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West Virginia County
Wetzel County, West Virginia
New Martinsville's Marble King and the Ohio River glass heritage - from Marble King's New Martinsville factory (Marble King - one of the world's largest marble manufacturers, producing millions of glass marbles annually in New Martinsville for over 70 years - is a surviving example of the Ohio Valley glass industry that once dominated the region) to the Ohio River's Wetzel County industrial and scenic corridor and Paden City's glass heritage (Paden City Glass Company produced collectible art glass in the early 20th century that is now among the most sought-after American Depression-era glass).
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Office: Wetzel County Office of Emergency Management (WCOEM) / E-911 – 911 Emergency Service Ln, New Martinsville, WV 26155 (PO Box 156) | (304) 455-6960 | Fax: (304) 455-2909 | Email: [email protected] | Director: Steve Yoho
Notes: The county’s dedicated E-911 Center, built in 2009 (3,136 sq ft, includes an Emergency Operations Center), uses the CodeRED Emergency Notification system for public alerts. WCOEM maintains a mobile office and Incident Support truck (matching 911-grade radios) plus a UTV with a medical bed for off-road rescues and a water tanker for potable water transport during extended emergencies – genuinely well-equipped for a small rural county. WCOEM also administers the county’s floodplain program, which follows FEMA guidelines and undergoes periodic federal review; all floodplain development requires a permit before work begins.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: WV-2 runs along the Ohio River through New Martinsville
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Wetzel County Clerk’s Office – 200 Main Street, New Martinsville, WV 26155 | (304) 455-8200
Services: Issues the Wetzel County Floodplain Permit, required for any construction or renovation project within the floodplain area – fee is $10 per $1,000 of total project cost, minimum $100; applications accepted online via the Accela Citizen Portal or in person; digitally signed/sealed plans required; permits issued within 10 business days of a complete application
Notes: For properties outside a floodplain, requirements may vary – confirm directly with the Clerk’s Office before starting a project. City of New Martinsville maintains its own separate City Hall building permit process, 191 Main Street, (304) 455-9130.
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: The War Memorial Building in New Martinsville (1929, Neoclassical, National Register-listed) was originally dedicated as a living memorial to WWI veterans and now serves as a memorial to Wetzel County veterans of all wars – available for community meetings and events, featuring a ballroom with hardwood maple floors.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: New Martinsville Public Library – 160 Washington Street, New Martinsville, WV 26155 | (304) 455-4545 (phone & fax)
Services: New Martinsville’s first library opened in November 1946 on North Street; within three years it had outgrown that space and moved to a new building donated by Columbia Southern; 28 years later it relocated to its current Washington Street location; now serves roughly 8,200-8,815 residents in New Martinsville and Wetzel County; a member of the West Virginia Library Network (100+ member libraries, 37 counties) and the historic Northern Library Network (NorLN) consortium
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Wetzel County, formed January 10, 1846 from part of Tyler County, Virginia and named for Lewis Wetzel, a famous frontiersman and Indian fighter, sits along the Ohio River with a northern border that genuinely aligns with the historic Mason-Dixon Line (though west of the line’s actual western terminus); the county seat, New Martinsville, chartered 1838 and named for early settler Presley Martin, is a classic Ohio River town whose War Memorial Building (1929) stands as a genuine architectural and civic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places; the county’s identity is closely tied to its river heritage, historic Chesapeake & Ohio-era commerce, and the small communities of Pine Grove and Paden City (partially shared with Tyler County)
Notes: Confirm current details for any specific attractions, as detailed heritage information beyond the county’s founding and river-town character was more limited in available sources for this particular county.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Wetzel County GIS – accessible via wetzelcountywv.gov
Parcel Search: Wetzel County Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Wetzel County E-911 Center
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Wetzel County Animal Shelter – WV Route 2, New Martinsville, WV 26155 | (304) 455-5348
Services: Operating for approximately 30 years, a county-run shelter with 10 cat cages and 3 outside kennels (all dogs kept indoors), plus an isolation room for smaller animals; serves the City of New Martinsville and Wetzel County ONLY; operates on a cat waiting-list basis, working to avoid euthanizing for space where possible
Notes: IMPORTANT – as a county-budget-and-state-code-regulated facility, capacity and intake time limits are real constraints; the shelter has acknowledged that euthanasia is sometimes a result of these limits – confirm current capacity and policies directly before assuming space is available.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – dep.wv.gov
Notes: Contact Wetzel County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Wetzel County’s identity centers on its Ohio River location and the historic river town of New Martinsville, whose War Memorial Building honors veterans of all wars in a genuine National Register-listed landmark. The county’s well-equipped, disaster-ready emergency management operation – including off-road rescue capability – stands out for a rural county of its size. 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 Wetzel County
Wetzel County is northern West Virginia’s glass marble heritage county – New Martinsville’s Marble King factory is one of the last surviving large-scale marble manufacturers in the United States, a remnant of the Ohio Valley’s extraordinary glass industry.
New Martinsville (the county seat, population ~5,500) on the Ohio River is home to Marble King – founded in 1949, the company produces millions of glass marbles annually using traditional glassmaking techniques in an industry that has largely moved offshore. The factory’s survival makes it one of the most distinctive manufacturing heritage sites in the Ohio Valley.
Paden City (population ~2,500) produced the prized Paden City Glass Company’s art glass in the 1920s-1940s – now among the most collected American Depression-era glass, identifiable by its distinctive colors and patterns.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wetzel County Assessor at 200 Main Street, Suite 300, New Martinsville, WV 26155, phone 304-455-8234. WV residential assessed at 60% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Wetzel County Circuit Court at 200 Main Street, New Martinsville, WV 26155, phone 304-455-8224, 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, New Martinsville, WV 26155
(304) 455-3218
CIRCUIT CLERK
200 Main St, New Martinsville, WV 26155
(304) 455-3220
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Wetzel County Clerk’s Office, New Martinsville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Wetzel 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
Wetzel County Clerk’s Office (Probate/Fiduciary Supervisor) 200 Main Street, PO Box 156, New Martinsville, WV 26155
Wetzel County is along the Ohio River in the Northern Panhandle, in the Marcellus Shale gas region, county seat New Martinsville. 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. Wetzel is part of the 2nd Judicial Circuit (with Marshall and Tyler counties).
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. Note: as a Marcellus Shale county, mineral and oil/gas interests are real property here and generally take an estate out of small-estate eligibility.
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 Wetzel 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, New Martinsville, WV 26155
(304) 455-3200
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(304) 455-3218
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Wetzel County Health Department, 1500 Bunker Hill Rd, New Martinsville, WV 26155
(304) 455-3491
DHHR Office
Wetzel County DHHR Office, 1500 Bunker Hill Rd, New Martinsville, WV 26155
(304) 455-8600
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Wetzel/Tyler Health Department – (304) 337-2001 (shared jointly with neighboring Tyler County)
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: New Martinsville
Population: 14,500
Established: 1846
Tier: 3
Public Records
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