How to Get Court Records
Two clerks split the records in Pleasants County. Millie Farnsworth is the Circuit Clerk. She keeps the Circuit Court files plus Family Court papers filed in Pleasants County. Pam Cox is the Magistrate Court Clerk. Her side covers traffic, misdemeanors, preliminary examinations, small claims, civil cases, personal-safety matters, and domestic violence files. For online work, WVPASS opens public Circuit records. Meanwhile, MCRSearch covers magistrate case information. Prefer a human? Call either office or stop at the counter. You can also use the magistrate public terminal. Or mail, fax, or email a request that spells out exactly what you want.
- Identify the court, case number, caption, and exact document.
- Search WVPASS or MCRSearch to verify the Pleasants County case.
- Choose online download, supervised inspection, phone contact, public terminal, or a written request.
- Tell the clerk whether a plain, attested, certified, transcript, or electronic copy is needed.
- Confirm cost, payment method, delivery method, and timing before sending payment.
West Virginia FOIA works as a backup for a specific public record that already exists. It cannot force a clerk to build a new report from scratch. The county offers no web form for copy requests, and no turnaround time is promised.
Pleasants County Docket and File Layers
Think of a case as three layers. A search index finds the case, the docket lists what happened, and the file holds the actual papers. WVPASS or MCRSearch gets you to the case first. From there, the docket runs through events in date order: filings, settings, orders, judgments, transfers, and disposition. A docket line that says "Order" is only a record that one was entered. The signed order itself lives in the file.
| Layer | Pleasants County result | Best route |
|---|---|---|
| Search index | Case identity and basic public data | WVPASS or MCRSearch |
| Docket | Chronological case events | Portal or clerk file |
| Document file | Pleadings, orders, exhibits, and proof of service | WVPASS download or custodian copy |
The state court-record access page displays the two official search paths captured below.
The image shows the Pleasants County split at a glance, so you request from the right office the first time.
Types of Court Records
Court records in Pleasants County come in many forms. A docket sheet is one layer; the filings behind it are another. Circuit files can hold complaints, indictments, motions, orders, judgments, transcripts, exhibits, and service records. On the magistrate side, expect citations, misdemeanor papers, preliminary-examination records, small claims, and qualifying civil records. Family papers route through the Circuit Clerk too. Just note the confidentiality limits, which can be strict.
- Circuit civil and criminal case files
- Magistrate criminal, traffic, and civil records
- Public Family Court documents when access is allowed
- Orders, judgments, notices, and docket sheets
- Records transferred on appeal from Magistrate or Municipal Court
County Clerk Jody Davis holds a different set of books: probate, deeds, vital records, elections, and county commission records. Those belong to county records, not court records. Send those requests elsewhere.
Pleasants County Records in Room 201
The Pleasants County Circuit Clerk page names Millie Farnsworth as the officer over Circuit and Family Court records. Her office sits in Room 201 of the Pleasants County Courthouse, 301 Court Lane, St. Marys, WV 26170. Call 304-684-3513, fax 304-684-3514, or email millie.farnsworth@courtswv.gov. Courthouse hours run weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The official clerk page is a direct source for the Pleasants County contact details.
Some things only Room 201 can provide. That includes a certified Circuit copy, an older record absent from WVPASS, or a file that requires supervised inspection.
Pleasants County Circuit Clerk
Room 201, 301 Court Lane
St. Marys, WV 26170
304-684-3513
Fax: 304-684-3514
Pleasants County Magistrate Clerk
Room B-6, 301 Court Lane
St. Marys, WV 26170
304-684-7197
Fax: 304-684-3882
What a Court Record Contains
A case file ties identifiers to papers and court action. What is inside varies with the court and the case type. A public record can leave out sealed papers or protected identifiers while a public docket event still shows.
| Case Number | The unique court identifier, such as CC-37-2018-C-2. |
|---|---|
| Pleadings | Complaint, petition, answer, motion, indictment, or other filed paper. |
| Orders & Judgments | Signed directions and final or interim rulings. |
| Docket Sheet | The dated list of filings, notices, settings, transfers, and outcomes. |
| Exhibits | Filed evidence or attachments, when public and retained with the file. |
MCRSearch lists documents without displaying them. WVPASS may let you download a public Circuit document for a small charge. For official purposes, ask the custodian whether a certified copy is required.
