Where a ticket, criminal charge, divorce, or lawsuit from Wheeling, Bethlehem, West Liberty, Triadelphia, or Valley Grove is heard. A plain-language guide from Cline & Singh, a Northern Panhandle law firm.
Ohio County’s courts are all in downtown Wheeling, within a few blocks of each other, but they are separate courts in separate buildings. Knowing which one has your case is the first step.
Magistrate court handles misdemeanor charges, traffic tickets written by the State Police and county deputies, the first appearances, bond, and preliminary hearings in felony cases, civil claims of up to $10,000, and personal safety orders. Magistrates can also issue emergency protective orders when the family court is closed.
Circuit court handles felony cases, larger civil cases (including most personal injury lawsuits), abuse and neglect cases, adoptions, name changes, adult guardianships and conservatorships, and appeals from magistrate and municipal court.
Family court handles divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, paternity, and the final hearings in domestic violence protective order cases. Divorce and custody cases are opened by filing with the county’s circuit clerk.
Ohio County Magistrate Court is on Fifteenth Street, a block from the City-County Building. State Police and Ohio County Sheriff’s tickets go here, including most stops on I-70 and I-470, along with first appearances after an arrest and most misdemeanor cases.
The circuit court and circuit clerk are in the City-County Building at 1500 Chapline Street. Ohio County is part of the First Judicial Circuit with Hancock and Brooke counties. Felonies, injury lawsuits, adoptions, name changes, and abuse and neglect cases are heard in circuit court, and divorce and custody cases are opened with the circuit clerk.
Ohio County Family Court is on the second floor at 51 16th Street, part of the City-County complex. It is one of the courts of the First Family Court Circuit, which also serves Hancock and Brooke counties.
Tickets written by Wheeling police go to Wheeling Municipal Court, in Room 112 of the City-County Building. Its criminal and traffic sessions are held at 1:30 p.m. on alternating Wednesdays, and the clerk can be reached at (304) 234-3747. Tickets from the villages and towns around Wheeling go to their own courts when their own officers write them.
Triadelphia and Valley Grove sit on I-70 east of Wheeling, and Valley Grove is the first West Virginia community many eastbound drivers reach after crossing from Pennsylvania. Most interstate stops there are made by the State Police and go to Ohio County Magistrate Court on Fifteenth Street, not to a village court. Because so many of those drivers are from out of state, the way a ticket is reported to the home state often matters as much as the fine.
We handle criminal charges, DUIs, traffic tickets, divorce and custody, and injury cases in Wheeling’s courts.
Tickets written by Wheeling police go to Wheeling Municipal Court, Room 112 of the City-County Building at 1500 Chapline Street. Tickets written by the State Police or the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, including most interstate stops, generally go to Ohio County Magistrate Court at 26 Fifteenth Street.
With the Ohio County Circuit Clerk in the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline Street. The case is heard in Ohio County Family Court at 51 16th Street.
Missing a date can lead to additional charges, a license suspension, or a warrant, depending on the case. Call the clerk or a lawyer as soon as you realize it happened; it is usually easier to fix before more time passes.
The West Virginia Judiciary offers an online magistrate court record search. For circuit and family court files, contact the Ohio County Circuit Clerk at (304) 234-3611.
Both of our attorneys were raised in the Northern Panhandle and appear regularly in its courts. We offer phone and video consultations for clients who would rather not make the drive to Weirton.
This page is general information about local courts, not legal advice, and Cline & Singh is a private law firm, not affiliated with any court. Court locations, phone numbers, and schedules can change; your citation or court paperwork controls, and the clerk can confirm the details.
Talk with us before your first court date. Consultations are free. Call (304) 919-2912 or (304) 919-2119, or send us a message.