Kanawha County Jail & Inmate Roster
Kanawha County, West Virginia runs its own jail and its own booking list. Anyone arrested in the county and awaiting trial will appear there rather than in the state prison system.
Kanawha County jail and sheriff
| County | Kanawha County |
|---|---|
| Population | 173,906 (2024) |
Where a field is blank, the county does not publish that detail on an official source we can cite.
How to find someone in the county jail
- If the person has already been sentenced, search the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation offender locator instead.
- Have their date of birth ready — it is the detail that separates people with common names.
- If the charge is federal, search the Bureau of Prisons system, which is separate from both.
- Call the jail directly if the name does not appear; online rosters lag behind actual bookings.
- Search the county's official roster for the person's full legal name.
Cities in Kanawha County
1 city in Kanawha County is covered, each with its own inmate search and bail information.
The West Virginia state prison system
Sentenced prisoners in West Virginia are held by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, not by Kanawha County. A person stops appearing on the county roster once transferred.
How the Kanawha County jail system works
Kanawha County is the facility that takes bookings for arrests in West Virginia. County jails are short-stay by design: people move through them to court, to release, or on to a state prison. That turnover is why a roster can look empty one day and full the next.
From booking, a case moves to a first appearance and then to whatever the court decides about release. Everything that follows — plea, trial, sentencing — depends on that first decision.
What to ask when you call
A single call to the jail or the sheriff's office can answer most of what a family needs to know in the first days. Having the questions ready makes the call much shorter.
- The booking number and the facility housing unit.
- The next court date and the courtroom.
- The bail amount and the accepted payment method.
- Whether the person has already been assigned counsel.
- What identification you need to visit, and the visiting hours.
- Whether there are any restrictions on calls or visits in this case.
Bail in West Virginia
Bail for arrests in Kanawha County is set under West Virginia law. The governing provisions are listed below.
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W. Va. Code § 56-3-34
56-3-34. Actions by or against nonresident bail bond enforcement agents or bail bondsmen; appointment of Secretary of State as agents; service of process.
(a) Every nonresident bail bond enforcer or bail bondsman, for the privilege of entering this state to act in the capacity of a bail bond enforcer, either personally or through an agent, appoints the Secretary of State, or his or her successor in office, to be his or her agent or attorney-in-fact…
West Virginia Code (official, West Virginia Legislature) (opens in a new tab) -
W. Va. Code § 58-5-5
58-5-5. Stay of proceedings pending appeal; supersedeas bond; post-conviction bail.
A petition for stay of proceedings pending appeal, supersedeas bond or post-conviction bail relief shall be filed and processed in accordance with rules of appellate procedure promulgated by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
West Virginia Code (official, West Virginia Legislature) (opens in a new tab)
Bail in West Virginia
-
W. Va. Code § 56-3-34
56-3-34. Actions by or against nonresident bail bond enforcement agents or bail bondsmen; appointment of Secretary of State as agents; service of process.
(a) Every nonresident bail bond enforcer or bail bondsman, for the privilege of entering this state to act in the capacity of a bail bond enforcer, either personally or through an agent, appoints the Secretary of State, or his or her successor in office, to be his or her agent or attorney-in-fact…
West Virginia Code (official, West Virginia Legislature) (opens in a new tab) -
W. Va. Code § 58-5-5
58-5-5. Stay of proceedings pending appeal; supersedeas bond; post-conviction bail.
A petition for stay of proceedings pending appeal, supersedeas bond or post-conviction bail relief shall be filed and processed in accordance with rules of appellate procedure promulgated by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
West Virginia Code (official, West Virginia Legislature) (opens in a new tab)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · retrieved 2026-09-16
Frequently asked questions
Where are people arrested in Kanawha County held?
At the county jail, operated by the county. Cities within the county generally do not run their own long-term jails, so bookings are transferred to the county facility.
How do I find someone in Kanawha County jail?
Contact the Kanawha County sheriff's office directly. Where no public online roster is published, a phone call is the only reliable route.
What is the county seat of Kanawha County?
Kanawha County publishes its county seat, as does the U.S. Census Bureau.
How do I post bail in Kanawha County?
Bail is set by a judge under West Virginia law and is normally paid to the court or the county, not to the jail. Confirm the accepted payment method and the exact amount with the court before travelling.
Does Kanawha County publish mugshots?
Some sheriffs publish booking photographs and some do not. Where a roster is published, the sheriff's own site governs what is shown and for how long. We do not republish individual records.
How long are people held in Kanawha County jail?
That depends on the case. People awaiting trial are held until bail is posted or the case concludes; people serving a sentence are held for its duration, then transferred or released.
Last reviewed and updated: