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The small-claims court in Kanawha County handles money disputes up to $20,000, with simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
What follows covers the maximum you can claim in Kanawha County, court fees, the right courthouse, serving the defendant, the deadlines that apply, and the filing process itself. Squabble handles the documents and the filing if you want that.
One courthouse takes small claims for Kanawha County, shown below. The court checks the location against the defendant's address and the place of the dispute.
Tap a courthouse to see its details in the list below.
Check the filing location first. The court's small-claims page lists where papers are taken today, and Squabble confirms it for your case as part of filing.
The nearest counties to Kanawha County are Putnam County and Boone County. Small claims filings from Kanawha County are handled at Kanawha County Magistrate Court in Charleston.
This court takes small-claims filings on paper, in person or by mail. Squabble prepares everything so your packet arrives filing-ready.
Small claims are heard at the courthouse, in person.
Have copies of your evidence for the bench and for the other party. Some courts take documents electronically before the hearing as well.
Residents of Kanawha County, West Virginia, who wish to file a small claims case do so through the West Virginia Magistrate Court system. The Kanawha County Magistrate Court is located in Charleston at 111 Court St, 25301, and can be reached by telephone at (304) 357-0400. This court serves a county of 173,906 people, covering communities such as Belle, Cedar Grove, Clendenin, Dunbar, Elkview, Institute, and Nitro, along with ZIP codes including 25015, 25035, 25064, 25102, and 25143. The claim limit for small claims matters in West Virginia Magistrate Court is $20,000. Kanawha County lies near Putnam County, Boone County, and Lincoln County, and cases arising in those counties are handled by their own magistrate courts. Electronic filing is not available for small claims cases in Kanawha County, so documents are submitted at the courthouse in Charleston. Questions about forms, filing procedures, and case status can be directed to the court office by phone.
A case filed here usually comes from one of these 33 communities:
Belle, Blount, Blue Creek, Cabin Creek, Cedar Grove, Charleston, Clendenin, Dawes, Drybranch, Dunbar, East Bank, Elkview, Eskdale, Falling Rock, Gallagher, Glasgow, Handley, Hansford, Hernshaw, Hugheston, Institute, London, Mammoth, Miami, Nitro, Pinch, Pond Gap, Pratt, Saint Albans, South Charleston, Tad, Tornado, Winifrede.
Kanawha County is the 1st most populous of West Virginia's 55 counties, with about 173,906 residents. Kanawha County Magistrate Court sits about 9 miles from the Putnam County courthouse in Winfield.
Counties nearest to this one:
Small claims is the court's track for everyday money disputes: simplified rules, and limits on how much you can sue for.
Maximum claim
Either the place the dispute arose or the place the other party lives will usually work.
You can't divide one dispute into several smaller cases to get around the limit.
What this court awards is a sum of money, not an instruction to act or to hand something back.
An attorney may appear at the hearing in West Virginia, though nobody has to have one. The process assumes you will speak for yourself.
Minors take part through a guardian appointed by the court.
Over the limit? You can lower your claim to fit and stay in small claims, or file the full amount in regular civil court. Lowering usually means giving up the excess, so weigh it carefully.
Kanawha County Magistrate Court is the courthouse listed for Kanawha County. These are the limits for Kanawha County, population about 173,906.
If someone owes you money, up to $20,000, small claims is built for it. These are the disputes residents bring most often.
Kanawha County Magistrate Court is the Kanawha County courthouse listed below. Kanawha County has about 173,906 residents.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Set out the claim on the court's form, identify the correct courthouse, and pay the fee.
The other side is formally served and has the chance to respond, or to settle before the hearing.
The hearing itself is short and informal. Some courts allow video. The ruling comes then or later in writing.
Everything below applies to a case filed in Kanawha County, at the Charleston courthouse. Kanawha County Magistrate Court lists (304) 357-0400 as its number.
Filing is only half of it. The defendant has to receive formal notice, a step called service of process, and in most cases you cannot hand over the papers yourself.
A sheriff, a constable, a professional server, the court clerk using certified mail, or an uninvolved adult can all serve papers, depending on local rules. Fees and permitted methods vary.
Every court fixes a minimum number of days between service and the hearing. The clerk will tell you what it is for your case.
Whoever serves the papers completes a proof of service, which is filed with the court before the hearing.
Service is where many self-filed cases stall. Squabble can coordinate professional Service of Process so it's done correctly and on time.
Addresses in Kanawha County include places such as Belle, Blount and Blue Creek. A Kanawha County address carries one of its 78 ZIP codes, 25015, 25025 and 25026 among them.
Filing is only possible for a set time after the events. Beyond it, the other side can have the claim thrown out.
| Type of claim | Filing deadline |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 10 years |
| Oral contract | 5 years |
| Property damage | 2 years |
| Personal injury | 2 years |
They do not change from one Kanawha County ZIP code to another, 25015 included. The same periods apply in Kanawha County as in nearby Putnam County and Boone County, which are in the same state.
In West Virginia, prejudgment interest follows a statutory formula rather than a fixed rate (W. Va. Code §56-6-31).
The Squabble interest calculator shows what the accrued figure comes to on top of the principal.
It is the same rate across all 78 Kanawha County ZIP codes. The rate above is the one for Kanawha County, population about 173,906.
Confirm the sum sits under the cap and that the time limit for this kind of claim has not run out.
Name the correct party, describe what happened, and show how the amount is calculated.
File with the Kanawha County small-claims court on paper, by mail or at the counter, and pay the $25–$50 fee (or request a waiver if you qualify).
Once the court fixes a date, have the papers served and return the proof of service to the file.
Organize documents and exhibits so you can present them clearly at the hearing.
Appear in person or, where available, remotely, present your case, and receive the court's decision.
Tell Eleanor what happened and Squabble builds the filing, Triple-Checks™ it for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files it on your behalf.
Start for FREE →You will meet a claim form, a proof of service, and possibly a fee waiver. What each is called depends on the court, and Squabble matches them to your courthouse.
Kanawha County papers go to Kanawha County Magistrate Court in Charleston. Belle, Blount and Blue Creek are among the places in Kanawha County that filings come from.
Hearings are short and plainly run. Questions come from the judge, and most parties appear without help.
Belle, Blount and Blue Creek are among the Kanawha County places a hearing can draw parties from. Kanawha County Magistrate Court sits at the 25301 address shown above.
Winning and being paid are two different things. The judgment records what is owed; collecting it is its own process, backed by court remedies that vary from state to state.
Where state law allows it, a portion of the debtor's earnings can be redirected to pay what the court ordered.
A levy lets the court reach money sitting in the debtor's bank account.
Filing the judgment with the county can attach a lien to land or buildings the debtor owns.
The court can additionally require the debtor to appear and answer under oath about what they earn and own. An unsatisfied judgment usually carries statutory interest until it is paid.
Putnam County and Boone County are the counties nearest to Kanawha County. The judgment in a Kanawha County case comes from Kanawha County Magistrate Court in Charleston.
Reviewed August 2026. Fees, limits and procedures are revised from time to time, so confirm them with the court before you file.
Talk with Eleanor about what happened. Squabble prepares your demand letter and court-ready documents, Triple-Checks them for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files your Kanawha County case for you.
