Boone County Public Records /Boone County Court Records

Boone County Court Records

How To Find Court Records in Boone County in 2026

BooneCountyRecords.org provides access to publicly available information related to court records in Boone County, West Virginia. Members of the public seeking court records may find case-level data drawn from official judicial sources, including docket entries, party names, case types, filing dates, and disposition information. The scope and completeness of any record depends on the originating court, the case type, and applicable access restrictions under West Virginia law.

Records that may be available through official channels include:

Civil court filings and judgments
Criminal case dockets and disposition records
Family court orders and decrees
Magistrate court case records
Probate filings and estate records
Traffic and misdemeanor case records

Court records in Boone County may be searched through five primary methods:

Clerk of Court or Court Records Office — The Boone County Circuit Clerk maintains official case files and can respond to in-person and written requests. Requestors should provide the full case number, party name, or approximate filing date to assist in locating a record.
Courthouse Public Access Terminals — Public terminals located at the Boone County Courthouse allow members of the public to search case indexes and view docket entries without charge during regular business hours.
Online Court Search — The West Virginia Judiciary provides online access to circuit and magistrate court records through its statewide case search platform.
State-Level Judicial Search Tools — The Court Record Access search portal allows searches of circuit court records from all fifty-five West Virginia counties, as well as magistrate court case records statewide.
Written or Mail Requests — Members of the public may submit written requests to the Circuit Clerk's office. Requests should identify the case by name, number, or filing period. Fees for copies apply and are established under the West Virginia Code.

Boone County Circuit Clerk
200 State Street
Madison, WV 25130
Phone: (304) 369-7321
Boone County Circuit Court – West Virginia Judiciary

Are Court Records Public In Boone County

Court records in Boone County are presumptively open to the public under current West Virginia law. West Virginia Code § 29B-1-1 et seq., the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, establishes the public's right to inspect and copy government records, including judicial records not otherwise exempted. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has further affirmed that transparency in court proceedings is a foundational principle of the state's judicial system.

Records that are ordinarily available to the public include:

Case docket entries and hearing schedules
Party names and attorney information
Filed complaints, petitions, and answers
Court orders and final judgments
Sentencing entries and probation orders
Civil judgment amounts and lien information

Certain categories of records are restricted, sealed, or confidential under state law or court rule:

Juvenile delinquency and status offense records
Adoption proceedings and related filings
Mental health commitment records
Domestic violence protective order petitioner information
Expunged criminal records
Sealed filings ordered by a judge
Records containing Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and other protected personal identifiers

A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While the physical case file may be inspected at the clerk's office, not all documents are available through online search tools. Sealed or restricted filings are withheld from both in-person and electronic access. As the West Virginia Judiciary notes, retrieved records from online systems "represent a complete civil or criminal history," but requestors are advised to contact the clerk of the originating court to validate information provided.

What Are Court Records in Boone County?

Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court in connection with a legal proceeding. In practical terms, a court record encompasses everything generated from the moment a case is initiated through its final disposition and any subsequent appeal.

A docket entry is a chronological log of actions taken in a case, while a full case file includes the underlying documents — complaints, motions, exhibits, orders, and transcripts — associated with those entries. The docket provides a summary; the case file provides the substance.

Civil court records document disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, including contract claims, property disputes, and tort actions. Criminal court records document proceedings initiated by the state against an individual accused of a criminal offense, from arraignment through sentencing or acquittal.

Filed pleadings are the initial documents that define the claims and defenses in a case. Final judgments are the court's conclusive rulings that resolve the matter. Both are part of the official record, though their accessibility may differ depending on whether any portion has been sealed or redacted.

Public filings are accessible to any member of the public. Sealed or restricted filings are withheld from public inspection by court order or statute. Trial court records are maintained by the clerk of the originating court. Appellate records — including briefs, appendices, and opinions — are maintained by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals or the Intermediate Court of Appeals.

In Boone County, the Circuit Clerk's office is the primary custodian of circuit court records. The magistrate court clerk maintains magistrate-level records. The Boone County Information page on the West Virginia Judiciary website identifies the courts serving the county and the offices responsible for record maintenance. Records are created at filing, updated with each docket entry, and finalized upon disposition or appeal.

What's Included in a Boone County Court Record?

A court record in Boone County may contain a range of documents and data points depending on the case type, the court in which it was filed, and applicable public-access rules. The following information may appear within a publicly accessible court record:

Case identification: case number, court name and division, filing date
Party information: names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and their attorneys
Case classification: case type (civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic) and current status
Docket entries: a chronological log of all filings, hearings, and court actions
Hearing information: scheduled and past hearing dates, continuances, and courtroom assignments
Filed documents: complaints, petitions, answers, motions, notices, and responses
Court orders and judgments: interlocutory orders, final judgments, decrees, and sentencing entries
Outcome data: dismissals, verdicts, pleas, convictions, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
Financial and administrative data: filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly displayed

Certain information is excluded or restricted from public court records. Sealed filings are withheld by court order. Expunged records are removed from public access pursuant to West Virginia Code § 61-11-25, which governs expungement of criminal records. Juvenile case files, adoption records, and mental health commitment proceedings are confidential under separate statutory provisions. Protected personal identifiers — including Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and dates of birth — are redacted from publicly accessible filings in accordance with court rules.

