West VirginiaWest Virginia law lets certain officials hide home details online
West Virginia law lets certain current and former officials, campaign treasurers, and household family members ask agencies to hide home details in public online records.
What it does
Covered officials, campaign treasurers, and family members living with them may ask an agency in writing to remove or hide home details from a specific public online record. The agency must make reasonable efforts to remove them from its other records.
If an agency fails to remove or hide the information from the specified record, the person may ask a court for relief. If the court grants it, the court may require the agency to pay reasonable legal costs.
The law still permits disclosure for listed government, legal, law-enforcement, real estate, financial, and election purposes. Anyone requesting redaction must acknowledge in writing that they may miss certain notices.
Argument forCovered people could face less exposure of their home addresses and personal phone numbers on public websites and databases.
Argument againstPeople who request redaction could miss legal, promotional, or official notices that otherwise would reach them.
More detail
A controlling agency must remove or hide personal residential information identified in a written request from the specified online record. Covered people include current or former judicial officers, prosecutors, public defenders, law-enforcement officers, elected officials, and campaign treasurers, plus family members living in the same household. Covered information includes a home street address, a personal phone number, and a name linked to the home address; a personal cell number issued by an employer is excluded. The request must identify a specific record containing the information. The law took effect June 12, 2026. After receiving a written request, the agency must act on the specified record and make reasonable efforts to remove the information from its other records.
A covered individual may bring a civil case seeking a court order or declaration if the agency fails to remove or hide the information from the specified record. The case concerns an agency's failure to act on a written request for a specified record containing the individual's personal residential information. If the court grants relief, it may require the responsible agency to pay reasonable attorney fees and other reasonable case costs, as appropriate.
The law permits certain disclosures and requires a written acknowledgment from anyone requesting redaction. The disclosure exceptions concern covered individuals' personal residential information. The written acknowledgment applies when a covered individual requests redaction. Permitted disclosures include government use, disclosures required by law or legal process, law-enforcement uses, certain real estate and financial records, election-law enforcement, and challenges to a candidate's eligibility. At the time of the request, the covered individual must affirm in writing that redaction or nondisclosure may cause them to forfeit certain legal, promotional, or official notices. The written affirmation is required at the time of the request.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 29Chapter 111, Acts, Regular Session, 2026Latest
- Mar 30Approved by Governor Patrick Morrisey 3/27/2026Major
- Mar 25To Governor 3/25/26To Governor
- Mar 14Approved by Governor Patrick Morrisey 3/27/2026 - Senate JournalMajor
- Vote recorded PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 14Approved by Governor Patrick Morrisey 3/27/2026 - House JournalBecame Law
- Mar 14To Governor 3/25/2026 - Senate JournalMinor
- Mar 14House Message received
- Mar 14Completed legislative action
- Mar 14Communicated to Senate
- Mar 14House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 667)
- Mar 14House received Senate message
- Mar 13Senate requests House to concur
- Vote recorded Passage. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 13Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 573)Passed Senate
- Mar 13Read 3rd timeMinor
- Mar 13On 3rd reading
- Mar 12Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- Mar 12Read 2nd timeMinor
- Mar 12On 2nd reading
- Mar 11Read 1st timeMinor
- Mar 11Immediate consideration
- Mar 11Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendmentMinor
- Mar 5To JudiciaryMinor
- Mar 5To JudiciaryMinor
- Mar 5Introduced in SenateMinor
- Mar 4Communicated to Senate
- Vote recorded PASSAGE. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 4Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- Mar 4Passed House (Roll No. 330)Passed House
- Mar 4Read 3rd timeMinor
- Mar 4On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- Mar 3Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- Mar 3Amendment reported by the Clerk
- Mar 3Read 2nd timeMinor
- Mar 3On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- Mar 2Read 1st timeMinor
- Mar 2On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- Feb 27By substitute, do pass
- Feb 26Markup Discussion
- Feb 13To House JudiciaryMinor
- Feb 13Introduced in HouseMinor
- Feb 13To JudiciaryMinor
- Feb 13Filed for introductionIntroduced
Government & Ethics