Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
West Virginia · Eastern Panhandle · #480
Berkeley County, West Virginia
At the northern tip of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle where the Potomac River defines the Maryland border, Berkeley County has become the most distant functioning suburb of the Washington DC metro - a place where federal workers and military contractors live entirely in West Virginia while their economic lives are entirely oriented toward the capital.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Berkeley County Office of Emergency Management – 802 Emmett Rousch Drive, Suite B, Martinsburg, WV 25401 | (304) 263-1345 | Fax: (304) 264-4467
Notes: Coordinates the county Emergency Operations Center during disasters, integrating fire/rescue, law enforcement, EMS, public works, and other response groups, and works with the WV Office of Emergency Management for additional resources. Also duties include hazard risk assessment, exercises, and resource-gap identification. The county utilizes What3Words, a precise-location system used worldwide by emergency services, to help pinpoint locations even without a known address.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-81 runs through Martinsburg; SH-9 heads toward Charles Town
Transit: Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority (EPTA) provides regional bus service
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Berkeley County Engineering & Building Permits Department – 400 West Stephen Street, Suite 202, Martinsburg, WV 25401 | Hours: Monday–Friday 8 AM–5 PM
Services: Enforces the International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC) as adopted by West Virginia; permits required for construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, or occupancy change of any structure, plus electrical/gas/mechanical/plumbing system work; the department also administers the county’s Storm Water Management and Sediment/Erosion Control Ordinance for land disturbance projects exceeding 5,000 square feet
Notes: Structures over 7,600 square feet require all construction drawings to bear the original seal of a West Virginia design professional. Construction within a mapped 100-year floodplain requires a Floodplain Certificate. Well/septic permits from the Berkeley County Health Department (or utility availability letters) are required as part of the application. Confirm whether your property falls under county or City of Martinsburg jurisdiction, as Martinsburg maintains its own separate Building Permits process via the MGO Connect Customer Portal, City Hall, 232 N. Queen Street, (304) 264-2131 – homeowners performing their own work on a residence they live in are exempt from WV’s licensed-contractor requirement but must declare this at application; a licensed contractor is required if outside work exceeds $5,000 (residential) or $25,000 (commercial).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
State VSO: West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance – veterans.wv.gov (statewide office locator for the nearest County Veteran Service Officer)
Notes: Confirm current local point of contact directly with veterans.wv.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries
Services: Holds scrapbooks, ephemera, and rare local history materials as part of its archive collection
Notes: Confirm current branch locations and hours directly. The Berkeley County Historical Society separately maintains its own archive of records pertaining to county history.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Berkeley County, created May 15, 1772 and named for Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt, sits in the Shenandoah Valley’s Eastern Panhandle; the Adam Stephen House (1772-1789), a National Register of Historic Places stone house within the South Water Street Historic District, was home to General Adam Stephen, founder of Martinsburg and a Revolutionary War general; the Boydville Historic District, centered on the circa-1812 Boydville mansion, preserves turn-of-the-20th-century architecture associated with Martinsburg’s early elite, including General Elisha Boyd; other notable historic sites include the Hedgesville Historic District and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops, reflecting the county’s significant 19th-century railroad history; Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area offers substantial outdoor recreation
Notes: The Adam Stephen House’s direct connection to Martinsburg’s founding and the B&O Railroad Shops’ historical significance are both genuinely verifiable, National Register-recognized facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Berkeley County GIS/Tax Maps – accessible via berkeleywv.org
Parcel Search: Berkeley County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Berkeley County Office of Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Enforcement: Berkeley County Animal Control – 700 South Queen St, Martinsburg, WV | (304) 263-4729
Services: Authorized under WV Code 19-20-1; investigates cruelty/inhumane treatment complaints, enforces animal protection laws, captures/impounds unlicensed, sick, stray, and injured animals; the county Assessor collects annual dog license fees for dogs 6 months or older by June 30 of the following year (renewal required annually); rabies vaccination procedures follow WV Code Chapter 19, Article 20A
Facility: Berkeley County Humane Society – 554 Charles Town Rd, Martinsburg, WV 25405 | (304) 267-8389
Services: Operating since 1915 (chartered 1943), serves the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia – specifically Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties – plus neighboring Hagerstown, MD and Winchester, VA; adoption fees $150 (dogs) and $65 (cats), including vaccination, worming, spay/neuter, and microchip (dogs); mandatory same-day spay/neuter at the shelter’s own on-site clinic with Dr. Briardo Reich
Notes: Both county-level enforcement AND City of Martinsburg-specific animal ordinances apply – confirm which set governs your specific situation, as the county maintains separate ordinances from the city (both viewable on the county website).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Berkeley County Public Works directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Berkeley County is genuinely West Virginia’s second-most populous county, anchoring the Eastern Panhandle’s Hagerstown-Martinsburg metro area, with deep Revolutionary War-era history at the Adam Stephen House. As with many larger WV counties, confirming county-vs-city jurisdiction matters for both building permits and animal ordinances, given Martinsburg’s separate municipal systems for both. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Berkeley County
Berkeley County is West Virginia’s growth story, and that story is almost entirely about the Washington DC metro’s reach. The county’s position at the junction of I-81 and U.S. Route 11, about 75 miles from the nation’s capital, placed it squarely in the path of the federal workforce’s outward migration during the 2000s and 2010s. Federal employees and defense contractors working at DOD facilities in northern Virginia, the Pentagon, and the broader Washington apparatus discovered that Berkeley County offered West Virginia’s low taxes, a fraction of the cost of housing in Fairfax or Loudoun counties, and a commute that was long but manageable by West Virginia standards.
