Jefferson County Recorder Information

Land records in Jefferson County are recorded by the County Clerk. The office is held by Jacqueline C. Shadle.

Deed book images from 1842 – 1919 are available to view but are not indexed; use Image Search. Record room access at the Courthouse is by appointment only until historical records are moved to the new building.

Checked September 2026 against official publications. Sources: County Clerk | Jefferson County Commission, WV · Document Inquiry System | Jefferson County Commission, WV

These government fees are separate from any Deeds.com service fees. Confirm current charges with the recorder's office.

Added at recording

Other charges

Fee schedule effective June 30, 2022.

StatewideA page is a paper or electronic writing of not more than legal size, 8 1/2" x 14". A trustee's report of sale under §38-1-8a is $40. A plat or map with no deed of conveyance is $10; a financing, continuation, termination or other chapter 46 statement is $10; a service discharge record is recorded at no charge. Copies are $1.50 for a copy of any writing or document, plus $1 for each additional page if it contains more than two pages. Where the clerk can receive documents electronically, the clerk sets a reasonable fee not to exceed the cost for filing paper documents. The recording fees shown include the $2 records management fee the clerk charges on every document of fewer than 20 pages (W. Va. Code 5A-8-15(h)); a longer document adds $1 for each further 10 pages. The statutory fee alone is $30 for a deed or deed of trust and $10 for other documents (59-1-10).

Copies: $1.50 per page for the first 2 pages, $1.00 for each additional page. Plat or map and UCC filings: $12.00 minimum.

Paying the office

Transfer tax

Excise tax on privilege of transferring real property. $1.10 for each $500 value or fraction thereof as represented by the document. The tax is collected when the document is recorded. (statewide, W. Va. Code §11-22-2(a))

StatewideBeginning July 1, 2025, the excise tax under §11-22-2(a) is a county excise tax retained by the county where collected. Counties also levy an additional county excise tax under §11-22-2(b) at 55 cents for each $500 value or fraction thereof, which a county commission may increase to not more than $1.65 for each $500 value; rates therefore vary by county. Only one state tax and one county tax are paid on any one document, collected in the county where it is first admitted to record. Each taxable instrument must carry a declaration of consideration or value (§11-22-6).

Checked September 2026 against official publications. Sources: W. Va. Code §59-1-10 · W. Va. Code §11-22-2 · Schedule of Clerk's Fees to be Charged · Recording | Jefferson County Commission, WV

Confirm current requirements with the recorder's office before submitting documents.

StatewideThe name of the person who, and governmental agency, if any, which, prepared an instrument conveying, encumbering or assigning real or personal property must appear at the conclusion of the instrument, printed, typewritten, stamped, or signed legibly. An instrument securing a debt must state who is the beneficial owner of the debt and where he resides. A quitclaim deed without consideration, or a deed of property valued at $100 or less on which no excise tax is paid, must be signed and acknowledged by the grantee, except transfer on death deeds and listed family transfers. Survey documents must bear the licensed surveyor's signature and seal or stamp.

Documents must be an original or certified copy. Multiple documents should be noticeably separated. Deeds of trust must have a trustee in West Virginia and a legal description with district. Releases, assignments, modifications, subordinations, deeds of correction and trustee's reports of sale must include book and page references. Deeds must include the grantor's signature, a legal description including district, an "And Being" paragraph and a declaration of consideration of value.

Forms filed along with a transfer

• Sales Listing Form (STC 12:39) Statewide West Virginia State Tax Commissioner
  Tendered with any document subject to the excise tax, with or without stamps affixed
• Declaration of Consideration or Value Statewide County Clerk (statutory form)
  Appended on the face or at the end of each instrument subject to the excise tax

Submitting documents

The Recording Department starts recording at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. Documents received after 4:00 p.m. are recorded the next business day.

Checked September 2026 against official publications. Sources: W. Va. Code §39-1-2a · W. Va. Code §59-1-10 · W. Va. Code §39-1-2 · W. Va. Code §11-22-6 · Recording | Jefferson County Commission, WV · Contact Us | Jefferson County Commission, WV