West Virginia Code Chapter 7. County Commissions and Officers § 7-1-3h. Authority and procedure for closing unused roads, streets and travel ways; notice and hearing; circuit court review

The county court of any county, upon the verified application of any landowner whose land abuts on any unused road, street, or other travel way designated on any map or plat of a subdivision of land or otherwise within such county but outside of incorporated towns or cities thereof, is hereby authorized to close and vacate any part or all of any such unused road, street or other designated travel way by order entered of record after hearing as hereinafter provided. Before acting to close and vacate any such road, street or travel way, the county court shall consider the application and shall fix a time and place for hearing on such application. Such hearing shall be held not less than fifteen days after the hearing date and place have been so fixed. The applicant shall cause notice of the time and place of such hearing and the purpose thereof to be published as a Class I legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the county. The notice shall be published at least fifteen days before such hearing. The applicant shall also cause to be served, at least fifteen days before such hearing, in the manner provided by law for the service of notices and process, a notice showing the time, place and purpose of such hearing, upon every owner of property, and every person holding a lien thereon, abutting on such unused road, street or other travel way. The affidavit of publication of such notice shall be filed with the county court at or before the hearing as a part of the record in the proceedings.

At the time and place fixed for the hearing, the county court shall hear any evidence relating to the use of and rights or claims in or to any such road, street or other designated travel way sought to be closed and vacated. If the county court concludes and finds upon the record and evidence in the proceedings that the use and rights of no person or persons in such road, street or other travel way will be impaired or lost by the closing and vacation thereof, the county court shall proceed to enter an order closing and vacating such road, street or other travel way and shall cause a copy of said order to be prepared and certified for entry of record in the office of the clerk of such county court. The applicant shall pay the recording fee thereon.

Any person aggrieved by the action of the county court in any such case may seek review thereof in the circuit court of the county as provided in article three of chapter fifty-eight of this code.