West Virginia Background Check Guide · 2025
Whether you're applying for a healthcare position at WVU Medicine or CAMC in Charleston, a teaching license through the WV Department of Education, an energy-sector role in the natural gas fields, or a state position in the capital, the employer is pulling your record through the West Virginia State Police Criminal Identification Bureau. The WV State Police runs the state's central criminal history repository, and fingerprint-based personal checks are submitted through IdentoGO.
This guide explains how West Virginia's record system works, what shows up, and how the state's expungement law (WV Code §61-11-25 and §61-11-26), substantially expanded in recent years, can clear eligible records from your file.
West Virginia's criminal record system covers 55 counties spread across rugged terrain, which can mean longer disposition lag times than in densely populated states. Running a self-check is the cleanest way to know exactly what's actually in your file before someone else opens it.
State Police data is fed from county sheriffs, magistrate and circuit courts, and municipal police departments. Common errors: cases dismissed but not closed at the state level, identity matches with similar names, and lag times on disposition transmission from rural counties. A self-check catches these before they cost you a job offer.
An expungement order under §61-11-25 or §61-11-26 has to make its way from the circuit court to the State Police to actually clear the record. The process isn't automatic. Running a self-check 30–60 days after the court grants expungement confirms it was actually applied.
WVU Medicine, CAMC, and other major employers run thorough background checks. The state's licensing boards (nursing, medicine, real estate, security, education) require fingerprint-based State Police + FBI checks. Knowing what's on your record beforehand is essential.
West Virginia's growth markets, particularly Morgantown around WVU, use commercial screening services that aggregate State Police and court data. Fixing errors at the source produces cleaner reports going forward.
Felony convictions and most misdemeanor convictions processed in West Virginia circuit and magistrate courts appear on the State Police record unless expunged. The report shows offense, court, conviction date, and sentence.
Arrest records, including arrests not leading to conviction, appear on the State Police record. Under §61-11-25, charges that resulted in not guilty or were dismissed are eligible for expungement.
Open and pending charges appear on the State Police record. If a case was dismissed and the disposition wasn't transmitted to the State Police, the record may still show "pending" until corrected.
Federal court records, out-of-state convictions, juvenile records (sealed), most traffic offenses (excluding DUI), and civil cases fall outside the State Police system. A complete personal check usually combines the state report with federal and multi-state sources.
West Virginia processes its criminal history checks primarily through fingerprints submitted via IdentoGO. Schedule an appointment at identogo.com or call 855-766-7746. Fees vary by purpose, generally $44–$50 for a combined State Police + FBI check. Information is available at wvsp.gov/departments/criminalrecords.
For specific purposes, a $20 processing fee plus FBI fee may apply for mail-in fingerprint card submission. The exact procedure depends on the type of check requested (employment, licensing, adoption, etc.).
West Virginia Judiciary Public Records Search at courtswv.gov provides public access to circuit court records. Some basic searches are free.
For a single report combining West Virginia State Police data with federal courts, multi-state records, and sex offender registries, a professional service is fastest. Background-Check.com consolidates all of this in one report.
For nationwide coverage based on fingerprints, request an Identity History Summary directly from the FBI. Particularly useful if you've lived in multiple states.
Allows expungement of records for individuals who were found not guilty or had charges dismissed. The petition is filed in the circuit court of the county where the case was brought.
West Virginia's primary misdemeanor expungement statute. Eligibility:
Expungement is petition-based and judicially discretionary.
A newer provision (added in recent reforms) allowing expungement of certain criminal convictions following completion of court-approved treatment or recovery programs combined with employment. This is one of the more progressive expungement pathways in West Virginia.
West Virginia has no statewide private-sector Ban the Box law. Private employers can ask about criminal history on initial job applications. The city of Charleston has adopted a Ban the Box ordinance for city employment, but state agencies and other municipalities are not covered statewide.
Third-party background checks in West Virginia are governed by the FCRA: written consent required, pre-adverse-action notice required, right to dispute errors, and 7-year cap on non-conviction reporting.
The WVHRA does not specifically protect criminal history, but the West Virginia Human Rights Commission follows EEOC individualized-assessment guidance for employer use of conviction records.
Yes, particularly if you have any conviction now eligible for expungement under §61-11-26 (1 year for single misdemeanor, 2 years for multiple), any dismissed or not-guilty case you assumed was cleared, or any expungement order you've never verified at the State Police level. The fingerprint-based check is the only way to know exactly what licensing boards and employers will see.
For a comprehensive personal report combining West Virginia State Police data with federal records, sex offender registries, and out-of-state convictions, run a multi-source check through Background-Check.com.
West Virginia's official statewide route is fingerprint-based, submitted through IdentoGO. Fees vary by purpose, typically $44–$50 for combined State Police + FBI. For free court searches, use the WV Judiciary Public Records Search. For broader coverage, request an FBI Identity History Summary or use a professional multi-state service.
West Virginia has no state cap on conviction reporting. The federal FCRA caps non-conviction records (arrests not leading to conviction) at 7 years on third-party employment reports. Expunged records are removed entirely.
Records expunged under §61-11-25 or §61-11-26 should be removed from the State Police database and should not appear on FCRA-compliant employer background reports. Because WV expungements aren't automatic, verify yours was processed by running a self-check after the court order.
WV State Police via IdentoGO: typically $44–$50 (state + FBI), varies by purpose. School/certification fingerprinting: $47.25. FBI Identity History Summary: $18. Professional comprehensive multi-state checks: $20 to $80.
Yes, when they use a third-party background check company, the federal FCRA requires written authorization. West Virginia has no statewide Ban the Box, so private employers can ask about criminal history on initial applications. You always have the right to see any report used in a hiring decision and dispute inaccuracies.