Berkeley County
Created in 1772, Berkeley County lies in the Eastern Panhandle's Shenandoah Valley in West Virginia. Its population of 132,440 marks it as the state's second-most populous county, and Martinsburg is its county seat.
The court system of Berkeley County is composed of the Circuit Court, the Magistrate Court, the Family Court, and municipal courts. The Berkeley County Circuit Court exercises general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, including felonies, misdemeanors, civil equity cases, and claims for amounts in dispute above $300. The Circuit Court also oversees cases relating to juvenile matters, probate issues, and certain judicial recommended order reviews of mental hygiene. In addition, it hears appeals from the family and magistrate courts. The Family Court in Berkeley County has jurisdiction over cases relating to family and children matters, including divorce, child custody, paternity, child support, and domestic violence protection. It also shares concurrent jurisdiction with the Circuit Court over the guardianship of minors. Berkeley County Magistrate Court handles small claims, initial felony hearings, misdemeanors, most landlord-tenant cases, and claims for amounts up to $10,000 in dispute. The two Municipal Courts in Berkeley County, which are located in Martinsburg and Hedgesville, have original jurisdiction over cases relating to municipal ordinance violations.
Berkeley County Court records refer to legal documentation of case trials held in the various county's courts, including indexes, petitions, docket entries, memoranda, transcriptions of proceedings, orders, and judgments. They are usually preserved in multiple formats for easy storage and retrieval, including transcriptions and microfilms. The following court records contain case information from various court proceedings in Berkeley County:
- Criminal records
- Civil records
- Family law records
- Probate Records
The Berkeley County Clerk of the Circuit Court is the official custodian of court records for the circuit and family courts. Per West Virginia's Freedom of Information Act, court records are open to public access, excluding confidential records like trade secret records and medical records. Interested persons can use the computer terminals at the Circuit Court Clerk's Office to view court records at no charge. Obtaining court record copies, however, attracts certain fees. You can also conduct a court case lookup in person at the clerk's Office of the courthouse where the case was tried. In addition, you can look up Berkeley County magistrate court records online using a name or case number.
