List of magisterial districts in West Virginia

The U.S. state of West Virginia is divided into fifty-five counties, each of which is further subdivided into magisterial districts. The U.S. Census Bureau defines these districts as non-functioning subdivisions used for various purposes, such as conducting elections, apportioning county officials from different areas, recording land ownership, assessing property taxes, and collecting vital statistics. Magisterial districts possess no governmental organization or authority.

After attaining independence from Virginia in 1863, West Virginia's counties were divided into civil townships, with the goal of placing authority in the hands of local governments. However, township government proved impractical across the heavily rural state, with citizens unable to meet on a regular basis, and inadequate tax revenue to meet township responsibilities. Following the adoption of the Constitution of West Virginia in 1872, the townships were converted into magisterial districts, and the county courts (later county commissions) empowered to establish, consolidate, or otherwise modify them.

"Each county shall be laid off by the county court into magisterial districts, not less than three nor more than ten in number, and as nearly equal as may be in territory and population. The districts as they now exist shall remain until changed by the county court. The county court may, from time to time, increase or diminish the number of such districts, and change the boundary lines thereof as necessity may require, in order to conform the same to the provisions of the Constitution of the State."

The only state other than West Virginia to use magisterial districts as a minor civil division of its counties is Virginia, which like West Virginia initially established a system of civil townships, in its Constitution of 1870. These were replaced by magisterial districts in 1874.

For most of the state's history, there were three hundred and fifty magisterial districts in West Virginia, an average of six districts per county. Greenbrier, Harrison, Mason, Ohio, and Wood Counties each contained ten districts, the maximum number provided for by state law. Brooke, Grant, and Hancock were the only counties with the minimum number of three. Twenty-four different counties included a Union District, thirteen had districts named after Ulysses S. Grant, and nine counties each had districts named for George Washington and Henry Clay.

Beginning in the 1970s, many counties combined or consolidated their original magisterial districts in order to equalize their area and population, creating districts that were fewer in number, but larger in area. This created confusion with county land and tax records, in response to which the legislature provided for the establishment of tax districts following the former magisterial district lines, as they existed on January 1, 1969. In these counties, the new magisterial districts are used only for the allocation of county officials, and the collection of census data; the former magisterial districts continue to exist in the form of tax districts.

A List of the current and former magisterial districts of West Virginia, sorted by county:

