How to Get Cabell County Court Records
WVPASS covers public Circuit Court case details and documents filed from July 1, 1999 forward. For a Magistrate matter, use MCRSearch to find the case. Then ask the Magistrate Clerk for specific papers. Circuit and Family files both route through the Circuit Clerk. A municipal record stays with the city court named on the citation. When the online route falls short, other options remain. Use mail, fax, phone, public terminals, or supervised counter inspection. A written request spelling out what you need also works.
- Identify the court, case number, caption, filing year, and exact paper needed.
- Search WVPASS or MCRSearch, or use the clerk’s public-access terminal.
- Contact Room 114 for Circuit or Family records and Room B-113 for Magistrate papers.
- Confirm mail, fax, payment, postage, identification, and current turnaround before sending a request.
- Choose a plain copy, certified copy, or supervised inspection and pay the lawful cost.
Three Cabell County Record Layers
Three different products hide behind the phrase "court record." The docket is the chronological index of filings, events, settings, and results. A filed document is the complaint, motion, notice, order, judgment, or exhibit behind one entry. A certified copy is different. It is a document the clerk authenticates for official use. Each layer of Cabell County court records comes with its own rules and fees.
| Layer | What It Provides | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Docket or case events | Dates, entries, settings, status, and result | WVPASS, MCRSearch, or clerk |
| Filed document | The text or image behind an entry | WVPASS when available or clerk |
| Certified copy | Clerk-authenticated official copy | The court clerk only |
Not certified: a WVPASS download is expressly not a certified copy, so confirm which form a recipient requires before you buy or request the wrong layer.
Types of Cabell County Court Records
Category decides where a record lives. Cabell County Circuit Court holds felony, major civil, appeals, juvenile, and other general-jurisdiction files. Family records also route through the Circuit Clerk. Strict confidentiality limits apply there. Magistrate Court handles misdemeanor, traffic, preliminary felony, small-claims, and certain safety matters. Recorded and probate material belongs elsewhere. It sits with the separate County Clerk.
- Circuit and Magistrate docket sheets and case-event records
- Complaints, petitions, motions, notices, orders, and judgments
- Public Family Court orders and indices
- Court reporter transcripts requested from the reporter
- Recorded deeds, liens, estates, and probate orders held by the County Clerk
Cabell County Room 114 Records
Michael J. Woelfel is the Cabell County Circuit Clerk. Room 114 at 750 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701 is the in-person route for certified Circuit and Family copies, older files, cases missing from WVPASS, and public-status questions. Call 304-526-8622 or fax 304-526-8699. Published hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cabell County Circuit Clerk
Room 114, 750 Fifth Avenue
Huntington, WV 25701
304-526-8622
Call ahead about mail payment, postage, certification, and turnaround, because the Circuit Clerk posts no official Cabell-specific copy-request form.
What a Cabell County Court Record Contains
A Cabell County court record can hold both index data and the papers behind it. What you actually see depends on court level, case type, access rules, and whether an image was scanned into Vault. MCRSearch shows structured case information. For documents, it sends you to the Magistrate Clerk.
| Case Number | The unique ID, such as observed Magistrate format 25-M06M-04949. |
|---|---|
| Pleadings | Complaints, petitions, answers, and motions when public. |
| Orders and Judgments | Signed rulings, dispositions, or civil judgments. |
| Docket Entry | The dated chronological account of filed acts and events. |
| Event Schedule | Date, time, room, location, judge, event type, and status. |
| Parties and Attorneys | Roles and names, subject to redaction and access rules. |
Older Cabell County Court Records
WVPASS begins with public Circuit cases filed July 1, 1999. That date is only an online boundary. It is not the start of Cabell County court records. Earlier dockets may sit in paper, docket books, microfilm, archives, or other clerk-controlled storage. Ask the Circuit Clerk to search. Give the case number, party names, approximate year, and case type.
The historic courthouse went up in 1901, with wings added in 1924 and 1946. Those older physical files now sit beside digital tools. CourtPLUS, WV E-File, Vault scanning, and a public terminal share the work. Cabell joined the statewide e-filing system on January 29, 2024. Digital access keeps growing. Even so, the clerk counter remains the bridge between old and new record formats.
Certified Copies and Fees
A plain copy just reproduces the record. A certified copy adds the clerk's authentication, so ask the recipient which one it requires. Fees depend on the custodian and the format, and County Clerk charges must never be substituted for Circuit or Magistrate Court charges.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| WVPASS public document | $0.25 per page plus card processing |
| Circuit Clerk paper copy | $1 per page under §59-1-11(b)(2) |
| Abstract of judgment | $5 under §59-1-11(b)(1) |
| Transcript original | $2.85 per page under §51-7-4 |
| Transcript copy | $1 per page under §51-7-4 |
| Magistrate copy or certification | Confirm current lawful fee with Room B-113 |
Cabell County Magistrate Clerk
Room B-113, 750 Fifth Avenue
Huntington, WV 25701
304-526-8642 or 304-526-8644
Downloaded Cabell County Records
WVPASS allows free public case browsing once you register. It then charges for public document pages. Check the case number and caption before selecting anything. The card is charged at once, and wrong-case purchases are not refunded. Bought documents stay in purchase history for 30 days. The Judiciary access page lays out the distinct Circuit and Magistrate routes.
The split matters after the search too. WVPASS can supply Circuit images, while MCRSearch gives case information and refers document requests to the Magistrate Clerk.
Public Access and Sealed Records
West Virginia Code §51-4-2 opens court papers to inspection and copying unless law, rule, or order limits access. Trial Court Rule 10.04 directs a request to the actual custodian and calls for reasonable inspection and copy access during normal hours. The limits protect sealed, juvenile, adoption, domestic-violence, Family Court, and personal data.
Key Rules:
West Virginia Code §51-4-2 opens court papers unless access is expressly limited.
Trial Court Rules 10.04 and 15A.26 govern custodian requests and public electronic Circuit records.
West Virginia Code §53-8-17 removes sealed information from ordinary public inspection.
Cabell County FOIA Record Requests
West Virginia's Freedom of Information Act opens the door to public government records that already exist. It does not force a clerk to build new lists, write summaries, or interpret filings. It will not explain what a filing means, either. So a strong written request stays simple and specific. Name the case number, the caption, the filing year, and the exact document you want. Add the date range, whether you want paper or electronic copies, and your contact details.
Where you take the request depends on the court. A missing Circuit record calls for Room 114. A Magistrate document belongs to Room B-113. Family Court works differently. Orders and indices may be public there, but Family Court Rule 6 keeps pleadings, exhibits, transcripts, and proceedings confidential in most cases. When a Cabell County file is sealed, ask the clerk what index or order remains public. Ask, too, what legal process would open anything more.
Expect some practical limits. The office may offer supervised inspection of a Cabell County court record. It may not hand over the original file. Electronic records should arrive in their stored format. That holds if you ask that way and they exist that way. Copy costs can be reasonable but real. A clear request helps staff pull an existing document. It avoids asking them to create something new or explain the law.
Cabell Record Request Details
Give the clerk the case number, caption, and filing year. Say which court level and exact document you want. Note plain or certified copy, format, your contact information, and confirm payment and delivery terms before sending money.