearchSystems verified is at dhhr.wv.gov/HSC/VR/Pages/default.aspx.
The County Clerk, whose page SearchSystems verified is at kanawha.us/county-clerk, records deeds and liens, not divorces.
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)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Kanawha County?
From the Family Court, through the Family Court clerk. West Virginia Vital Registration keeps a divorce index from 1968 and issues verifications, not copies.
Are divorce records public in West Virginia?
Mostly. The court file is open except for the papers the law makes confidential and anything the court seals.
Which court hears divorces from Kanawha County?
The Family Court. The file is kept by the Family Court clerk.
Does West Virginia issue divorce certificates?
West Virginia Vital Registration keeps a divorce index from 1968 and issues verifications, not copies.
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.