West Virginia · 55 counties
When someone dies in West Virginia
Two things matter first: getting certified death certificates, and, if money is short, reaching the burial assistance program in the county where the death happened. Pick your county below for exact contacts.
The paperwork
Death certificates in West Virginia
Certified copies come from the West Virginia Department of Health, Vital Registration Office (official site).
Copies are $12 each, and that includes a non-refundable search fee. The fastest route is walking up: same day service is available at the Vital Registration Office, 350 Capitol Street, Charleston, weekdays 8:30am to 5:00pm at the walk-up window. By mail, send the application with a COLOR copy of your ID and a check or money order, since those are the only accepted mail payments. West Virginia has no direct online ordering of its own, so expedited online orders go through VitalChek.
Planning ahead
Nobody has died yet? Set up a power of attorney
If someone you love is aging or ill, the cheapest protection your family can get is a power of attorney, and it must happen while they can still sign. We cover West Virginia's exact rules and official forms.
West Virginia power of attorney rulesIf money is tight
Statewide burial assistance
West Virginia runs a statewide Burial Assistance Program through its Bureau for Family Assistance to help pay funeral costs for indigent adults and children who die in the state. The program pays up to $1,000 toward funeral expenses, with the exact amount depending on the standard state burial rate and any other resources available to the family. Applications are handled through local DHHR or Bureau for Family Assistance offices, so families should contact that office as soon as possible to apply and confirm eligibility before finalizing arrangements with a funeral home.
Pick your county
West Virginia counties (55)
Barbour CountyBerkeley CountyBoone CountyBraxton CountyBrooke CountyCabell CountyCalhoun CountyClay CountyDoddridge CountyFayette CountyGilmer CountyGrant CountyGreenbrier CountyHampshire CountyHancock CountyHardy CountyHarrison CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyKanawha CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyLogan CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMason CountyMcDowell CountyMercer CountyMineral CountyMingo CountyMonongalia CountyMonroe CountyMorgan CountyNicholas CountyOhio CountyPendleton CountyPleasants CountyPocahontas CountyPreston CountyPutnam CountyRaleigh CountyRandolph CountyRitchie CountyRoane CountySummers CountyTaylor CountyTucker CountyTyler CountyUpshur CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWetzel CountyWirt CountyWood CountyWyoming County