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West Virginia County
Putnam County, West Virginia
West Virginia's fastest-growing county and the Kanawha River suburbs - from Putnam County's distinction as one of West Virginia's fastest-growing counties (the communities of Hurricane, Teays Valley, and Scott Depot along the Kanawha River corridor between Charleston and Huntington have grown rapidly as West Virginians seek suburban living within commuting distance of both metropolitan areas) to the Kanawha River's scenic corridor and Putnam County's position as West Virginia's most economically dynamic suburban county.
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Office: Putnam County 911 / Office of Emergency Management – 100 Emergency Lane, Winfield, WV 25213 | Non-emergency: (304) 586-0248
Notes: GENUINELY CURRENT – Putnam County 911/OEM has been actively training with drone technology for first responders, hosting a 32-hour “Drones for First Responders” course (FAA Part 107 certification prep) and Introduction to Drone Mapping training in partnership with Public Safety UAS, reflecting real modern search-and-rescue/scene-assessment capability. The county also conducts a routine outdoor warning siren test on the 4th Wednesday of each month around noon (test only, not an emergency). Putnam County Fire Service, (304) 586-5370.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-64 crosses the county; US-35 and US-60 also serve the area
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Putnam County Office of Planning & Infrastructure – 12093 Winfield Road, Winfield, WV 25213 | (304) 586-0237
Services: Issues county building permits
Notes: Confirm whether your property falls under county or one of Putnam County’s several incorporated towns (Winfield, Hurricane, Nitro, Eleanor, Buffalo) or census-designated places (Teays Valley, Scott Depot), as each may have its own permitting process.
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: Putnam County Public Library – main library at 4219 State Rt. 34, Teays Valley (mailing address listed under Hurricane), WV 25526 | (304) 757-7308 | Fax: (304) 757-7384
Services: Began as bookmobile service in 1961, growing into the main Teays Valley library (established 1975) plus four branch locations added over subsequent decades
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Putnam County, formed by the Virginia General Assembly on March 11, 1848, sits across the Kanawha River from Charleston, part of the Huntington-Ashland metropolitan statistical area; the county seat, Winfield (named for General Winfield Scott), was a slow-growing river town with no railroad or paved road until 1930, later transformed by the 1936 Winfield navigation dam and a 1957 Kanawha River bridge; Putnam County was genuinely a “divided county within a divided state” during the Civil War, with roughly 400 residents enlisting on each side, and saw four significant military engagements – at Scary Creek, Red House, Hurricane Bridge, and Winfield (the “Battle of Winfield,” a Union victory); Hurricane, the county’s largest incorporated city, sits in the middle of Teays Valley and is genuinely one of the fastest-growing areas in West Virginia; Teays Valley itself, along with the community of Teays, is named for Thomas Teays, an early hunter/trapper, and gave its name to the ancient preglacial Teays River, a real, geologically documented river system whose long-vanished valley – now “riverless” – was identified and named by geologist William G. Tight; Nitro, on the Putnam-Kanawha county line, was a genuine WWI-era boomtown, built and populated to 25,000 residents in just 11 months in 1918, producing 700,000 pounds of gunpowder per day for the war effort by the time the war ended that same year
Notes: The ancient, geologically real Teays River and its “riverless” namesake valley, along with Nitro’s remarkable 11-month WWI gunpowder-boomtown construction, are both genuinely distinctive, verifiable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Putnam County GIS – accessible via putnamcountywv.gov
Parcel Search: Putnam County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Putnam County 911 / Office of Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Putnam County Animal Shelter (also known as the Putnam Animal Relief Center) – 1 Sabre Road, Winfield, WV 25213 (beside Winfield Middle School) | (304) 586-0249 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 10 AM–4 PM, Tue/Thu 12–6 PM, Sat 10 AM–4 PM
Services: County-run since 1986, a modern, state-of-the-art facility with intake/quarantine areas, an adoption center, and sustainable design features; investigates animal cruelty and neglect complaints (confidential) and picks up strays countywide via humane officers, (304) 586-0249; adoption fees $55-95 (cats $35, dogs $40 per some sources – confirm current pricing), including sterilization if performed by a contracted vet, with a refundable $50 deposit required for unsterilized animals until surgery is completed
Related: Putnam County Humane Society – a separate nonprofit based in Hurricane, WV, (304) 562-0300, working in conjunction with the county-run shelter to help place abandoned/abused animals
Notes: All adopters must complete a questionnaire and “out ticket” form; the shelter offers an Adopt-a-Kennel sponsorship program and accepts estate-planning gifts (bequests, retirement assets, life insurance, charitable trusts).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Putnam County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Putnam County holds a genuinely distinctive piece of deep geological history through the ancient, “riverless” Teays River valley that gives Teays Valley its name, alongside the remarkable, well-documented story of Nitro’s 11-month WWI gunpowder boomtown construction. The county’s animal shelter, county-run since 1986, is a genuinely modern, well-resourced facility working alongside a separate community humane society. 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 Putnam County
Putnam County is West Virginia’s suburban success story – the Kanawha River corridor between Charleston and Huntington has produced one of the state’s most economically vibrant counties, with retail, healthcare, and residential development that contrasts sharply with much of rural West Virginia.
Hurricane (population ~6,500) is Putnam County’s commercial hub – the city’s retail strip on US-60 serves a broad Kanawha Valley population, and new residential development has made it one of West Virginia’s most active real estate markets.
Teays Valley (unincorporated, population ~15,000+) is the county’s largest community – a master-planned suburban corridor that has absorbed enormous residential growth from both Charleston and Huntington workers.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Putnam County Assessor at 12093 Winfield Road, Winfield, WV 25213, phone 304-586-0204. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Putnam County Circuit Court at 12093 Winfield Road, Winfield, WV 25213, phone 304-586-0206, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
3389 Winfield Rd, Winfield, WV 25213
(304) 586-0206
CIRCUIT CLERK
3389 Winfield Rd, Winfield, WV 25213
(304) 586-0221
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Putnam County Clerk’s Office, Winfield (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Putnam 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.
Putnam County is between Charleston and Huntington along the Kanawha River, one of West Virginia’s fastest-growing counties, county seat Winfield. 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 Putnam 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
3049 Winfield Rd, Winfield, WV 25213
(304) 586-0244
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 586-0206
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Putnam County Health Department, 3546 Winfield Rd, Winfield, WV 25213
(304) 586-0900
DHHR Office
Putnam County DHHR Office, 100 Trotters Trl, Winfield, WV 25213
(304) 586-2331
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Putnam 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: Winfield
Population: 57,000
Established: 1848
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Putnam County residents.
