Wayne County
Wayne County was formed in 1842 by an Act of the Virginia General Assembly from Cabell County. Its population is about 38,933 residents, and covers 506 square miles of land. The county seat is the Town of Wayne.
Court information in Wayne County includes a Circuit Court, a Magistrate Court, a Family Court, and several Municipal Courts. The Circuit Court has jurisdiction over felony, mental health, adoptions, juvenile, domestic orders, probate, and civil cases. It receives appeals from administrative agencies, Magistrate, Municipal, and Family Court in domestic violence matters. The Family Court hears domestic relations and family-related cases except those incidental to child abuse and neglect. The Magistrate Court is the first to listen to a case and determine whether to try a charged citizen or hound him over to the grand jury in the Circuit Court. It also handles misdemeanors, ordinance violations, traffic infractions, and small claims cases where the dispute is less than $10,000. Some towns have Municipal Courts that address traffic infractions and ordinance violations. Treatment Courts, such as Adult and Juvenile Drug Courts, help participants overcome addictions that may have led them to commit crimes, thus improving their quality of life.
Wayne County public court records include indexes, petitions, memoranda, orders, motions, judgments, transcripts, and other documents presented or filed during the judicial proceedings. The Wayne County Circuit Clerk serves as the official custodian of court records and is responsible for making the following records available to the public:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
- Probate records
Per the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, public court records in Wayne County are accessible to all individuals. The public may access court records through mail or by visiting the clerk's office at:
Wayne County Courthouse
700 Hendricks Street
P.O. Box 38
Wayne, WV 25570
Phone: (304) 272-6359
Fax: (304) 272-3496
The West Virginia Judicial Branch provides an online platform for individuals to access the Magistrate Court records through the Magistrate Case Record Search Portal. Individuals seeking Municipal Court records are encouraged to visit the courthouses for assistance.