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West Virginia County
Wayne County, West Virginia
Kenova's Pumpkin House and the Big Sandy River border - from Kenova's Pumpkin House (the annual Halloween display at the Pumpkin House in Kenova - featuring up to 3,000 carved jack-o'-lanterns covering every surface of a Victorian house - has become one of the most photographed Halloween displays in America, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each October) to Wayne County's position on the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork - the rivers that form the West Virginia-Kentucky border through some of Appalachia's most historically significant coalfield territory - and the Hatfield-McCoy feud's Wayne County connections.
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Office: Wayne County 911 / Emergency Management – 1 Hendricks St, Wayne, WV 25570 (PO Box 187) | (304) 272-6333 | 911 Addressing Coordinator: (304) 272-6324 | Director: Bill Willis
Notes: The 911 office was founded September 11, 1997 and has operated 24/7/365 ever since. Do NOT report emergencies via the county’s local phone line, website, or Facebook page – always dial 911 directly.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-52 and WV-37/WV-152 serve the county; US-60 passes through Ceredo
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Note: Kenova, WV sits at the LOWEST point in the entire Ohio River valley within West Virginia.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Wayne County Building Department – Wayne, WV
Services: Issues Wayne County Building Permits authorizing construction, alteration, or demolition of structures within the county; the process involves submitting plans/specifications, obtaining approvals, and paying applicable fees, reviewed for zoning and structural compliance
Notes: Confirm current fee schedule and application process directly with the Wayne County Commission office, 700 Hendricks Street, (304) 272-6371.
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: Wayne County Public Library System – headquartered at the Ceredo-Kenova Memorial Public Library, 1200 Oak St., Kenova, WV
Branches: Wayne Public Library, 325 Keyser St., Wayne, WV 25570, (304) 272-3756 (founded 1973); also serves southwestern WV and eastern Kentucky patrons; a Fort Gay branch also serves the system
Services: Affiliated with the Western Counties Regional Library System (9 member systems, 26 facilities, spanning Wayne, Cabell, Putnam, Mingo, Logan, and Lincoln counties); the Wayne branch hosts the “Wayne Quilters” group, meeting every Wednesday 10 AM–12 PM; serves nearly 43,000 Wayne County residents overall
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Wayne County, created in 1842 from Cabell County and named for General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, is genuinely and remarkably home to CEREDO, one of the most significant abolitionist settlements in pre-Civil War Southern history – founded in 1857 by Massachusetts abolitionist congressman Eli Thayer through his American Emigrant Aid and Homestead Company, specifically to demonstrate that a free-labor economy could outperform slave-based agriculture in a Southern state; Ceredo (named for Ceres, the Roman goddess of harvest) was Thayer’s ONLY successfully established settlement under this project, and the town became a genuine hub of Unionism and helped fugitive enslaved people cross the Ohio River toward freedom – the Z. D. Ramsdell House, built by prominent Ceredo abolitionist Zebulon Ramsdell, is believed to be one of the LAST STOPS ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD before crossing into Ohio, now preserved as a National Register-listed historic house museum operated by the Town of Ceredo; after John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, local hostility toward the colony intensified, and Ceredo – station point for the Union 5th West Virginia Infantry Regiment during the Civil War – was devastated by Confederate guerrilla raids led by figures like William “Rebel Bill” Smith; the county’s southern reaches lie within the Hatfield & McCoy Region, home to significant sections of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system (300+ miles); Cabwaylingo State Forest and Beech Fork State Park offer significant additional outdoor recreation
Notes: Ceredo’s documented status as one of the only successful pre-Civil War abolitionist free-labor colonies in the South, and the Ramsdell House’s genuine Underground Railroad connection, are extraordinary, well-documented historical facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Wayne County GIS – accessible via waynecountywv.org
Parcel Search: Wayne County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Wayne County 911
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Control Shelter (HCW) – managed by West Virginia Animal Rescue (WVAR)
Services: Genuinely the LARGEST and ONLY truly open-intake animal shelter facility in the entire West Virginia Tri-State area, taking in more than 3,000 animals every year; provides spay/neuter initiatives, education, and community support services to reduce pet overpopulation
Notes: This facility serves Wayne County jointly with neighboring Cabell County (Huntington) – confirm current address and hours directly, as this is a regional rather than Wayne-County-only facility.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Wayne County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Wayne County holds a genuinely extraordinary and underrecognized place in American Civil War-era history – Ceredo, founded by abolitionist congressman Eli Thayer, was one of the few successful free-labor colonies established in the pre-war South, and the Z. D. Ramsdell House there remains a documented Underground Railroad waypoint, now preserved as a public museum. The county’s regional animal shelter, shared with Cabell County, is the Tri-State area’s only true open-intake facility. All contact information above was sourced from official county, historical, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Wayne County
Wayne County is southwestern West Virginia’s pumpkin house and Big Sandy River border county – a coalfield community whose Halloween spectacle and Hatfield-McCoy territory give it a distinctive regional identity.
Kenova (population ~3,200) hosts the Pumpkin House – a private residence that displays up to 3,000 carved pumpkins each Halloween season, with intricate carvings covering the house, yard, and every available surface. The display draws tens of thousands of visitors and has been featured in national media.
Wayne County’s Big Sandy River and Tug Fork borders with Kentucky place it squarely in Hatfield-McCoy country – the feuding families’ territory spanned both sides of the Tug Fork, and Wayne County was part of the broader conflict zone.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wayne County Assessor at 700 Hendricks Street, Suite 1, Wayne, WV 25570, phone 304-272-6359. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Wayne County Circuit Court at 700 Hendricks Street, Wayne, WV 25570, phone 304-272-6366, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
700 Hendricks St, Wayne, WV 25570
(304) 272-6350
CIRCUIT CLERK
700 Hendricks St, Wayne, WV 25570
(304) 272-6363
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Wayne County Clerk’s Office, Wayne (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Wayne 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
Wayne County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 100 South Court Street, PO Box 667, Wayne, WV 25570 (304) 272-6388
Wayne County is in the western tip of West Virginia along the Kentucky border, county seat Wayne. 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 Wayne 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
700 Hendricks St, Wayne, WV 25570
(304) 272-6301
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 272-6350
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Wayne County Health Department, 217 Kenova Ave, Wayne, WV 25570
(304) 272-6231
DHHR Office
Wayne County DHHR Office, 217 Kenova Ave, Wayne, WV 25570
(304) 272-6301
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Wayne County Health Department
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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