Current

 * North


 * South


 * West

Historic

 * Barker
 * Cove
 * Elk


 * Glade
 * Philippi
 * Pleasant


 * Union
 * Valley

Current

 * Adam Stephens
 * Norborne


 * Potomac
 * Shenandoah


 * Tuscarora
 * Valley

Historic

 * Arden
 * Falling Water
 * Gerardstown


 * Hedgesville
 * Martinsburg
 * Mill Creek


 * Opequon

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Crook
 * Peytona


 * Scott
 * Sherman


 * Washington

Current

 * Eastern
 * Northern


 * Southern


 * Western

Historic

 * Birch
 * Holly


 * Kanawha
 * Otter


 * Salt Lick

Current

 * Follansbee


 * Weirton


 * Wellsburg

Historic

 * Buffalo


 * Cross Creek

Current

 * District 1
 * District 2


 * District 3
 * District 4


 * District 5

Historic

 * Barboursville
 * Gideon
 * Grant


 * Guyandotte
 * Kyle
 * McComas


 * Union

Current

 * District 1
 * District 2


 * District 3
 * District 4


 * District 5

Historic

 * Center
 * Lee


 * Sheridan
 * Sherman


 * Washington

Current

 * District A


 * District B


 * District C

Historic

 * Buffalo
 * Henry


 * Otter
 * Pleasant


 * Union

Current

 * Beech
 * Maple


 * Oak


 * Pine

Historic

 * Central
 * Cove
 * Grant


 * Greenbrier
 * McClellan
 * New Milton


 * Southwest
 * West Union

Current

 * New Haven


 * Plateau


 * Valley

Historic

 * Falls
 * Fayetteville
 * Kanawha


 * Mountain Cove
 * Nuttall
 * Quinnimont


 * Sewell Mountain

Current

 * Center
 * City


 * De Kalb-Troy


 * Glenville

Historic

 * De Kalb


 * Troy

Grant County

 * Grant


 * Milroy


 * Union

Current

 * Central


 * Eastern


 * Western

Historic

 * Anthony's Creek
 * Big Levels
 * Blue Sulphur


 * Falling Spring
 * Fort Spring
 * Frankford


 * Irish Corner
 * Lewisburg
 * Meadow Bluff


 * White Sulphur
 * Williamsburg

Hampshire County

 * Bloomery
 * Capon
 * Gore


 * Mill Creek
 * Romney
 * Sherman


 * Springfield

Current

 * Butler


 * Clay


 * Grant

Historic

 * Poe

Hardy County

 * Capon
 * Lost River


 * Moorefield
 * Old Fields


 * South Fork

Current

 * Eastern
 * Northern


 * North Urban
 * Southern


 * South Urban
 * Southwest

Historic

 * Clark
 * Clay
 * Coal


 * Eagle
 * Elk
 * Grant


 * Sardis
 * Simpson
 * Southeast


 * Suburban
 * Tenmile
 * Union

Current

 * Eastern


 * Northern


 * Western

Historic

 * Grant
 * Ravenswood


 * Ripley
 * Union


 * Washington

Current

 * Charles Town
 * Harpers Ferry


 * Kabletown
 * Middleway


 * Shepherdstown

Historic

 * Bolivar


 * Potomac


 * Shepherd

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3


 * District 4

Historic

 * Big Sandy
 * Cabin Creek
 * Elk


 * Jefferson
 * Loudon
 * Malden


 * Poca
 * Union
 * Washington


 * District 5
 * District 6

Current

 * Courthouse-Collins Settlement


 * Freemans Creek


 * Hackers Creek-Skin Creek

Historic

 * Collins Settlement
 * Court House


 * Hackers Creek


 * Skin Creek

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Carroll
 * Duval
 * Harts Creek


