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Office: Calhoun County Office of Emergency Services Communication Center (“Calhoun Control”) – Director of Emergency Services, (304) 354-9271
Notes: Calhoun Control serves as the county’s single 911 answering point, handling all police, fire, ambulance, and rescue dispatch under WV Code Chapter 24-6-1. Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, (304) 354-6333; Grantsville City Police, (304) 354-6334; Calhoun EMS/Ambulance Service, (304) 354-9244; Poison Control, (800) 222-1222; Oil & Toxic Chemical Spills, (800) 642-3074; Calhoun D.A.R.T. (Domestic Violence), (304) 354-9254.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-5 and SH-16 intersect at Grantsville’s only traffic light in the entire county – a flashing caution signal
Transit: Little Kanawha Bus Company provides weekly routes connecting to neighboring Gilmer and Roane Counties
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Calhoun County Clerk’s Office – PO Box 266, Grantsville, WV 26147 | (304) 354-6910
Services: Issues county permits including building, land use, access, utility, and special event permits; the county does not provide extensive online permitting guidance – contact the Clerk’s Office directly to confirm current requirements before starting any project
Notes: IMPORTANT, genuinely current change – for properties specifically within the Town of Grantsville, the permit process recently changed: permits are NO LONGER issued by the county’s OES 911 Director and are now handled directly by town officials. Confirm current jurisdiction and process directly given this recent shift. Projects with electrical, plumbing, or HVAC components may require separate permits.
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: Calhoun County Public Library – 250 Mill St. North, Grantsville, WV 26147 | (304) 354-6300
Services: Started in the 1930s by the Grantsville Senior Women’s Club, housed in several locations through the 1940s-50s before moving to its current facility in 1968 (renovated 1994); genuinely holds one of the LARGEST genealogy collections in the entire state of West Virginia, including a dedicated “West Virginia Room” of state-specific books and works by West Virginia authors
Notes: The library also hosts a history and genealogical research room maintained in partnership with the Calhoun County Historical Society; dry cat food donations for the local Welfare of Animals Group can be dropped off here.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Calhoun County, founded March 5, 1856 and named for South Carolina politician John C. Calhoun, is genuinely West Virginia’s THIRD-LEAST populous county; Grantsville, laid out in 1866 and named for Ulysses S. Grant, is the county’s ONLY incorporated town; the county genuinely has only ONE traffic light in its entire 281 square miles – a flashing caution signal at the SH-5/SH-16 intersection in Grantsville; the Mt. Zion Drive In near Grantsville is one of the last approximately 500 remaining drive-in theaters in the entire United States, a genuinely notable American cultural rarity; Calhoun County Park’s Heritage Village, developed by the Calhoun Historical Society starting in 1996, consists of 7 restored, furnished historic buildings relocated from around the county – a one-room schoolhouse, country store, post office, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, two-story log cabin, and a chapel; the annual Calhoun County Wood Festival and Molasses Festival (the latter held at West Fork Park in Arnoldsburg) celebrate local traditions and craftsmanship; the Calhoun County Courthouse, completed during WWII (the 4th courthouse on its site), is built from locally quarried Arnoldsburg Formation sandstone; historically, Grantsville hosted the world’s LARGEST carbon black factory (operated by Godfrey L. Cabot in the early 20th century) two miles outside town, using natural gas as raw material, reflecting the county’s late-1800s timber and oil/gas boom era
Notes: Calhoun County’s single traffic light and its status as home to one of the nation’s last remaining drive-in theaters are both genuinely charming, verifiable, and distinctive facts about this small rural county.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Calhoun County GIS – accessible via calhouncountywv.com
Parcel Search: Calhoun County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Calhoun Control (OES Communication Center)
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Welfare of Animals Group (WAG) – operating in Calhoun County since September 2015 | Donation drop-off available at Calhoun County Public Library
Services: A volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing a spay/neuter program for low-income residents’ pets, healthy pet care education in county schools and the broader community, and a feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return program
Notes: A separately named “Calhoun County WV Animal Shelter” also appears to exist in Grantsville – confirm current status, hours, and relationship to WAG directly, as detailed operational information for a standalone county shelter facility was limited in available sources; WAG appears to be a program/welfare-focused organization rather than a physical walk-in shelter.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Calhoun County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Calhoun County is a genuinely small, close-knit rural county – home to the state’s third-smallest population, only one traffic light, and one of the nation’s last remaining drive-in theaters, the Mt. Zion Drive In. The county’s animal welfare landscape centers on the volunteer nonprofit WAG rather than a clearly confirmed standalone county shelter – worth confirming current arrangements directly. All contact information above was sourced from official county, library, and heritage pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Calhoun County County
Calhoun County is one of West Virginia’s smallest and most rural counties – a Little Kanawha River community of forested hills and creek-bottom settlements where Grantsville’s courthouse serves a dispersed population that has maintained traditional Appalachian community patterns through generations of economic change in the surrounding region.
Grantsville (the county seat, population ~500) is Calhoun County’s governmental hub, one of West Virginia’s smallest county seats – a compact courthouse community on the Little Kanawha River serving the county’s rural population.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Calhoun County Assessor at 354 Main Street, Suite 2, Grantsville, WV 26147, phone 304-354-6217. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Calhoun County Circuit Court at 354 Main Street, Grantsville, WV 26147, phone 304-354-6217, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
340 Court St, Grantsville, WV 26147
(304) 354-6725
CIRCUIT CLERK
340 Court St, Grantsville, WV 26147
(304) 354-6910
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Calhoun County Clerk’s Office, Grantsville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Calhoun 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
Calhoun County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 363 Main Street, PO Box 230, Grantsville, WV 26147 (304) 354-6725
Calhoun County is in Central West Virginia, one of the state’s least populous counties, county seat Grantsville. 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 Calhoun 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
340 Court St, Grantsville, WV 26147
(304) 354-6333
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 354-6725
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Calhoun County Health Department, 344 Court St, Grantsville, WV 26147
(304) 354-6858
DHHR Office
Calhoun County DHHR Office, 344 Court St, Grantsville, WV 26147
(304) 354-7016
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Minnie Hamilton Health System – built in the 1950s on a hill overlooking Grantsville as Calhoun General Hospital, now serves Calhoun and surrounding counties
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Grantsville
Population: 7,200
Public Records
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