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 2, 2026.
Preston County, West Virginia, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Preston 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: Preston County public records, Preston County arrest records, Preston County warrants, Preston County inmate search, Preston County criminal records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Preston County
Court cases from Preston County are filed in the Preston 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.
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 Preston County
For Preston County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/preston (page title: Preston County | West Virginia Judiciary), phone 304-329-0066, 101 West Main Street, Room 303 Kingwood, WV 26537, a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
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 Preston County
Together, the four agencies in Preston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,638 arrests to the FBI that year; the Prosecuting Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Preston County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at prestoncountywv.gov/m/directory/department?did=15 (page title: Staff Directory, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office), 107 W Court St. Kingwood, WV 26537, 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 Preston County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Preston County criminal records, Preston County divorce records, Preston County traffic tickets, Preston County DUI and Preston County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Preston County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Preston County and West Virginia. These court pages from its Preston County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- 39, Preston County (courtswv.gov)
Cities in Preston County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Preston County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
The cities and towns in the county are Kingwood, Terra Alta, Reedsville, Masontown, Rowlesburg, Tunnelton, Newburg, Albright, Brandonville and Bruceton Mills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which court hears felonies in Preston County?
The Preston 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 Preston 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 Preston 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.