Home Page - WV Real Estate Assessment (2024)

WV Property Assessment

Property assessment tools for real estate and tax purposes

Assessment Search

Property Viewer

Assessment Search

Property Viewer

Home Page - WV Real Estate Assessment (1)

WV Property Assessment

Property assessment tools for real estate and tax purposes

Property Search

Property Viewer

About

This WV Property Assessment portal is designed for searching and displaying property ownership and locationinformation for all 55 counties in West Virginia through the Property Search and Property Viewer Applications.The FAQ and Resources have been provided to help answer questions.

The application is a collaborative effort of the WV Property Tax Division and WV GIS Technical Center.

Get GIS Parcel Data

State GIS Clearinghouse Data Link

Tax map products include surface and mineral tax maps in print-ready image or GIS geodatabase formats. This data is updated yearly in coordination with the WV State Tax Office.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What if my property info is wrong?

    You should contact your local assessor about any errors you believeexist in your property record information, e.g., misspelled name, wrong street address, etc.

  • When are property records updated?

    The property record information in the Viewer is updated annually when theWV Property Tax Division releases the new tax assessment information. If you recently purchased an existing pieceof property and no property lines were altered (simple change of ownership of an existing piece of property),it is likely that the information has not filtered up to our site yet.

  • My parcel lines are old or absent?

    What if my property record is right, but the Viewer still shows the old parcel lines or my propertyparcel on the map does not exist? The property information available on the Viewer is provided in various forms tothe State by the local county assessors. In some cases, the geometry (line work) is maintained electronically by the localassessor and moves quickly to the State and thus into the Viewer. In other cases, the county assessor maintains the geometryin a paper environment and it can take several years to be converted into a digital product and incorporated into the Viewer.

    If your recent purchase resulted in new property lines being established (e.g. you purchased five acres out of a ten-acreproperty), the property will not appear on our site until after the county has submitted the parcel changes to the WV PropertyTax Division. For property transfers occurring between July 1st and June 30, assessors are required to have tax maps revisedand submitted to the WV Property Tax Division no later than February 1 of the subsequent calendar year. Therefore, contactyour local assessor if your parcel lines on the tax map have not been updated after two years of the property transfer.

  • Are there other tax map sources?

    Many county assessors have their own parcel web viewers which are an alternative source to verify realestate property information. In addition, the assessor’s published full-version tax maps for the entire State can be accessed online.

    A PDF file of any full-version tax map in can be accessed by a web browser using the following URL parameters: https://www.mapwv.gov/taxmaps/?m=02-04-037M (County Code - District No. - Map ID). Contact the office of your county assessorif you have questions about the parcel geometry or attributes.

  • What if my parcel lines are wrong?

    Property maps, maintained by your local county assessor’s office, are a best-fit visualization of how all theproperties in a county relate to one another. The property lines are determined by examining detailed property descriptions on deedsand by using surveys created by a licensed surveyor but are not conclusive evidence of property ownership in any court of law.

    If you feel your property is drawn in error, you should contact your county assessor’s office and work with them to resolve thediscrepancy. If you have a deed or survey of your property, that will be helpful to the assessor's office personnel. You can find thecontact information for your local Assessor at this link.

  • Do parcels denote legal boundaries?

    No. The parcels represented here are for property tax assessment purposes only and do not represent legal boundariesof property. As co-custodians of the tax maps, the assessors and the WV Property Tax Division shall have no liability to any third partyfor any errors or omissions associated therewith or in connection with the use of tax maps for any other purpose.

  • Who maintains the property maps?

    In West Virginia the county assessor is responsible for maintaining the surface property tax maps. While this Viewermakes every effort to make the best available data accessible to the public, the office of the county assessor is always going to be themost accurate and up to date source for assessment information. Here is a link to contact information for county assessors in West Virginia.

  • Who creates the state parcel file?

    The WV Property Tax Division annually creates a master surface tax parcel file from the GIS parcel files provided by thecounty assessors and the property attributes from the centralized Integrated Assessment System (IAS). Both the WV Property Tax Division andcounty assessors are co-custodians of the tax maps and GIS files.

  • Can I download the GIS parcel files?

    The passing of SB 588 in July 2017 permitted the WV Property Tax Division to allow all digital surface tax maps and GISfiles to be downloaded at no charge. These digital files can be downloaded from an authorized tax map distribution site located at the StateData Clearinghouse.

  • What about privacy concerns?

    What about privacy concerns that your property information is posted on the Viewer? Recent court case decisions and approvedlegislation in West Virginia have deemed that property record information and maps are not private information. This includes the collection,storage, retrieval or aggregation of information about an individual that is publicly available from legal information found in deeds, property records,and property maps. Sensitive information such as telephone numbers and security alarm systems are redacted from the property records before released to the public.

  • What is the Parcel Identification?

