Reviewed and updated October 9, 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 October 9, 2026.
Charleston, West Virginia, in Kanawha County, has about 46,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Charleston 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: Charleston public records, Kanawha County divorce records, Charleston arrest records, Charleston warrants, Charleston inmate search, Charleston criminal records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Charleston Is Filed and Kept
Divorce records are not vital records in West Virginia. The decree and the file of a divorce from Charleston are court records of the Family Court, and certified copies come from the Family Court clerk.
For Kanawha County the court records page SearchSystems verified 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. Most of a divorce file is open to the public; the papers the law keeps confidential and anything the court has sealed are not.
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 Charleston
The copy another court or an agency asks for is a certified copy of the judgment, issued by the Family Court clerk, reached through the court at (304) 558-2601.
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 Charleston?
From the Family Court, through the Family Court clerk (courtswv.gov). 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 Charleston?
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 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.