Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Charleston, West Virginia, in Kanawha County, has about 46,000 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 and common questions.
Related guides: Charleston public records, Kanawha County court records, Charleston arrest records, Charleston warrants, Charleston inmate search, Charleston criminal records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Charleston
In Charleston, the Kanawha County Circuit Court hears felonies, the larger civil cases and juvenile matters.
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 Charleston
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courtswv.gov/appellate-courts/office-of-the-clerk (page title: Office of the Clerk | West Virginia Judiciary), phone (304) 558-2601, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East Charleston WV 25305, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
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 Charleston
Together, the nine agencies in Kanawha County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 7,371 arrests to the FBI that year; the Prosecuting Attorney decides which of those arrests 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
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Charleston guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Charleston criminal records, Charleston divorce records, Charleston traffic tickets, Charleston DUI and Charleston 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)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Charleston?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courtswv.gov, phone (304) 558-2601.
Which court hears felonies in Charleston?
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 Charleston?
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 Charleston website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.