Types of Courts in Boone County

Boone County is served by several courts operating within the West Virginia unified judicial system. According to the Boone County Information page maintained by the West Virginia Judiciary, the county is part of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which also includes Lincoln County. In Family Court, Boone County and Lincoln County together constitute the Tenth Family Court Circuit.

The courts currently serving Boone County include:

Circuit Court — The court of general jurisdiction for Boone County. The Circuit Court hears felony criminal cases, major civil matters, family law cases (including divorce and child custody), juvenile proceedings, and appeals from magistrate court. The Circuit Clerk maintains all circuit-level records.
Family Court — Family Court judges handle divorce, annulment, legal separation, child custody, child support, and domestic relations matters. Family Court is a division within the circuit court structure.
Magistrate Court — Magistrate courts have limited jurisdiction over misdemeanor criminal cases, small claims civil matters (currently up to $10,000), and certain civil actions. The magistrate court clerk maintains records for these proceedings. The Magistrate Case Record Search tool provides online access to magistrate court case histories statewide.
Municipal Court — The City of Madison operates a municipal court with jurisdiction over violations of city ordinances.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and the Intermediate Court of Appeals serve as the appellate courts for matters originating in Boone County circuit and family courts.

Boone County Courthouse
200 State Street
Madison, WV 25130
Phone: (304) 369-7321
West Virginia Judiciary – Boone Circuit Court

How to Search Boone County Court Records for Free?

Several methods for searching Boone County court records are available at no cost. In-person inspection of court records at the Boone County Courthouse is free of charge. Members of the public may review case files and docket entries during regular business hours without paying a fee for inspection alone.

The West Virginia Judiciary provides free online access to case records through the Court Record Access portal, which covers circuit court records from all fifty-five counties and magistrate court records statewide. The Magistrate Case Record Search tool is also available at no cost and returns civil and criminal case histories from magistrate courts.

Public access terminals located within the Boone County Courthouse allow free case index searches and docket review during courthouse hours.

Fees apply when copies of records are requested. Under West Virginia law and applicable clerk fee schedules, the following charges are standard:

Service	Typical Fee
Plain paper copy (per page)	$0.50
Certified copy (per document)	$1.50–$5.00
Exemplified/authenticated copy	Variable
Research fee (extended requests)	Variable

Fees for certified copies and clerk services are governed in part by West Virginia Code § 59-1-10, which establishes the fee schedule for circuit court clerks. Electronic access through the statewide portal does not currently require a subscription or per-search fee for basic case information.

How Long Does Boone County Keep Court Records?

The retention of court records in Boone County is governed by the records retention schedules established by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals for all courts within the state's unified judicial system. Retention periods vary by case type and record category.

Under current judicial records management policy, the following retention principles apply:

Felony criminal records are retained permanently, including judgment entries, sentencing orders, and docket books.
Misdemeanor and traffic records are subject to shorter retention periods, though docket books and judgment records may be retained for extended periods.
Civil judgment records are retained for periods sufficient to cover the enforceability of the judgment under state law.
Probate records are retained permanently in many jurisdictions given their significance to property and estate matters.
Family court records, including divorce decrees and custody orders, are retained for extended periods due to their ongoing legal effect.
Juvenile records are subject to separate retention and confidentiality rules and may be sealed or destroyed upon the subject reaching adulthood, depending on the nature of the proceeding.

Paper files may be transferred to microfilm, digital imaging, or archival storage after a defined period. Physical destruction of paper originals may occur after imaging, provided the electronic copy is preserved in accordance with the applicable schedule. Older records — particularly those predating electronic filing — may exist only in paper form, microfilm, or county archive storage.

Expungement, sealing, redaction, and destruction are distinct processes. Expungement removes a record from public access and, in some cases, from the official record entirely. Sealing restricts access without destroying the record. Redaction removes specific identifying information from a publicly accessible document. Destruction permanently eliminates the physical or electronic record after the retention period expires.

How To Find a Court Docket in Boone County

A court docket is the official chronological index of all actions taken in a specific case. It differs from the full case file in that it records what happened and when — filings, hearings, orders, and continuances — without necessarily containing the full text of each underlying document. The docket serves as the navigational record of a case from initiation through final disposition.

Members of the public may access Boone County court dockets through the following channels:

Online via the West Virginia Judiciary portal: The Court Record Access portal allows users to search circuit court dockets by party name or case number. Search results display docket entries, hearing dates, case status, and party information. Full document images may not be available for all entries, and sealed or restricted docket entries are not displayed.

Magistrate court dockets: The Magistrate Case Record Search system provides docket-level information for magistrate court cases, including civil and criminal case histories. As noted on the search platform, retrieved records represent a complete civil or criminal history, and users are advised to contact the clerk of the originating court to validate the information provided.

In-person at the courthouse: The Circuit Clerk's office maintains physical docket books and can provide docket information upon request. Public access terminals at the Boone County Courthouse allow direct docket searches during business hours.

A typical court docket entry includes the filing date, a description of the action taken (e.g., motion filed, order entered, hearing held), and the name of the filing party or judicial officer. Dockets do not include the full text of sealed filings, confidential exhibits, or documents withheld under court order. Hearing calendars and motion schedules may be available separately through the clerk's office or posted at the courthouse.