    The Parcel ID is a unique number that is the basis for identifying all parcels. The Parcel ID consists of six elements:County code, District code, Map number, Parcel Prefix, Parcel Suffix, and Special ID. All the elements are alpha-numeric characters exceptfor the county and district codes which are numeric. The Root Parcel ID (e.g., 31-05-0007-0031-0015-0000) consists of all six elements separatedby hyphens.

    GIS Parcel ID: 31-05-0007-0031-0015
    County: 31 (Monongalia County)
    District: 05 (Clinton District)
    Map: 7
    Parcel Number: 31
    Parcel Suffix: 15

    The Viewer displays various formats of the Parcel ID. The GIS Parcel ID consists of all elements minus the Special ID (e.g., 31-05-0007-0031-0015)while the CAMA/IAS Parcel ID consists of all elements minus the county code (e.g., 05 7003100150000). The Viewer also displays abbreviated ParcelIDs in which leading zeros or spaces are removed. Examples include the parcel number search results that consist of the District-Map-Parcel(e.g., 05-7-31.15) or the parcel map labels denoted by Map-Parcel (e.g., 7-31.15).

  • Multiple cards or parcels shown?

    Presently the Viewer does not display property assessment information for multiple cards of a unique parcel. Nor does theViewer always correctly display stacked GIS parcel geometries representing multiple floors or levels.

  • How about mineral parcel maps?

    The Viewer only displays surface parcels and not mineral parcels. Contact the Mined Minerals GIS Section of the WV PropertyTax Division regarding the availability of mineral tax maps and digital mineral parcels. Mineral tax maps and parcels are available for select counties.

  • Is my property in a flood zone?

    The Viewer displays the 100-yeaf effective flood hazard areas. It also includes high-risk Advisory A and Updated AE flood zones based onbetter topographic data and stream flood models. For more information about flood zone determinations, refer to the WV Flood Tool. The WV Flood Tool alsohas contact information for the local and state floodplain managers.

    Flood Zone Legend:
    Floodway – black diagonal lines
    Effective Flood Zone (AE, AO, AH, A) - red
    Advisory A / Updated AE - orange

  • What if my E-911 address is wrong?

    The municipal and county addressing offices periodically submit up-to-date E-911 addresses to the Statewide Addressing and Mapping System (SAMS) maintained by the WV Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management. Contact your local E-911 addressing office ifyour street address is not correct.

  • Difference of Deeded and Calc Acreage?

    Deeded Acreage: The official acreage listed in the deed which is the historic record of conveyance for property ownership and the primary legal record defining the property and its boundaries.
    Calculated Acreage: Derived from using mapping software or geographic information systems (GIS) to calculate the area or acreage of the geometry of a digital parcel. A calculated acreage provides a general estimate only. It is not the legally recognized acreage and should not be used for assessment purposes.

    Since the tax map parcels are not mapped to “surveyor” scale, the calculated acreage should only be used as a reference or estimate. The deeded acreage is the authoritative source for tax assessment purposes in West Virginia. Paragraph 7.6.e.2. of the WV 189 CSR 3 "Statewide Procedures for the Maintenance and Publishing of Surface Tax Maps" states that if the deeded acreage does not match the calculated acreage, then the deeded acreage shall take precedence. If there is a large discrepancy between the deeded and calculated acreages, then contact the assessor.

  • How many acres make up my property?

    A legal deed or certified survey records the dimensions or number of acres of real property. Typically, this information is recorded in the legal description of the property. Refer to this link for more information.

  • Are Delinquent Lands on the Viewer?

    Yes. The Delinquent Lands are updated weekly on the WV Property Viewer and viewable when the map layer for Delinquent Lands is made visible, or when adding "?dp=1" to the end of website URL. The West Virginia State Auditor's Office Delinquent Land Database also has a map link to the WV Property Viewer for viewing delinquent land parcels. The West Virginia State Auditor serves as Commissioner of Delinquent and Nonentered Lands, Ex-Officio. In this capacity, the State Auditor keeps records of lands nonentered to the State, sold for delinquent taxes and redeemed. Property owners have approximately eighteen months to redeem property before it is sold on the auction block. Refer to Delinquent Land FAQ for more information.

    The web map service for Delinquent Lands can be found here.

Resources

Additional Resources for Property Assessment

Home Page - WV Real Estate Assessment (2)

WV Flood Tool

Designed to provide floodplain managers, insurance agents, developers, real estate agents, local planners and citizens with an effective means by which to make informed decisions about the degree offlood risk for a specific area or property.

Home Page - WV Real Estate Assessment (3)

WV Tax Department

Provides service to both individual and business taxpayers. Assess taxes and appraises industrial, public utility, and natural resource properties.

Home Page - WV Real Estate Assessment (4)

MapWV

MapWV is a public gateway to online mapping resources in the Mountain State. It allows user access to a wealth of high-quality maps and geographic data via the Internet.

Contact

Please contact us with questions or comments about this site.

