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Office: Roane County 911 and Office of Emergency Services (OES) – 205 E. Main St., Spencer, WV 25276 | Non-emergency: (304) 927-0911 | Addressing/mapping/floodplain/permitting: (304) 927-0918 | Email: [email protected] | Director: Melissa Gilbert
Notes: IMPORTANT HISTORICAL CONTEXT – Roane County was directly hit by significant flooding in June 2016 (part of the broader catastrophic WV flood event, alongside Clay and Greenbrier counties), affecting roughly 200 buildings; the county waived building/floodplain permit fees (normally $10-60) for flood-damaged property owners at that time, and Roane was one of a dozen WV counties included in the federal disaster declaration for that event.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-33 crosses the county east-west through Spencer; SH-36 connects from Clay County; SH-14 runs north to Wood County
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Roane County 911 and OES – 205 E. Main St., Spencer, WV 25276 | (304) 927-0918
Services: Handles addressing, mapping, floodplain management, and building permitting
Notes: Floodplain/building permits typically cost $10-60. Confirm whether your property falls under county or City of Spencer jurisdiction – Spencer City Hall, 110 Church Street, (304) 927-4828, maintains its own separate building code enforcement.
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: Roane County native Col. Ruby Bradley (1907-2002), a decorated military nurse and war heroine, is among the county’s most notable veterans.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Roane County Public Library – Spencer, WV
Services: Founded 1951, originally housed upstairs in the old Community Building with first librarian Wanda Cooper and a single bookmobile driver as staff, later moving to the old Spencer-Roane bank building before its current home; funding is split roughly evenly between the West Virginia Library Commission (state) and the county itself
Notes: The library has participated in the annual Black Walnut Festival since 1982, displaying quilts and crafts, including a popular “signature quilt” tradition that grew from one yard of material into filling four full sheets of names each year.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Roane County, created March 11, 1856 and named for Virginia jurist Spencer Roane (who also lends his name to the county seat, Spencer, chartered 1858 and originally known as “California”); Spencer is genuinely home to the Robey Theater, opened 1907 and reputed to be the LONGEST CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING MOVIE HOUSE IN THE UNITED STATES; the town is best known for hosting the WEST VIRGINIA BLACK WALNUT FESTIVAL each October – one of the most historic and well-known festivals in the Mid-Atlantic region, celebrating its 70th anniversary as of 2024, spanning 5 days and drawing over 100,000 visitors with carnival rides, live music, a parade, and food; Charles Fork Lake hosts the annual Tour de Lake mountain bike race; other local landmarks include Heritage Park (with a restored 1920 schoolhouse), an early-1900s oil derrick, a depot museum, and a preserved B&O caboose; Spring Heights Education Center, a 1,000-acre United Methodist outdoor religious retreat, sits north of Spencer
Notes: The Robey Theater’s genuine claim as the longest continuously operating movie house in the US, and the Black Walnut Festival’s real 70-plus-year, 100,000-visitor annual draw, are both distinctive, verifiable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Roane County GIS – accessible via roanewv.com
Parcel Search: Roane County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Roane County 911 and OES
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Roane County Animal Shelter – 2550 Parkersburg Road (Route 14, north of Spencer), Spencer, WV | (304) 927-2555 | roanecountyanimalshelter.com | Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat 10 AM–2 PM (closed Sun/Wed and holidays)
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Roane County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Roane County’s Spencer is genuinely home to the longest continuously operating movie house in America and the historic, still-thriving West Virginia Black Walnut Festival, a real 70-plus-year fall tradition drawing over 100,000 visitors. The county’s real, documented flood history from June 2016 – including its fee-waiver response for affected residents – reflects a community that has weathered and responded to genuine disaster before. 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 Roane County County
Roane County is central West Virginia’s Pocatalico River oil country – a gentle-hilled community of creek-bottom farms and traditional Appalachian settlements where Spencer serves the county’s governmental needs in a landscape shaped by generations of oil and gas extraction alongside the agricultural heritage that has persisted through the energy economy’s booms and busts.
Spencer (the county seat, population ~2,100) is Roane County’s governmental hub on the Pocatalico River, a small central West Virginia community on US 33 serving the county’s oil heritage and agricultural communities in the hills between Charleston and Parkersburg.
All Services
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Roane County Assessor at 200 Main Street, Suite 1, Spencer, WV 25276, phone 304-927-2540. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Roane County Circuit Court at 200 Main Street, Spencer, WV 25276, phone 304-927-2540, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
200 Main St, Spencer, WV 25276
(304) 927-2860
CIRCUIT CLERK
200 Main St, Spencer, WV 25276
(304) 927-2320
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Roane County Clerk’s Office, Spencer (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). The Clerk holds birth, marriage, death, probate, and land records from 1856.
Local societies
No dedicated Roane 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
Roane County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 200 Main Street, Spencer, WV 25276 (304) 927-2750
Roane County is in Central West Virginia, county seat Spencer. 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 Roane 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 Main St, Spencer, WV 25276
(304) 927-1470
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 927-2860
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Roane County Health Department, 907 Spencer Ave, Spencer, WV 25276
(304) 927-1424
DHHR Office
Roane County DHHR Office, 907 Spencer Ave, Spencer, WV 25276
(304) 927-1424
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Roane 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: Spencer
Population: 14,000
Public Records
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