Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-07-08
40 of West Virginia's 55 counties — 73% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 7th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Clay County (74/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 959 counties nationwide → West Virginia counties with no building codes → Full West Virginia profile →
40 of 55 West Virginia counties · sorted by Index score
Clay County's official government portal lists no planning or zoning department or countywide zoning ordinance, consistent with rural WV counties that have no zoning.
Clay County, WV Official Government Site ↗No zoning ordinance appears in the county's adopted-ordinances list; the Planning Commission 'recommends zoning districts and regulations' only if the county chooses to implemen…
Monroe County, WV - County Ordinances ↗No county planning or zoning department appears on the official county site, consistent with rural WV counties that have not adopted countywide zoning.
Webster County, West Virginia - Official Site ↗The county FAQ states plainly: 'No, the county has no zoning. If you are building inside an incorporated area you need to contact that city hall.'
Preston County Commission FAQ ↗No countywide zoning ordinance was located among Braxton County's posted ordinances; any zoning is handled by incorporated municipalities.
Braxton County, WV - View Ordinances ↗No planning or zoning office appears among Ritchie County's listed government agencies, and WV counties only have zoning where adopted by ordinance; none was found.
Ritchie County, West Virginia - County Government Agencies ↗Calhoun County's official ordinance list shows only unsafe-structure, salvage-yard, and demolition ordinances, with no zoning ordinance or planning/zoning commission, consistent…
Calhoun County Commission - Ordinances ↗No zoning ordinance appears among Roane County's adopted ordinances, consistent with county zoning being optional under WV Code Chapter 8A.
Roane County WV - County Ordinances ↗The Doddridge County Commission page lists no planning commission, zoning authority, or land-use regulation among its functions, indicating the rural county has no county zoning.
Doddridge County Commission - official county government site ↗Nicholas County has no zoning regulations except within the city limits of Summersville and Richwood.
Nicholas County Commission FAQs ↗No county zoning ordinance appears on Mason County's official site; WV zoning is optional for county commissions and most rural counties remain unzoned.
Mason County, WV official site ↗The Pocahontas County Commission has no zoning department or county-wide zoning ordinance (only a floodplain ordinance); land-use zoning exists only within incorporated towns.
Pocahontas County Commission ↗The county's official ordinance directory lists no zoning ordinance (only a subdivision/land-development and floodplain ordinance), indicating no countywide zoning.
Mercer County Commission Ordinances ↗Summers County has a Planning Commission but has not adopted a countywide zoning ordinance for its unincorporated areas.
Summers County Commission - Planning Commission ↗Randolph County has no zoning restrictions outside incorporated municipalities.
Randolph County WV (Randolph County Development Authority) - Sites & Buildings ↗No Lewis County zoning ordinance was found and the county does not appear in the WVU Land Use Law Clinic zoning registry, consistent with WV rural counties lacking county-wide z…
WVU Land Use & Sustainable Development Law Clinic - Local Ordinances ↗The county's official ordinance list (floodplain, addressing, E-911, etc.) contains no zoning ordinance.
Barbour County Commission - County Ordinances ↗No county zoning ordinance or planning/zoning office was found on official Wyoming County sources; the county has only a non-binding comprehensive plan.
Wyoming County EDA - County Agencies ↗The county's official government pages list no planning or zoning office and no zoning ordinance among its departments/ordinances (only floodplain and unsafe-buildings), consist…
Gilmer County Commission (official county site) ↗County zoning is an optional local power under WV Code Chapter 8A and no adopted Mingo County zoning ordinance or planning-commission map was found.
West Virginia Code Chapter 8A (WV Legislature) ↗County's official ordinance list includes a Subdivision/Land Development Ordinance and Building Code Ordinance but no countywide zoning ordinance was found.
Hampshire County Planning Office - Ordinances ↗The county lists no planning/zoning office and there is no comprehensive countywide zoning ordinance in this rural county.
Pleasants County, WV - County Offices ↗The official Wirt County government agencies listing shows no planning, zoning, or land-use department, consistent with rural WV counties having no zoning.
Wirt County - Other County Government Agencies ↗Tyler County regulates only floodplain development, with no general zoning ordinance found and the county absent from the WVU Land Use Law Clinic zoning registry.
WVU Land Use & Sustainable Development Law Clinic - Local Ordinances ↗Morgan County has no traditional zoning ordinance with zoning districts; it regulates development through Improvement Location Permit, subdivision/stormwater, and floodplain ord…
Morgan County WV - Planning Commission ↗Marion County's official government site lists no county planning or zoning department; WV county zoning requires local adoption/referendum, and zoning is administered only with…
Marion County WV (official county government) ↗The county's official ordinance list includes no zoning ordinance, consistent with rural WV counties that have not adopted zoning.
Wetzel County WV - View Ordinances ↗Logan County states there is no formal zoning ordinance, though some locally adopted ordinances apply to certain types of establishments.
Logan County Commission Code Enforcement Division — FAQ ↗The county directory lists no zoning or planning department and no countywide zoning ordinance is identified.
Marshall County WV - Directory ↗The county's official department directory lists no planning or zoning department and no county zoning ordinance was found, consistent with WV rural counties lacking zoning.
McDowell County Commission — County Directory ↗Official Pendleton County Commission minutes (May 18, 2021) state there are no zoning laws in Pendleton County and no ordinance prohibiting types of development.
Pendleton County WV Commission Minutes (May 18, 2021) ↗Lincoln County references only permissive authority to adopt planning/zoning ordinances and administers floodplain rules; there is no comprehensive countywide zoning ordinance.
Lincoln County WV Commission ↗Mineral County does not have general zoning regulations in effect; the only zoning-type ordinance regulates the location of exotic-entertainment establishments.
Mineral County, WV - Planning Commission (Additional Info) ↗Cabell County's official ordinance list includes a floodplain ordinance and unsafe-structure ordinance but no county-wide zoning ordinance; zoning applies within the City of Hun…
Cabell County - Ordinances ↗The county's Comprehensive Planning Program / Land Use Regulations are subdivision regulations administered by the Planning Commission; 'zoning' appears only as a glossary term …
Wood County Land Use Regulations (2015) ↗The county administers building and floodplain permits but references no county zoning ordinance, consistent with rural WV counties without adopted zoning.
Wayne County WV - Building Permits ↗Berkeley County has no comprehensive countywide zoning; only special-area zoning ordinances exist (Airport Height/Sound/Runway Protection and the Windewald/Tuscarora District). …
Berkeley County — Planning & Zoning Regulations ↗County officials state unincorporated Brooke County has no zoning (only two of WV's 55 counties do) and the county planning commission has been inactive.
Weirton Daily Times - Brooke County commissioners mull zoning regulations ↗No county zoning or planning department is listed on the county site; zoning, where it exists, is administered by incorporated municipalities.
Hancock County WV - Official Site ↗The Ohio County Commission lists no county planning or zoning department; zoning is administered at the municipal level (e.g. City of Wheeling) rather than county-wide.
Ohio County Commission - Government Departments ↗One email a week: the best counties to live off-grid, rule changes that matter, and rule changes as West Virginia counties adopt or drop codes. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the West Virginia state page for all 55 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.