County Clerk

CLICK HERE to download an Absentee Ballot Application

2024 Primary Sample Ballots

As Clerk of the County Commission of Wood County, let me explain what we do. It’s really pretty simple: this office keeps permanent records of most legal documents that affect Wood County residents.

At the Wood County Courthouse, our 15 deputy clerks take care of your recorded marriages, births, deaths, deeds, wills, and much more.

We’re open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and we look forward to helping you. Stop by or call us at 304-424-1850.

Visit us in Person

The Wood County Clerk’s office is located in the Wood County Courthouse in downtown Parkersburg at 1 Court Square. The Courthouse is surrounded by the Bureau of Fiscal Services, Judge Donald F. Black Annex, Blennerhassett Hotel, and the Parkersburg City Government Complex. Election & Voting Information

Election & Voting Information

Voting. It’s the American Way. We handle all the details of national, state, and local elections, from operating the polling places throughout the county to tallying up the votes once the polls close.

If you’re new to Wood County, you’ll need to register — and that deadline is 21 days before an election. If you’ve recently moved within Wood County, you can also change your registration here, or at the polls on election day.

Just a Note: You must do this at your new polling place, so call us first so we can direct you to your new precinct.

We’re open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and we look forward to helping you. Visit us on the fourth floor of the Courthouse, or call (304) 424-1860.

• Election Information
• 2024 Primary Sample Ballots
• Early Voting Schedule
• Candidate Filing Form
  Candidate Filing starts January 8, 2024 8:30am – 4:30pm Monday-Friday and runs through Saturday, January 27, 2024 9am – Noon
• 2024 Primary Candidates Filings
• Historical Data
• How to Register to Vote
• Election Results
• Precinct List
• Precinct Map

Document Recording

Our major duty is to keep records of all legal agreements that affect Wood County residents. You can either mail or bring a document in person for us to record, and you can pick it up the next day or have us mail it back. Mail your documents here:

Wood County Clerk
P.O. Box 1474
Parkersburg, WV 26102

Recording fees vary, depending on the type of document and the number of pages.

Each document we record gets a book and page number, and is copied and permanently kept in our books.

We’re open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and we look forward to helping you. Stop by or call us at (304) 424-1899.

• Schedule of Recording
• Sales Listing Form

Finance

The Clerk’s office handles the $20 million General County fund budget for the Wood County Commission, including the payroll for about 204 county employees.

We process the accounts payable for the Wood County Commission. If you’re a vendor doing business with the county, we’re your connection for billing questions.

Just a Note: While we do handle the county’s finances, we don’t handle any tax collection. If you have questions about taxes, please call the Wood County Sheriff’s Tax Office at (304) 424-1910.

We’re open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and we look forward to helping you. Stop by or call us at (304) 424-1852. Finance is located on the 4th floor of the Wood County Courthouse.

• Audit Reports
• Financial Statements
• Budget Reports
• Detail Fund Reports
• Purchase Orders
• Annual Salary
• Vendor List
• Levy Rates

Budget Levy Estimates

• 2021-2022 Levy Budget Estimate
• 2020-2021 Levy Budget Estimate
• 2019-2020 Levy Budget Estimate
• 2018-2019 Levy Budget Estimate
• 2017-2018 Levy Budget Estimate
• 2016-2017 Levy Budget Estimate
• 2015-2016 Levy Budget Estimate
• 2014-2015 Levy Budget Estimate

Marriages

Planning a wedding? Looking for a marriage record? Doing some genealogical research? Here’s your first stop! We can help you apply for a marriage license or prepare a copy of one that’s already recorded. You can also visit us in person to search through our record books — We have recorded marriage records for Wood County beginning in 1801.

Just a quick note: while we handle all inquiries about marriages, divorces are another matter. If you have questions about obtaining a divorce, we suggest you talk with an attorney or, if it’s a no-fault divorce, check with the Circuit Clerk’s Office at (304) 424-1700.

If you were married in another West Virginia County or are doing some genealogical research and need a record, click here to find that County and the information needed to contact them.

Our hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and you can reach us at (304) 424-1860.

How to Get a Certified Copy of a Marriage License

• You’ll need to provide the names of the bride and groom and date of marriage.
• Cost for a certified copy of a marriage license is $5.00.

We accept Money order or Certified Check for mail-in payments.Personal checks are NOT accepted.

• If you’re mailing your request, send it to:
  Wood County Clerk
  P.O. Box 1474
  Parkersburg, WV 26102

• Include a copy of your ID (Driver’s License or State issued ID).
• Self-addressed, stamped envelope (for mailed copies).

How to Get a Marriage License

You will need the following when applying for a marriage license after June 8, 2012:

1. Driver’s License or certified copy of birth certificate.
2. $57.00 (Cash & *Credit/Debit Card through wviPay) without pre-marital counseling certificate.
3. $37.00 (Cash & *Credit/Debit Card through wviPay) with pre-marital counseling certificate.
4. Parents’ full names, including mothers’ maiden names, and city and state where they were born.

