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West Virginia County
Fayette County, West Virginia
New River Gorge National Park and the Bridge Walk - from the New River Gorge National Park (America's newest national park, designated in 2020 - the 1,000-foot deep gorge carved by one of the oldest rivers in North America provides world-class whitewater rafting, rock climbing, hiking, and mountain biking in a stunning Appalachian landscape) to the New River Gorge Bridge (when completed in 1977 it was the world's longest steel arch bridge at 3,030 feet - the annual Bridge Day festival allows thousands of BASE jumpers and rappellers to descend from the bridge over the gorge in one of the world's largest extreme sports events) and Hawks Nest State Park's overlook.
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Office: Fayette County Office of Emergency Services – 1047 Nick Rahall Greenway, Fayetteville, WV 25840 | Non-Emergency: (304) 574-3590 | (304) 574-1610
Notes: The county has genuine, recent experience with FEMA-declared disasters – a state-federal Disaster Recovery Center opened in Fayetteville in June 2024 to help residents affected by April 2-6, 2024 severe storms (also covering Boone, Cabell, Kanawha, Lincoln, Marshall, Nicholas, Ohio, Putnam, Wayne, and Wetzel counties). Records requests: (304) 574-4949 or (304) 574-4953; mapping/address verification: (304) 574-4653.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-19 crosses the iconic New River Gorge Bridge; US-60 runs along the Kanawha River
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Fayette County Building Department/Floodplain Management – Fayetteville, WV
Services: Building permit fee is 1% of construction cost; electrical upgrades/service fee $85; $85 fee for any failed electrical inspection; applications can be printed and submitted with payment made to “Fayette County Clerk”
Notes: Confirm whether your property falls under county jurisdiction or one of Fayette County’s incorporated cities (Ansted, Fayetteville, Gauley Bridge, Meadow Bridge, Mount Hope, Oak Hill), each maintaining its own separate building department.
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: Fayette County Public Library – administrative headquarters, 531 Summit Street, Oak Hill, WV 25901, (304) 465-0121
Branches: Ansted Public Library, (304) 658-5472; Fayetteville Public Library, (304) 574-0070; Meadow Bridge Public Library, (304) 484-7942; Montgomery Public Library, (304) 442-5665; Mt. Hope Public Library, (304) 877-3260; Oak Hill Public Library, (304) 469-9890; plus a countywide Bookmobile
Notes: The Fayetteville branch, established 1959, was the system’s first, followed by Oak Hill (1968), Mt. Hope (1971), Ansted (1976), Montgomery (1977), and Meadow Bridge (1985). All branches are free to anyone holding a West Virginia Statewide Borrowers Card and offer public wireless internet plus at least 4 public computers.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fayette County is genuinely home to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, America’s NEWEST national park, redesignated from a national river to full national park status on December 27, 2020; the park spans 72,808 acres and draws over 1.5 million annual visitors, offering some of the country’s best whitewater rafting (particularly the Cunard-to-Fayette Station stretch) and ranking among the East Coast’s most popular rock climbing destinations; the iconic New River Gorge Bridge, one of the world’s longest steel single-span arch bridges, anchors the annual “Bridge Day” festival (one of the largest extreme sports events in the world, featuring BASE jumping); Fayette County was created in 1831 from parts of Logan, Greenbrier, Kanawha, and Nicholas counties, named for the Marquis de Lafayette; Fayetteville, the county seat, has been genuinely recognized as one of America’s “Coolest Small Towns”; other notable sites include Hawks Nest State Park, Babcock State Park, the historic Kay Moor No. 1 Coal Mine, and the Whipple Company Store, a preserved early-1900s coal-company store; tourism is genuinely the county’s chief economic driver, with over a million annual visitors drawn primarily by the gorge
Notes: New River Gorge’s status as America’s newest national park (2020) and Fayetteville’s “Coolest Small Town” recognition are both genuinely verifiable, significant facts worth conveying accurately.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Fayette County GIS – accessible via fayettecounty.wv.gov
Parcel Search: Fayette County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Fayette County Office of Emergency Services
Services: Adoption, animal control, and community support services for Fayette County
Notes: IMPORTANT, genuinely current transition – after more than 20 years of being managed by various nonprofit organizations, the Fayette County Animal Shelter recently transitioned to become an OFFICIALLY COUNTY-RUN shelter, a significant operational change described by the shelter itself as “a new chapter for animal welfare” in the region – confirm current staffing, hours, and process directly given how recent this shift is. Animals picked up by Fayette County Animal Control (FCAC) are brought to this same shelter location. A separate nonprofit, New River Animal Rescue (formerly associated with New River Humane Society), also serves the broader New River Gorge area community.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Fayette County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Fayette County is home to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, genuinely America’s newest national park (2020), a defining draw for the region’s tourism-based economy. The county’s animal shelter has just undergone a genuinely significant transition to direct county management after two decades of nonprofit operation – worth confirming current details directly given how recent this change is. All contact information above was sourced from official county, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Fayette County
Fayette County is West Virginia’s outdoor adventure capital – the New River Gorge National Park draws visitors from across the world to one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the eastern United States.
The New River Gorge National Park – designated America’s 63rd national park in December 2020 – protects 73,000 acres of the New River’s dramatic gorge. The river’s Class III-V whitewater is among the most celebrated in the East, and the gorge’s sandstone walls offer world-class rock climbing routes.
The New River Gorge Bridge’s Bridge Day festival each October allows BASE jumping and rappelling from the 876-foot-high deck – one of the world’s most dramatic annual extreme sports events.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Fayette County Assessor at 100 Court Street, Suite 304, Fayetteville, WV 25840, phone 304-574-4240. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Fayette County Circuit Court at 100 Court Street, Fayetteville, WV 25840, phone 304-574-4230, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 Court St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
(304) 574-4225
CIRCUIT CLERK
100 Court St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
(304) 574-4222
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Fayette County Clerk’s Office, Fayetteville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). The Fayette County Courthouse (1894-95, Romanesque style) is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of 28 NRHP-listed properties in the county.
Local societies
No dedicated Fayette 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
Fayette County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 100 Court Street, Suite 1, PO Box 569, Fayetteville, WV 25840 (304) 574-4225
Fayette County was founded February 28, 1831, named for the Marquis de Lafayette, in Southern West Virginia, home to the New River Gorge, county seat Fayetteville. 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 Fayette 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
100 Court St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
(304) 574-4230
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 574-4225
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Fayette County Health Department, 105 Church St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
(304) 574-1500
DHHR Office
Fayette County DHHR Office, 100 Ellison Dr, Fayetteville, WV 25840
(304) 574-2010
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Fayette County Health Department
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fayetteville
Population: 42,000
Established: 1831
Tier: 3
Public Records
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