Pleasants County Magistrate Copies
Down in Room B-6, Pam Cox's office supplies documents for Pleasants County Magistrate Court. MCRSearch is free and needs no registration. It returns up to 30 records from a first name, last name, or case number. Results can include the filing date, charge, disposition, and a document list. The documents themselves are not shown as images.
The official Magistrate's Office page identifies the local court offices in the capture below.
When the online route stalls, go to the Pleasants County contact. The search cap, the missing document layer, or an exact-name requirement can each block access. A call to the clerk clears the path.
Certified Copies and Fees
Copies come in three grades. A plain copy just reproduces the paper. An attested copy is checked and signed but lacks the clerk's seal. A certified Pleasants County court record gets the full treatment: checked against the original, reviewed for completeness, stamped, signed, sealed, and receipted. State law and court rules set the known charges. The county publishes no separate certification surcharge.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Circuit copy or paper leaving the office | $1 per page |
| Circuit abstract of judgment | $5 |
| Magistrate photocopy | $0.25 per page |
| Magistrate fax | $2 per transmitted page |
| Certified copy | Copy cost plus any confirmed certification charge |
| FOIA search or retrieval labor | No man-hour search fee |
Ask for a quote before you mail any funds. Say how many copies you need and whether each one must be certified. The Circuit schedule also lists a $0.50 subpoena and other case services, but those are not ordinary copy charges.
Pleasants County Specific Request Checklist
Skip the request for "everything." A narrow one gets better results. Name the Pleasants County court. Give the full case number and the caption. Add the exact document title and the approximate filing date. State the format you want and the number of copies. Include a delivery address plus a phone or email. It also helps to ask whether payment must arrive first. Ask too whether delivery can come by mail, fax, email, or electronic file in the stored format.
Know the limits too. The clerk may supervise inspection and control original files. But staff will not run an unlimited phone search, read a whole file aloud, or build a summary from scattered records. A quick call is the best way to locate a Pleasants County file. It also settles the next step.
Public Access and Sealed Records
Most Pleasants County court records are open for anyone to inspect or copy. A statute, a rule, or a court order can close off part of a file. Sealed Circuit files are one common boundary. So are juvenile and abuse-and-neglect cases, confidential Family Court material, mental-health proceedings, domestic-violence or personal-safety information, and protected personal identifiers. Keep one caution in mind. If a case never shows up in an online docket search, that alone does not prove the file is gone.
Key Rules:
West Virginia Code § 51-4-2 provides public inspection and copying unless access is expressly limited.
West Virginia FOIA § 29B-1-3 gives the custodian five business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, to produce, schedule inspection, or deny in writing.
Trial Court Rules 10.03 and 10.04 address limited files, electronic access, and reasonable inspection procedures.
When a clerk denies access to a Pleasants County court docket or file, ask for the legal basis in writing. The clerk has no power to lift a sealing order. A party may instead have to follow a procedure the court itself sets, which is a different track from a general records request.
Pleasants County Clerk Boundary
Jody Davis serves as the elected County Clerk. Her title does not make her the custodian of the Circuit docket. Her office handles deeds, vital records, and elections. County commission minutes, notary service, and probate or estate administration fall there too. A criminal order request sent there will only slow things down. The official County Clerk page lists those services. It shows where the line sits between her records and Pleasants County court records held elsewhere.
That page sorts out a real point of confusion. Court files sit apart from the probate, land, vital, and commission records kept by other offices in the same courthouse.