Hancock County Commission

What Hancock County Commission does

Hancock County Commission is the elected governing body of Hancock County, West Virginia, established in 1848 when the county was carved from Brooke County and named for John Hancock. The Commission is the smallest county government in the state by both area and population, serving approximately 30,000 residents across three commissioner districts (Butler, Clay, and Grant) at the tip of the Northern Panhandle. Administrative authority is exercised through three elected commissioners (six-year terms), a County Administrator (John Klee), and a Finance Administrator (Ira Aracich), overseeing statutory and elected offices that include the Assessor, Sheriff, County Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Tax Office, Prosecuting Attorney, 911 Communications Center, Office of Emergency Management, Solid Waste Authority, Animal Shelter, and Dog Warden. Major incorporated communities served are Chester, New Cumberland, and the City of Weirton.

Service delivery is multi-channel: in-person at the main courthouse at 102 N. Court St., New Cumberland, plus dedicated facilities for Solid Waste (Gas Valley Road) and 911 (Emergency Drive), and self-service through the official website (hancockcountywv.org), online property services (hancock.wvassessor.com), online tax payment (hancock.softwaresystems.com), the WV Secretary of State voter portal (ovr.sos.wv.gov), and mobile apps. Underlying technology consists of property assessment databases, voter registration systems, 911 dispatch/CAD infrastructure, and online payment platforms, with third-party integrations extending capability into tip411/Citizen Observer for anonymous crime reporting, Smart911/Rave Mobile Safety for geographic emergency notification, and GovDeals for surplus asset auctions.

Revenue is derived primarily from property taxes (assessed at 60% of market value, with a 2.5% early-payment discount for settlement by September 1 or March 1), supplemented by transactional fees from marriage licenses ($57 standard, $37 with premarital education certificate), passport application processing ($35 circuit clerk fee plus federal pass-through), CCW permits ($50 total), dog tags ($3 per dog, $10 kennel license), accident/criminal reports ($20 each), and other sheriff services. The Commission is a constitutionally protected geographic monopoly over essential local government services and operates with no parent company, private equity backing, or venture capital involvement.

Name

Hancock County Commission

Legal name

Hancock County Commission

Website

https://hancockcountywv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hancock County Commission is the elected governing body of Hancock County, West Virginia's smallest county, administering property tax collection, public safety, 911 dispatch, vital records, voter registration, and solid waste services to approximately 30,000 residents across three districts at the Northern Panhandle's tip.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Executive Offices (921110), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Other General Government Support (92119), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement (BPAIACAB), Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD), Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• County government services
• Public safety
• Property tax collection
• Property assessment
• Election administration

Headquarters

HQ city

New Cumberland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Collection: The Sheriff's Tax Office collects property taxes based on assessed values (60% of market value) multiplied by levy rates set by levying bodies including board of education, county commission, and municipalities. Taxpayers receive a 2.5% discount for paying by September 1 (first installment) or March 1 (second installment).
2. Marriage License Fees: $57 cash for standard marriage license; $37 cash if premarital education course certificate is presented. Valid for 60 days, usable in any WV county.
3. Passport Application Processing: $35 cash/money order/credit card to Circuit Clerk for processing. Additional fees to US Department of State: $130 for passport book (age 16+), $100 for under 16; $30 for passport card (age 16+), $15 for under 16.
4. Dog License Tags: $3 per dog tag for dogs over 6 months of age. $10 for kennel license including up to 5 tags.
5. County Services Fees: Various fees for county services including food handlers licenses, CCW permits ($25 application + $25 state police fee), accident reports ($20), criminal investigation reports ($20), background checks ($10), fingerprints ($10), VIN verifications ($5).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hancock County Commission is the governing body of Hancock County, West Virginia, providing local government services to approximately 30,000 residents through departments including the Assessor, Sheriff, County Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Tax Office, 911 Communications Center, and Solid Waste Authority. Core services encompass property assessment and tax collection, law enforcement and emergency dispatch, vital records (marriage licenses, passport acceptance), voter registration and elections, animal control, and solid waste management.

Product overview

Hancock County Commission's digital presence consists of a unified government services web portal offering access to various county departments and public services. The core offering is the county website providing centralized access to online services including property assessment management (Assessor's Online Services), vital records (marriage licenses, passports), public safety services (Sheriff's CCW permits, 911 communications, Tip411 anonymous reporting), election services (voter registration, polling), tax collection (Tax Office), and environmental services (Solid Waste Authority). The architecture is a department-based structure where each service operates as a distinct module accessible through the main portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Assessment and Tax Collection Services
• Assessor's Online Services

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP)majorOthersWVDEP Secretary appoints one member to the five-member Solid Waste Authority board of directors. DEP also enforces mandatory garbage disposal regulations and litter control.
• West Virginia Public Service CommissionmajorOthersPSC Chairman appoints one member to the Solid Waste Authority board. PSC also regulates solid waste collection services and requires bulky goods collection from waste haulers.
• Hancock County Conservation DistrictcoreOthersBoard of supervisors for the Conservation District appoints one member to the Solid Waste Authority board of directors.
• Brooke County LandfillminorOthersBrooke County Landfill at 1118 Petrillo Road, Colliers, WV offers monthly Free Dump Day to Hancock County residents (max 516 lbs free disposal).
• City of WeirtonmajorOthersHancock County 911 Communications Center serves as PSAP for all citizens within the City of Weirton regardless of which county the Weirton area falls in. City provides animal control within city limits.
• West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency ManagementcoreOthersState agency providing emergency management guidance and resources to county OEM.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brooke County Solid Waste Authority: Neighboring county solid waste authority offering Free Dump Day to Hancock County residents. Operates the same statutory SWA framework and serves as a disposal partner with overlapping service geography.
• Marshall County Commission: Another small West Virginia county in the Northern Panhandle, providing the same statutorily required services (tax collection, sheriff, voter registration, solid waste authority) under WV state law.
• Ohio County Commission: Northern Panhandle West Virginia county with comparable statutory responsibilities and a similar mix of small-city (Wheeling) and unincorporated residents operating under the same WV county commission framework.
• Tyler County Commission: Small rural West Virginia county operating the same county commission governance structure, providing a directly comparable operating model for a small-population, geographically constrained jurisdiction.
• Brooke County Commission: Adjacent West Virginia county (from which Hancock was originally carved in 1848) with a similarly small population, providing the same constitutional array of county services — tax collection, sheriff, clerk, 911, solid waste. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and operating model.

Others

• West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: State-level counterpart that provides emergency management guidance and resources to Hancock County OEM. A natural upstream/downstream peer in the emergency response ecosystem.
• West Virginia Secretary of State (Voter Registration): Operates the state voter registration portal that Hancock County leverages for online voter registration; a functional ecosystem partner with overlapping citizen-facing service.

Regional players

• City of Weirton: Municipal government fully contained within Hancock County; the County 911 Center serves Weirton residents regardless of jurisdictional boundaries. Comparable as a local-government service delivery entity in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hcsowv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hancock-county-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hancock County Commission