 * Jefferson
 * Laurel Hill
 * Sheridan


 * Union
 * Washington

Current

 * Central


 * Eastern


 * Western

Historic

 * Buffalo
 * Chapmanville
 * East


 * Guyan
 * Hardee
 * Island Creek


 * Lee
 * Logan
 * Magnolia


 * Northwest
 * Triadelphia
 * West

Current

 * Middletown


 * Palatine


 * West Augusta

Historic

 * Fairmont
 * Grant
 * Lincoln


 * Mannington
 * Paw Paw
 * Union


 * Winfield

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Cameron
 * Clay
 * Franklin


 * Liberty
 * Meade
 * Sand Hill


 * Union
 * Washington
 * Webster

Mason County

 * Arbuckle
 * Clendenin
 * Cologne


 * Cooper
 * Graham
 * Hannan


 * Lewis
 * Robinson
 * Union


 * Waggener

Current

 * Big Creek
 * Browns Creek


 * North Elkin


 * Sandy River

Historic

 * Adkin


 * Elk


 * North Fork

Current

 * District I


 * District II


 * District III

Historic

 * Beaver Pond
 * East River


 * Jumping Branch
 * Plymouth


 * Rock

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Cabin Run
 * Elk


 * Frankfort
 * New Creek


 * Piedmont
 * Welton

Current

 * Beech Ben Mate
 * Kermit Harvey
 * Lee


 * Magnolia
 * Stafford


 * Tug Hardee
 * Williamson

Historic

 * Hardee
 * Harvey


 * Kermit


 * Tug River

Current

 * Central


 * Eastern


 * Western

Historic

 * Battelle
 * Cass
 * Clay


 * Clinton
 * Grant
 * Morgan


 * Union

Current

 * Central


 * Eastern


 * Western

Historic

 * Forest Hill
 * Red Sulphur
 * Second Creek


 * Springfield
 * Sweet Springs


 * Union
 * Wolf Creek

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Allen
 * Bath
 * Cacapon


 * Rock Gap
 * Sleepy Creek
 * Timber Ridge


 * District 4

Nicholas County

 * Beaver
 * Grant
 * Hamilton


 * Jefferson
 * Kentucky
 * Summersville


 * Wilderness

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Center
 * Clay
 * Liberty


 * Madison
 * Richland
 * Ritchie


 * Triadelphia
 * Union
 * Washington


 * Webster

Current

 * Central


 * Eastern


 * Western

Historic

 * Bethel
 * Circleville


 * Franklin
 * Mill Run


 * Sugar Grove
 * Union

Current

 * District A
 * District B


 * District C


 * District D

Historic

 * Grant
 * Jefferson


 * Lafayette
 * McKim


 * Union
 * Washington

Pocahontas County

 * Edray
 * Greenbank


 * Huntersville


 * Little Levels

Current

 * First
 * Second


 * Third
 * Fourth


 * Fifth

Historic

 * Grant
 * Kingwood
 * Lyon


 * Pleasant
 * Portland
 * Reno


 * Union
 * Valley

Current

 * Buffalo-Union
 * Curry


 * Pocatalico
 * Scott


 * Teays

Historic

 * Buffalo


 * Union

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Clear Fork
 * Marsh Fork
 * Richmond


 * Shady Spring
 * Slab Fork
 * Town


 * Trap Hill

Randolph County

 * Beverly
 * Dry Fork
 * Huttonsville


 * Leadsville
 * Middle Fork
 * Mingo


 * New Interest
 * Roaring Creek
 * Valley Bend

Ritchie County

 * Clay
 * Grant


 * Murphy


 * Union

Current

 * Eastern
 * Northern


 * Southern


 * Western

Historic

 * Curtis
 * Geary
 * Harper


 * Reedy
 * Smithfield
 * Spencer


 * Walton

Current

 * Bluestone River


 * Greenbrier River


 * New River

Historic

 * Forest Hill
 * Greenbrier


 * Green Sulphur
 * Jumping Branch


 * Pipestem
 * Talcott

Current

 * Eastern


 * Tygart


 * Western

Historic

 * Booths Creek
 * Court House


 * Fetterman
 * Flemington


 * Grafton
 * Knottsville

Tucker County

 * Black Fork
 * Clover
 * Davis


 * Dry Fork
 * Fairfax
 * Licking


 * St. George

Current

 * Central
 * North


 * South


 * West

Historic

 * Centreville
 * Ellsworth


 * Lincoln
 * McElroy


 * Meade
 * Union

Current

 * First


 * Second


 * Third

Historic

 * Banks
 * Buckhannon


 * Meade
 * Union


 * Warren
 * Washington

Current

 * Butler
 * Ceredo


 * Stonewall
 * Union


 * Westmoreland

Historic

 * Grant


 * Lincoln

Current

 * Central


 * Northern


 * Southern

Historic

 * Fork Lick
 * Glade


 * Hacker Valley


 * Holly

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Center
 * Church
 * Clay


 * Grant
 * Green
 * Proctor


 * Magnolia

Current

 * Central


 * Northeast


 * Southwest

Historic

 * Burning Springs
 * Clay
 * Elizabeth


 * Newark
 * Reedy
 * Spring Creek


 * Tucker

Wood County

 * Clay
 * Harris
 * Lubeck


 * Parkersburg
 * Slate
 * Steele


 * Tygart
 * Union
 * Walker


 * Williams

Current

 * District 1


 * District 2


 * District 3

Historic

 * Baileysville
 * Barkers Ridge
 * Center


 * Clear Fork
 * Huff Creek
 * Oceana


 * Slab Fork