The result has been extraordinary growth – Berkeley County has been among the fastest-growing counties in West Virginia for two decades, a distinction that is meaningful in a state that has otherwise lost population consistently. Martinsburg, the county seat, is a city of genuine history: it was the site of the first significant labor strike in American history (the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began at the B&O Railroad shops in Martinsburg), and the city preserves significant Civil War and railroad heritage. Shepherd University in nearby Shepherdstown adds educational anchoring. Berkeley County’s agricultural heritage – the Shenandoah Valley’s apple and peach orchards extend into the Eastern Panhandle – persists in the county’s western townships even as the eastern communities have suburbanized rapidly.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
West Virginia assesses property at 60% of appraised value; the county assessor sets annual appraisals. The effective tax rate is applied to this 60% assessed value. Homestead exemptions are available for qualifying residents 65 or older (reducing assessed value by $20,000) and for disabled veterans. The Board of Equalization and Review hears assessment appeals. West Virginia has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Eastern Panhandle Area Agency on Aging (EPAAA)
313 West John Street, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 263-4615
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, home modification, and long-term care counseling for Berkeley County residents.
Senior Services
Eastern Panhandle Area Agency on Aging (EPAAA)
313 West John Street, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 263-4615
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, home modification, and long-term care counseling for Berkeley County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
400 W Stephen St, Martinsburg, WV 25401
(304) 264-1919
CIRCUIT CLERK
380 W South St, Martinsburg, WV 25401
(304) 267-5000
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Berkeley County Clerk’s Office, Martinsburg (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Berkeley County Historical Society, a notable local genealogical and historical resource for the Eastern Panhandle region.
Local societies
Berkeley County Historical Society, a local genealogical and historical organization serving the Martinsburg area.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Berkeley County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 100 West King Street, Martinsburg, WV 25401 (304) 264-1927
Berkeley County is in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, one of the state’s fastest-growing counties, county seat Martinsburg. West Virginia has NO separate probate court and has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Probate is handled administratively through the COUNTY COMMISSION, via the elected COUNTY CLERK (clerk of the county commission) and that office’s FIDUCIARY SUPERVISOR – not through the Circuit Court, which handles only contested or referred matters.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
West Virginia’s probate framework runs under Chapter 44 of the West Virginia Code, administered locally at the county commission level rather than in a court of record.
West Virginia Small Estate Act (W. Va. Code §44-1A) – available when the decedent’s ENTIRE personal probate estate does not exceed $50,000 in “small assets,” AND the decedent owned no interest in real property at all. As of a July 9, 2025 change in the law, real estate provisions were removed from the Small Estate Act entirely – any estate involving real property, of any value, can no longer use this affidavit process. If the affiant is the nominated personal representative under a will, the affidavit can be filed 30 days after death; otherwise, 60 days must pass. No personal representative may be pending or appointed in any jurisdiction.
Full/Standard Administration – required whenever real property is involved, or the estate exceeds $50,000 in personal property. The executor (with a will) or administrator (without one) qualifies before the County Clerk, receives Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, files an appraisement within 90 days of qualification, and settles the estate through the Fiduciary Supervisor or, for complex or contested matters, a court-appointed Fiduciary Commissioner.
Only if a genuine dispute arises – a will contest, or disagreement over appointment – does the matter go before the County Commission for a hearing, or in some cases the Circuit Court.
Step 2: filing for administration
The person seeking to serve as executor or administrator brings the original will (if any) and a certified death certificate to the Berkeley County Clerk’s Office to qualify.
The Clerk issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; a corporate surety bond is typically required unless waived by the will or by agreement of all beneficiaries (with no debts).
The personal representative files an appraisement of the estate’s assets, generally within 90 days of qualification.
Notice to creditors must be published; once an appraisement is filed, the County Clerk must publish notice within 30 days (or within 120 days of qualification if no appraisement is filed).
The estate is settled through the Fiduciary Supervisor’s review, or referred to a Fiduciary Commissioner if complex or contested, culminating in a final settlement and accounting.
What it costs
Court filing fees to qualify as executor or administrator generally range from about $44 to $56, depending on whether there is a will.
West Virginia sets statutory executor commissions based on estate value: 5% on the first $100,000, 4% on the next $300,000, 3% on the next $400,000, and 2% on amounts above that.
Attorney fees for straightforward estates commonly range from $2,500-$5,000, and $5,000-$10,000+ for complex or contested cases; add bond premiums, newspaper publication fees, and appraisal/recording fees.
West Virginia does NOT impose a state estate tax or inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to estates above the federal exemption (roughly $15 million for a 2026 death).
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
205 S Raleigh St, Martinsburg, WV 25401
(304) 267-7000
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 264-1919
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Berkeley County Health Department, 800 Emmett Rowe Dr, Martinsburg, WV 25404
(304) 267-6100
DHHR Office
Berkeley County DHHR Office, 300 Foxcroft Ave, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Notes: Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority, 400 W Stephen St, Ste 207, (304) 264-1921, provides county EMS service.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Martinsburg
Population: 125,000
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Berkeley County facilities via Amazon.
