Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
West Virginia County
Taylor County, West Virginia
Grafton's Anna Jarvis and the birthplace of Mother's Day - from Grafton's Anna Jarvis Memorial (Anna Jarvis - born in Grafton in 1864 - campaigned for a national holiday honoring mothers after her own mother's death in 1905, successfully lobbying Congress to establish Mother's Day as a national holiday in 1914 - the International Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton marks the church where the first Mother's Day observance was held in 1908) to the Tygart Lake State Park's reservoir recreation and Grafton's Baltimore and Ohio Railroad heritage.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Taylor County Office of Emergency Management – Grafton, WV
Notes: Uses a free county app for real-time alerts and event tracking. Maintains dedicated Dive Team, Swift Water Rescue Team, and K-9 Team response capabilities, plus drone capability for both emergencies and event observation. Taylor County Sheriff’s Department, 214 West Main Street, Grafton, WV 26354, (304) 265-3428 (Sheriff Randy Durrett). Grafton Fire Department (combination career/volunteer), 1 W Main St, (304) 265-1866, serves both the City of Grafton and the wider county. Flemington Fire Department serves the Town of Flemington, (304) 739-2211.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-50 and US-119 both serve Grafton
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Note: The Grafton CSX rail yard remains a visible part of the city’s railroad heritage.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Taylor County Office of Emergency Management – Grafton, WV
Services: Handles the county’s Flood Plain Development Permit process (form available via taylorcountywv.gov)
Notes: Confirm whether your property falls under county or City of Grafton jurisdiction for general (non-floodplain) building 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: Taylor County Public Library – 200 Beech St., Grafton, WV 26354 | (304) 265-6121 | Fax: (304) 265-6122 | Hours: Mon/Thu 9 AM–7:30 PM, Tue/Wed/Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat 9 AM–12 PM (closed Sun)
Services: Grafton’s first library was established in 1923 by the Order of Eastern Star Women’s Club in a small basement room of the county courthouse; after being housed in several buildings over the decades, it moved to its current location in 1981; the ONLY public library serving all of Taylor County, offering books, audiobooks, DVDs, magazines, public computers, wifi, copying, faxing, and notary services
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Taylor County is home to Grafton (chartered March 15, 1856), whose origin name may honor John Grafton, a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad civil engineer; Grafton is genuinely and remarkably the BIRTHPLACE OF MOTHER’S DAY – the modern American holiday was founded here on May 10, 1908 by Anna Jarvis, and the city is home to the International Mother’s Day Shrine, a National Historic Landmark commemorating the holiday’s origin; Grafton was also among the FIRST cities in the entire United States to observe Memorial Day, another deeply significant American civic tradition rooted in this specific city; the city grew substantially as a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad hub, visible today in the still-active Grafton CSX rail yard; nearby Pruntytown and the National Cemetery area reflect additional layers of the region’s Civil War-era and institutional history
Notes: Grafton’s documented status as the actual birthplace of Mother’s Day – not just a claimant, but the historically verified origin – is a genuinely extraordinary, nationally significant fact for this small West Virginia county.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Taylor County GIS – accessible via taylorcountywv.gov
Parcel Search: Taylor County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Taylor County Office of Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Taylor County Humane Society (TCHS) – Riverside Drive, Grafton, WV (mailing: PO Box 243, 182 Humane Society Drive, Grafton, WV 26354) | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon–Sat 9 AM–12 PM, Sun 9:30–12:30 PM
Services: A volunteer-run, no-kill nonprofit operating since 2000, working directly alongside Taylor County’s two county Dog Wardens; cares primarily for dogs in a small rural public shelter, welcomes out-of-state adopters, and offers reduced-cost spay/neuter vouchers in partnership with Audubon Animal Clinic (Bridgeport & Philippi); adoption fee is $150 (discounts available for senior/special-needs dogs)
Notes: IMPORTANT – TCHS’s shelter phone line is no longer in service; for emergencies, strays, or surrenders, contact the county Dog Wardens directly (listed via the shelter’s Facebook/website), and use Facebook message or email for adoption/volunteering/donation inquiries. A separate organization, P.U.R.R. West Virginia, also operates in Grafton.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Taylor County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Taylor County holds a genuinely extraordinary place in American civic history – Grafton is the verified, historically documented birthplace of Mother’s Day, and was also among the very first U.S. cities to observe Memorial Day. The county’s Taylor County Humane Society, worth noting, no longer maintains a working shelter phone line, so email or Facebook is the reliable way to reach them. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Taylor County
Taylor County is north-central West Virginia’s Mother’s Day birthplace county – Grafton’s Anna Jarvis successfully established one of America’s most observed holidays, and the church where the first observance was held is now an international shrine.
Grafton (the county seat, population ~5,000) is where Anna Jarvis organized the first official Mother’s Day observance on May 10, 1908, at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. The International Mother’s Day Shrine preserves the original church. Jarvis later expressed regret about the commercialization of the holiday she had fought to establish.
Tygart Lake State Park – a 1,750-acre reservoir on the Tygart Valley River – provides boating, fishing, and camping in a scenic north-central West Virginia setting.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Taylor County Assessor at 214 W. Main Street, Suite 101, Grafton, WV 26354, phone 304-265-5766. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Taylor County Circuit Court at 214 W. Main Street, Grafton, WV 26354, phone 304-265-3070, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
214 W Main St, Grafton, WV 26354
(304) 265-1401
CIRCUIT CLERK
214 W Main St, Grafton, WV 26354
(304) 265-2337
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Taylor County Clerk’s Office, Grafton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). Grafton is the birthplace of Mother’s Day; the Andrews Methodist Church, Anna Jarvis House, Clelland House (1800), Grafton Downtown Commercial Historic District, and Grafton National Cemetery are all on the National Register of Historic Places.
Local societies
No dedicated Taylor 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
Taylor County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 214 West Main Street, Grafton, WV 26354 (304) 265-1401
Taylor County was founded January 19, 1844, named for John Taylor of Caroline, county seat Grafton. 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 Taylor 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
214 W Main St, Grafton, WV 26354
(304) 265-2500
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 265-1401
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Taylor County Health Department, 200 Rosemont Ave, Grafton, WV 26354
(304) 265-1288
DHHR Office
Taylor County DHHR Office, 200 Rosemont Ave, Grafton, WV 26354
(304) 265-1651
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Grafton-Taylor County Health Department
Services: Adult and child immunizations, health screenings, communicable disease testing/education, family planning, harm reduction services, Narcan training, food safety, lodging inspections, water testing, and tattoo/piercing regulation
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Grafton
Population: 16,500
Established: 1844
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Taylor County residents.
