McDowell County Background Information
West Virginia is home to McDowell County. The county seat is Welch. There were 19,111 inhabitants in McDowell County in 2020.
It was formed in 1858.
It was named for Virginia Governor James McDowell. He was the 29th Governor of Virginia from 1843 to 1846 and was a U.S. Congressman from 1846 to 1851.
McDowell County Arrest Records
In McDowell County, the authorities keep arrest records on each and every crime. Crimes in McDowell County are separated into two major categories, violent crime and property crime. Property crimes can include things such as burglary, vehicle theft, and larceny. Robbery, aggravated assault, murder, and forcible rape make up the four main violent crime categorizations. 4 violent and 0 property crimes occurred in McDowell County back in 2021. McDowell County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted at:
McDowell County Sheriff’s Office
90 Wyoming Street # 117
Welch, WV 24801
Phone: (304) 436-8523
McDowell County Criminal Records
McDowell County records their criminal activity in the form of criminal records. These records cover murders, rapes, burglaries, arson, motor vehicle theft, assaults, and crimes of a sexual nature. In McDowell County and across the whole state of West Virginia, the police are required to keep an updated list of all criminal records. Individuals of McDowell County can use a search tool in order to get access to the records in question. Any individual on release or in jail can be searched for using the tool. McDowell County legally keeps current sex offender registers. Each and every offender living, working, attending school, or imprisoned in the McDowell County area must be on this list. This register is made available to all locals of McDowell County.
Residents living in McDowell County can use a tool to search for any offenders in the area. An individual must simply enter a zip code to act as the center of their search. All offenders within that area will then be revealed to the searcher. People may also use the tools to look up individual known offenders. Non-compliant and in-prison offenders are also shown in the results.
McDowell County Court Records
The county courthouse is in charge of the courts in McDowell County. Court records in McDowell County are gathered and maintained by the court clerk. McDowell County citizens can enquire court records at:
McDowell County Courthouse
90 Wyoming Street
Suite 201
Welch, WV 24801
Phone: (304) 436-8535
Fax: (304) 436-6994
NOTE - Mail, email, or fax can all be used to send records to requesters in McDowell County. Conversely, all official records can only be directed via mail-in McDowell County.
McDowell County Public Records
In West Virginia state, files called vital records are kept on every last resident within the jurisdiction. These records hold a person's most critical milestone life events. Marriages, divorces, births, and deaths are all noted in these vital files. Counties such as McDowell County help to collect these reports. These counties, such as McDowell County, are usually put in charge of accumulating files and sending copies to the state government.
West Virginia requires all county clerks to collect marriage records. Marriage records in McDowell County are stored at the West Virginia Vital Registration Office. Vital records may encompass birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, marriage licenses, divorce certificates, marriage certificates, and more. One central registry is used to store all vital records, including those from McDowell County. They can be used in the future for statistical analysis.
Any public record can be copied and accessed by residents in McDowell County. The state of West Virginia passed the Freedom of Information Act in 1979, meaning that members of the public now have the fundamental right to access any public records. McDowell County residents can obtain public records in-person at:
McDowell County Clerk’s Office
90 Wyoming Street
Welch, WV 24801
Phone: (304) 436-8517
However, McDowell County charges a fee per record copied. Birth records in McDowell County cost $12. First copies of death records cost $12. Marriage records in McDowell County cost $12.
NOTE - McDowell County has a number of rules that need to be followed when it comes to obtaining records. McDowell County requesters must attain records between 9:00 a.m until 5:00 p.m. EST from Monday to Friday. To obtain records in McDowell County, photo identification is needed. Examples include state IDs or driver's licenses. Only public record applications put in writing will be accepted in McDowell County.
