SB 852 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Increasing fees for execution of service of process by certified mail

SB 852 would increase fees for delivering court documents by certified mail, including associated shipping and handling costs. This change would directly affect defendants in legal cases served via certified mail, requiring them to pay higher fees for this service. The bill also includes an exemption for foreign veteran-owned businesses, meaning these businesses would not be subject to the increased fees. The bill does not alter existing fee structures for business entity filings, which were included in the provided text but are unrelated to this specific service of process fee adjustment.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Feb 9, 2026 Signed Jun 25, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Enrolled Committee Substitute · 4 edits · Apr 1, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates the official status of Senate Bill 852 to its final enrolled version and increases specific service fees charged by the West Virginia Secretary of State. The changes raise the fee for accepting and recording service of process from $15 to $20, increase domestic certified mail shipping fees from $5 to $15, and increase international registered mail fees from $15 to $20. These adjustments are intended to cover rising operational costs for the Secretary of State's office.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding fee amounts has expanded to include higher charges for service of process and mail handling, while the exemption for veteran-owned businesses remains unchanged.

FISCAL

Increased the fee for acceptance and recordation of service of process from $15 to $20.

Increased the fee for domestic certified mail service of process from $5 to $15.

Increased the fee for international registered mail service of process from $15 to $20.

TIMELINE

Updated the bill's effective date to 90 days after passage (June 10, 2026) and changed the reporting status from a committee report to a passed and enrolled act.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 2, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 12, 2026

How they voted

25–5

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 33

Mar 2, 2026

D Democratic2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican31

23 Yea 5 Nay 3

74% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 1, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor 4/1/2026

upper

Mar 14, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed House (Roll No. 469)

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Do pass

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Committee

To House Government Organization

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Committee

To Government Organization

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate (Roll No. 277)

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee substitute reported

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Committee

To Government Organization

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors