Transfer tax
West Virginia charges a state excise tax plus a county excise tax on deeds. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
Donate a house, mountain parcel or mineral interest in West Virginia, in any of the 55 counties
West Virginia property specialists: (888) 228-7320
Donate Real Estate in West Virginia
West Virginia is the state where the mineral estate most often outweighs the surface, and where a century of inheritance without probate has split those minerals among hundreds of owners. It is also a state that sells delinquent taxes aggressively. Both are workable, and both reward moving early rather than late.
Fully IRS Compliant
We Handle the Paperwork
Form 8283 Done Right
501(c)(3) Recognized Charity
West Virginia rules for a property donation
Federal tax rules are the same in every state. These three are set by West Virginia and by the county where the property sits.
Severed minerals and fractional heirs
Coal, oil and gas were severed from the surface across most of this state long ago, and successive intestate estates have divided those interests into very small fractions. Surface-only ownership is ordinary here. Where you hold a fractional mineral interest, it is still an interest in real property and it can be given.
Recording
Deeds are recorded with the county clerk for the county where the property sits. You sign before a notary wherever you live, and we handle the filing.
What West Virginia owners call us about
Four situations that recur across the state.
A tiny fractional mineral interest
A share inherited through three generations, producing a small royalty and a tax notice, in a county the owner has never visited.
Taxes already sold to a purchaser
West Virginia sells delinquent taxes and moves unredeemed property to the state auditor. The dates decide how much room remains.
Steep timbered acreage
Hill land with standing timber, access by an old logging road, and taxes due every year whether or not anyone visits.
A house in a flood-prone hollow
Repeated flooding where elevation or relocation is the only real fix and insurance has become the deciding cost.
West Virginia property we accept
Each links to the full guide for that type, including how a donation compares with selling.
Houses in West VirginiaCoal camp houses, bungalows, farmhouses and small-town housing.
West Virginia landMountain acreage, timber, hunting ground and river parcels.
Farm groundPasture, hay and orchard ground in the eastern panhandle.
Commercial propertyMain street buildings, storefronts and small offices.
Industrial buildingsFormer mine and mill structures, warehouses.
Land contractsProperty sold on terms years ago. We take over the payments and deliver the deed at payoff.
What a donation looks like by region
Six West Virginias, and the coalfields are their own economy.
The southern coalfields
Severed minerals, camp housing, steep land and towns that have lost most of their population.
The northern panhandle
Ohio valley industrial property and older river town housing.
North central West Virginia
Marcellus and Utica gas country, with fractional mineral interests in almost every estate.
The eastern panhandle
A commuter market with higher values, farm ground and orchard land.
The Potomac highlands
Mountain acreage, second homes and timbered parcels held by out-of-state families.
The mid-Ohio valley
River towns, chemical corridor industrial property and rural housing.
West Virginia real estate donation questions, answered
Is a donated deed subject to West Virginia transfer tax?+
West Virginia charges a state excise tax plus a county excise tax on deeds. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
I live outside West Virginia. Do I have to travel there to sign?+
No. We prepare the deed in the form West Virginia requires for the county where the property sits, you sign before a notary where you live, and we record it with the county clerk.
I own a one-ninety-sixth mineral interest. Is that worth giving?+
Sometimes, especially where several small interests can be grouped into one gift and one appraisal. Very small non-producing fractions may not justify the appraisal cost, and we will tell you that rather than letting you spend it and find out.
Does West Virginia give a state tax deduction for a property donation?+
West Virginia has a state income tax, and how it treats a charitable contribution is set by West Virginia law rather than by us. Your federal deduction follows the usual IRS rules. Take the state question to your own advisor.
The taxes were sold and I got a notice from the auditor. Am I out of time?+
Possibly not, and the notice itself tells us. West Virginia moves through tax sale to the auditor on a statutory schedule with redemption rights along the way. Send the notice today. This is the one situation here where a week matters.
We do not provide tax or legal advice. State and local transfer tax rules change; we confirm current requirements when we prepare each deed. Consult your own advisor.
Tell us about your West Virginia property and we will review it
The county and a parcel number are enough to start.