Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
41 of West Virginia's 55 counties — 75% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 8th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Preston County (80/100). 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 1042 counties nationwide → West Virginia: no building codes → West Virginia: no codes, no zoning → West Virginia: owner-builder → West Virginia: rv living → West Virginia: tiny homes → West Virginia: no minimum home size → Full West Virginia profile →
From the West Virginia guide
West Virginia has 41 counties without county-wide zoning and 9 with county zoning.410 Counties without county-wide zoning include Preston County, Monroe County, Webster County, Nicholas County, Pocahontas County, Barbour County, Summers County, Doddridge County.4
West Virginia has 15 counties with neither a residential building-permit requirement nor county-wide zoning; compare the no-zoning list and no-building-permit, no-zoning list.411
A West Virginia county zoning ordinance can cover only part of the county, while municipal zoning operates within the municipality's jurisdiction.16 Ask the county planning commission about the parcel's district map, subdivision standards, lot size and setbacks: state law leaves actual dimensional requirements to applicable local ordinances.161718
From the West Virginia guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.
41 of 55 West Virginia counties · sorted by Index score
County zoning in Preston County, including unincorporated areas. The county FAQ directs persons building inside an incorporated area to contact that city hall; municipal rules m…
prestoncountywv.gov ↗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 ↗Countywide zoning outside the incorporated city limits of Summersville and Richwood. Zoning enacted and enforced within the city limits of Summersville and Richwood is excluded …
FAQS | Nicholas County Commission ↗Land-use zoning administered by Pocahontas County in its county jurisdiction outside incorporated municipalities. This finding does not establish whether any incorporated munici…
Pocahontas County Commission minutes, July 19, 2022 ↗The county's official ordinance list (floodplain, addressing, E-911, etc.) contains no zoning ordinance.
Barbour County Commission - County Ordinances ↗Summers County has a Planning Commission but has not adopted a countywide zoning ordinance for its unincorporated areas.
Summers County Commission - Planning Commission ↗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 ↗Countywide zoning laws administered by Mercer County. The cited county meeting minutes do not address zoning administered by incorporated municipalities. Floodplain regulation a…
January 2025 Meeting Minutes ↗Countywide zoning in Hampshire County. The county has a subdivision and land development ordinance; subdivision and land-development controls remain applicable.
Opinion Letter Concerning Hampshire County Subdivision and Land Development 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 ↗The county directory lists no zoning or planning department and no countywide zoning ordinance is identified.
Marshall County WV - Directory ↗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 ↗County zoning in Grant County unincorporated areas. The county plan states that it is not a precursor to zoning and that there is no need or desire for such regulatory control i…
Grant County Plan ↗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 ↗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 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 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 ↗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 ↗The county lists no planning/zoning office and there is no comprehensive countywide zoning ordinance in this rural county.
Pleasants County, WV - County Offices ↗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 ↗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 ↗General county zoning regulations in Mineral County. The county states that an exotic-entertainment location ordinance remains in effect. This claim does not address municipal z…
Planning Commission – Additional Info ↗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 ↗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) ↗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) ↗County zoning in Pendleton County. The County Commission minutes state that there is no zoning in Pendleton County. Floodplain, health, septic, subdivision, and other non-zoning…
Minutes of the May 15, 2018 Pendleton County Commission meeting ↗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 ↗Formal county zoning ordinance in Logan County. Federal and state laws still apply. Locally adopted ordinances may apply to certain types of establishments.
Frequently Asked Questions – Logan County Commission Code Enforcement Division ↗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 ↗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 ↗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) ↗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 ↗Countywide zoning in Monongalia County, excluding separately regulated municipal jurisdictions and the West Run Planning District zoning area. The county source states that only…
monongaliacounty.gov ↗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 ↗Brooke County county zoning, including the county's unincorporated territory. The county FAQ directs persons building inside an incorporated area to contact that city hall. Othe…
brookecountywv.gov ↗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) ↗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 ↗Countywide zoning administered by Ohio County; the official county minutes state that there is no zoning in the County. This claim addresses the county authority and does not el…
Ohio County Commission Minutes — October 4, 2021 ↗A comprehensive countywide zoning ordinance administered by Berkeley County. The 2025 county comprehensive plan states that the countywide zoning tool is not available to the Co…
Current Comprehensive Plan - Adopted February 2025 ↗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.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these West Virginia counties? The kit we'd start with:
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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.