Plus:

1. If either of you are under 18, bring your parents or legal guardian to sign consent (they will need proper documentation and identification also). There is a three day waiting period after you apply.
2. If either of you are divorced, you’ll need to know the date the divorce was final.
   If your divorce was final in the last sixty days you will need to bring a certified copy of the divorce decree.
3. If one of you are widowed you’ll need to know the date of your spouse’s death.

And you must:

1. Be married by someone who is authorized to perform the marriage rites in West Virginia.
2. Be married within 60 days of the date of your marriage certificate.
3. Be married in West Virginia.

*wviPay will assess an electronic processing fee of $1.00 plus 2.2% for credit/debit card transactions*

Probate

We’ll help you administer an estate, with or without a will. Remember that the estate should be administered in the county where the person lived.

A Quick Look at Wills

When a person dies, an estate is created. Now, an estate includes property that the decedent owned, and the law requires that someone must administer the estate.

• By the way, administration is the process of paying the decedent’s outstanding debts and distributing the remaining property.
• The person in charge of the administration is called an administrator (if there’s no will) or an executor/executrix (if there is a will). Because the administrator or executor holds a position of trust, a person with either title is often called a fiduciary.

After the fiduciary is appointed to administer the estate, he or she must file an Appraisement and Inventory Form within 90 days of qualification and completing final settlement.

There is a fee to administer an estate, record and publish an appraisement, or to record a final settlement.

If there’s no will, the decedent is said to have died intestate, and his property passes by statutes called the laws of intestacy.

What We Do

We don’t create wills, but we do record them after someone dies. If you’re interested in writing your will, we suggest you talk with an attorney. Here’s a link to the West Virginia Bar Association, or check the Yellow Pages in the phone book. You have a couple of other options, too, including buying a do-it-yourself will kit at office supply stores or finding software that will help you draw up a will. If you have any questions at all about what to include or how to make sure what you have is correct, you probably should visit an attorney.

We’re open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and we look forward to helping you. Please call 304-424-1898 to schedule an appointment. Probate is located in Room 306 on the 3rd floor of the Courthouse.

If you have questions, please call. We’ll do our best to help you.

• How to File a Will
• Appraisement Form
• Ancillary Form Without Will Ancillary
• Form With Will
• Affidavit For Small Estate
• Explanation Affidavit for Small Estate

Record Room

The first floor of the Courthouse contains deed and lien records from 1799 to the present, along with property surveys known as plats. The Assessor land books from 1945 to the present are also located on the first floor, with older books stored off site due to space.

The County Clerk’s Office does not perform title searches, but we will direct you to where the indexes and books are located to assist you in your research.

Copies of documents are $1.50 for the first two pages and $1.00 for each additional page.

We’re open from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday and located in Room 103 on the first floor of the Courthouse. You can reach us at 304-424-1870

FAQ’s

1. Where can I find Information on Deeds?
   The deed information is all located on the website. Go under the County Clerk link and click on the Online Document Imaging link. Or just click this link. The Online Document Imaging is the place where you will find a lot of information pertaining to marriage, lien, deed etc..
2. How can I obtain a marriage license for people married in the past?
   The Marriage information is also online for as far back as 1899. Go under the County Clerk link and click on the Online Document Imaging link. Or just click this link. The Courthouse has the records on file back to 1801, but these records are not online. Please contact the Marriage License Office for these records.
3. What do I need to get a Marriage License?
   Everything you need for a marriage license is above, under Marriages.
4. Is there a 3 day waiting period on all marriages?
   This waiting period is only if you are under the age of 18.
5. How do I obtain a birth certificate?
   Come into Room 201 of the Wood County Courthouse located at 1 Court Square in Parkersburg with a valid ID
6. Can I obtain a Birth Certificate for a friend?
   No. You must be an immediate family member. Example: mother, father, brother, sister, step-parent, grandparent
7. How to obtain Certified Copies of Documents.
   There are four ways to obtain certified copies of documents if you are eligible to receive the record. The record must be your own or you must be an immediate family member.
   The Wood County Courthouse is located at the corner of 3rd and Market Streets in Parkersburg. Deeds and Liens are located on the 1st floor. Birth, Death, and Probate records are located on the 2nd floor in Room 201 of the Courthouse. Probate is located on the 3rd floor in Room 306. Marriages, Voter Registration and Finance are located on the 4th floor.
   Certified copies of marriage, birth and death certificates are $5.00 each. Copies of other documents are $1.50 for the first two pages and $1.00 for each additional page after that.
   1. You will need identification to obtain certified copies of births, deaths, and marriage records.
   2. You may mail a request letter or the attached form to: Click here for form.

Wood County Clerk
PO Box 1474
Parkersburg, WV 26102

You will also need to include a copy of your identification and a self addressed stamped envelope.

We accept Money order or Certified Check for mail-in payments. Personal checks are NOT accepted