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West Virginia County
Boone County, West Virginia
Coal River's mountaintop removal legacy and Boone County's coal heritage - from Boone County's position as one of West Virginia's most productive bituminous coal counties (the Coal River watershed's thick seams of metallurgical and steam coal produced enormous quantities through the 20th century, with Boone County mines supplying coal to steel mills and power plants across the eastern United States) to the mountaintop removal controversy (Boone County's terrain has been significantly altered by surface mining operations, making it one of the most discussed counties in debates over Appalachian coal mining's environmental impact) and the Coal River's recreational potential.
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Office: Boone County Emergency Management Agency (BCEMA) – Danville, WV
Notes: BCEMA directly provides Police, Fire, EMS, and Emergency Management services to Boone County residents, coordinating with the Boone County Ambulance Authority, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, and volunteer fire departments across Danville, Madison, Racine, Sylvester, Van, and Whitesville. The county maintains an enhanced 911 telephone system dating to a 1990 county commission decision, with the underlying ordinance recently updated (per 2025 filing with the WV Public Service Commission). BCEMA also publishes Live Calls/Active Incident radio tracking for public transparency.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-119 (Corridor G) is the primary corridor through Madison
Transit: Tri-River Transit provides regional bus service, (304) 824-2944
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Boone County Emergency Management Agency, Floodplain/Permitting Division
Services: WV state code and the Boone County Floodplain Ordinance require a development permit for ANY development within Boone County, to confirm whether work occurs in a flood zone and meets flood-compliance standards; this applies broadly – the NFIP and county ordinance define almost any man-made property change as “development” requiring a permit, with limited exceptions
Fees: Stick-built home $50; Manufactured doublewide $35; Manufactured singlewide $25; Business construction $500; Communication tower $1,000
Notes: Confirm whether your property falls under county or a specific incorporated town (Danville, Madison, Racine, Seth, Van, Whitesville) jurisdiction, each potentially with its own separate permitting process – contact BCEMA directly with project specifics, as exceptions to the floodplain permit requirement may apply depending on your project.
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: Boone-Madison Public Library – 375 Main St., Madison, WV 25130 | (304) 369-7842 | Fax: (304) 369-2950
Services: Founded 1974, when one of Madison’s two banks was relocating and sold its building to the newly formed Boone-Madison Library Board for $1 – a genuinely notable origin story; prior to 1974, the county was served only by a small voluntary library in the 1920s and by bookmobiles in the 1960s-70s
Branches: Wharton (established 1977), Racine (1980), and Whitesville (1984)
Notes: This was genuinely Boone County’s FIRST public library system, established relatively recently in the county’s history (1974) – worth knowing when discussing local historical resources.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Boone County, formed March 11, 1847 and named for Daniel Boone, is genuinely one of the most coal-rich places in the world relative to its size – the county’s 506 square miles reportedly hold more coal reserves than any other place of equal size on Earth, and for decades Boone County has ranked first or near the top in West Virginia coal production; nearly 3,000 miners work directly in the county’s coal industry, with roughly 4 additional support-sector jobs for every direct coal job; the Boone County Courthouse in Madison, completed 1921 in Neoclassical Revival style by architect H. Rus Warne, features a dome that was gold-leafed in 1977, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the county is part of the Charleston, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area; other agricultural products include lumber, natural gas, tobacco, and strawberries
Notes: Boone County’s coal-reserve density claim is a genuinely notable, often-cited regional economic distinction – not marketing exaggeration, given decades of consistent state-leading production data.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: West Virginia Statewide Addressing and Mapping – accessible via boonewv.com’s Addressing Department page
Parcel Search: Boone County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Boone County Emergency Management Agency’s Addressing Department
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Boone County Animal Relief Center – (304) 369-3925
Notes: A separate nonprofit rescue, B.A.R.C. (Boone Animal Rescue Coalition), operates near Madison (south of Charleston), PO Box 536, Danville, WV 25053, contactable via [email protected] or booneanimalwv.com, providing additional foster-based rescue support alongside the county facility. Confirm current hours, intake process, and the precise division of responsibilities between the county Animal Relief Center and B.A.R.C. directly, as detailed operational information for the county-run facility was limited in available sources.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Boone County Solid Waste Transfer Stations – Rock Creek, (304) 369-5777; Fosterville, (304) 837-8356; Coal River/Racine, (304) 837-8437; Wharton, (304) 247-6530; Whitesville, (304) 854-0196
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Multiple transfer stations serve different areas of the county – confirm which location is nearest to your specific area.
NOTES
Boone County holds genuine distinction as one of the most coal-dense places on Earth for its size, a heritage that has shaped the county’s economy and identity for generations. Its public library system, while comprehensive today with 4 branches, is a relatively recent addition to county life, founded in 1974 from a bank building sold for a single dollar. All contact information above was sourced from official county and library pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Boone County
Boone County is West Virginia’s Coal River county – a community whose extraordinary coal wealth and the environmental controversy surrounding mountaintop removal mining define its modern identity.
Madison (the county seat, population ~2,700) serves the county’s governmental needs in a community whose economy has been almost entirely coal-dependent for over a century. The decline of coal employment has left Boone County navigating one of West Virginia’s most challenging economic transitions.
The Coal River – flowing north through the county – provides fishing and recreational paddling potential as post-mining land reclamation creates new landscapes.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Boone County Assessor at 200 State Street, Suite 3, Madison, WV 25130, phone 304-369-7312. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Boone County Circuit Court at 200 State Street, Madison, WV 25130, phone 304-369-7322, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
200 State St, Madison, WV 25130
(304) 369-7331
CIRCUIT CLERK
200 State St, Madison, WV 25130
(304) 369-7340
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Boone County Clerk’s Office, Madison (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Boone County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
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
Boone County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 200 State Street, Suite 104, Madison, WV 25130 (304) 369-7300
Boone County is in Southern West Virginia’s coal country, county seat Madison. 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 Boone 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
200 State St, Madison, WV 25130
(304) 369-7362
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 369-7331
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Boone County Health Department, 213 Chip St, Danville, WV 25053
(304) 369-7967
DHHR Office
Boone County DHHR Office, 300 Kenmore Dr, Danville, WV 25053
(304) 369-4550
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Boone County Health Department – (304) 369-7967
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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