West Virginia Property Tax Division

Jesse Jeffries
GIS Analyst

West Virginia Tax Division
1001 Lee Street East
Charleston, WV 25301
(304) 558-0773
Jesse.O.Jeffries@wv.gov

West Virginia GIS Technical Center

Eric Hopkins
Lead GIS Specialist

WV GIS Technical Center
98 Beechurst Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26505
(304)293-9463
eric.hopkins@mail.wvu.edu

Home Page - WV Real Estate Assessment (2024)

FAQs

At what age do you stop paying property taxes in West Virginia? ›

Below is a representative, nonexclusive list of property that may be exempt from property tax: The first $20,000 of assessed value of owner-occupied residential property owned by a person age 65 or older or by a person who is permanently and totally disabled is exempt.

What is the average property tax rate in West Virginia? ›

West Virginia has some of the lowest property tax rates in the country. Its average effective property tax rate of 0.55% is the 10th-lowest state rate in the U.S., as comes in at about half of the national average.

How do I look up deeds in West Virginia? ›

All county records, such as deeds, wills, court papers, and marriage bonds, were retained by the West Virginia counties. Microfilm copies of select county records are available to view at the Library of Virginia. For original records, researchers should contact the West Virginia State Archives.

Are homesteads exempt from property taxes in West Virginia? ›

— An exemption from ad valorem property taxes shall be allowed for the first $20,000 $40,000 of assessed value of a homestead that is used and occupied by the owner thereof exclusively for residential purposes, when such owner is 65 years of age or older or is certified as being permanently and totally disabled ...

Do seniors pay income tax in WV? ›

Retirement income is partially taxed in West Virginia. Income from Social Security is tax-exempt. This is a relatively new change, as the state started to phase out the tax on Social Security in 2020, with it becoming eliminated entirely in 2022.

Do seniors over 65 pay property taxes in Virginia? ›

However, most Virginia cities, counties, and towns offer some form of personal property tax relief to homeowners age 65 and older, and to homeowners with disabilities. This relief may be in the form of a tax exemption, tax deferral, or both, and we provide an overview of these types of benefits below.

What county in West Virginia has the lowest taxes? ›

West Virginia Property Taxes

The median property tax in West Virginia is $464. Jefferson County has the highest average property tax at $1,379, while Webster County has the lowest at $235.

Why are property taxes so low in West Virginia? ›

As a poor state with low property values, it is reasonable that West Virginians should not have to have to pay very high taxes on their homes, so the cost of living is cheaper here than almost every other state. But that also means less money for public education and local governments.

What is class 4 property in WV? ›

Class IV: All property situated inside a municipality that is not taxed in Class I or Class II.

Who bought the property next to me? ›

To do a deed search online, you can google search the registry of deeds website for your county. Enter the property's address and select the most recent deed. You'll see the current owner and who they bought it from.

Are wills public record in WV online? ›

Privacy of Wills

One common question that arises is whether wills are public record in West Virginia. The good news is that, in most cases, wills are not public record in the state. This means that the contents of a will are typically kept private and confidential.

Do I owe personal property tax in WV? ›

West Virginia residents, and non-residents, who own personal property located in West Virginia are required to pay personal property taxes, which are collected by the Office of the Sheriff. Taxes are payable semi-annually and are due on September 1 and March 1.

Can you still homestead in West Virginia? ›

State homestead laws vary in the amount of acreage or value of property they allow to be designated as a homestead. West Virginia statutes limit the homestead exemption to $5,000 of real estate and $1,000 of personal possessions.

How do I qualify for farm tax exemption in WV? ›

If your farm is 5 acres or more, you must have at least $1,000 in sales, use, or consumption of agricultural products to qualify.

What is West Virginia Homestead excess property tax credit? ›

In order to qualify for the Homestead Excess Property Tax Credit (HEPTC), your property taxes paid in 2023 must have exceeded 4% of your income in 2023. The maximum credit cannot exceed $1,000.

How long do you have to pay property taxes in WV? ›

Property taxes levied for the property tax year are payable in two installments. The first installment is due September 1 of the property tax year. The second installment is due March 1 of the next calendar year.

Is there an age where you stop paying taxes? ›

At What Age Can You Stop Filing Taxes? Taxes aren't determined by age, so you will never age out of paying taxes. Basically, if you're 65 or older, you have to file a tax return in 2022 if your gross income is $14,700 or higher. If you're married filing jointly and both 65 or older, that amount is $28,700.

How do personal property taxes work in WV? ›

All real and tangible personal property, with limited exceptions, is subject to property tax. As of July 1 each year, the ownership, use and value of property are determined for the next calendar tax year. However, public service business property is assessed based upon operations as of December 31 each year.

What is the age exemption for taxes in Virginia? ›

In addition, Virginia allows an exemption of $800* for each of the following: Age 65 or over: Each filer who is age 65 or over by January 1 may claim an additional exemption. When a married couple uses the Spouse Tax Adjustment, each spouse must claim his or her own age exemption.

References

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