Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Kanawha County, West Virginia

Yes. A building permit is required in unincorporated Kanawha County for construction and listed development work, including placing structures or mobile homes, land preparation, solar panels and qualifying remodeling¹. The county fee schedule lists a $25 building-permit fee for work valued up to $30,000, then $2.50 for each $1,000 over $30,000; floodplain work adds a $300 fee¹. The active West Virginia State Building Code rule is identified as effective August 1, 2022, but we could not confirm the exact edition adopted locally⁸. A claimed agricultural-purpose code exemption requires a determination from the Commissioner of Agriculture; it should not be assumed from the parcel's appearance or use⁹. An owner may personally perform construction without a contractor license, but that does not waive the county building permit^1,5.

Kanawha County Planning & Development handles building permits, zoning, floodplain management and property maintenance in unincorporated Kanawha County². Reach the department at (304) 357-0570 or planning@kanawha.us, or visit 407 Virginia Street East, 2nd Floor, Charleston, WV 25301². Its posted hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM². The county building-permit application needs supporting documents, including a real-estate tax receipt and an itemized description and cost for self-performed work¹. The permit certification gives the planning office or its representative access to inspect for compliance with county ordinances, and floodplain review or inspections may carry additional engineering or surveying costs¹. We could not confirm a general building-inspection schedule or certificate-of-occupancy requirement; ask Planning & Development for the inspection and closeout sequence before work begins.

Kanawha County Planning & Development enforces land-use and zoning rules in unincorporated Kanawha County². We could not confirm a district map or schedule; ask Planning & Development for the parcel’s district, allowed use and dimensional rules. The county's subdivision regulations also apply in unincorporated areas¹⁰. For a lot in a regulated subdivision, a building permit cannot issue unless the access road is public, dedicated to public use, shown on an approved plan, or is a private right-of-way or easement that the Planning Commission finds adequate¹¹. We could not confirm a general minimum lot size, minimum dwelling size, building-height limit or ordinary setback for every parcel. Published mobile-home-park lot dimensions apply to park lots, not every private parcel⁷. Montgomery, a city that reaches into Kanawha County, sets its own zoning within city limits; septic approval remains with the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department^3,12.

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department issues construction permits for new, modified and repaired septic systems after a sanitarian approves the site³. A certified installer performs the percolation test and site evaluation; the homeowner or installer submits form SS-182A³. Submit the septic application, county building permit and fees before the sanitarian schedules the site visit; start work only after the health department issues the construction permit, and obtain approval before changing the plan³. After construction or repair, the installer must arrange the final inspection before covering the system³. For subdivisions served by individual septic systems, the health department also handles subdivision approval under delegated state authority, and DEP registration-seal requirements apply¹³. Only 0.3% of mapped county soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility a purchase contingency⁶. A state general permit can cover qualifying home aeration units with capacity of 600 gallons per day or less that discharge treated wastewater, but it does not establish county approval for a particular site; ask Environmental Health before choosing an alternative system¹⁴.

Kanawha County’s mobile-home-park regulations prohibit permanent RV occupancy, limit ordinary occupancy to 6 months and require a Building Permit Officer permit before occupancy “in any location.”⁷ The regulations allow occupancy in approved, licensed parks and Planning Director permits at construction sites during construction for up to a year; ask Planning & Development whether your private lot qualifies before moving in⁷. We could not confirm a tiny-home-specific occupancy rule or countywide minimum dwelling size; ask Planning & Development about the proposed dwelling. A tiny home still falls within the building-permit requirement for structures in unincorporated Kanawha County¹. In county-regulated manufactured-home parks, installation requires a building permit, and a manufactured home cannot serve as a storage shed, barn or accessory building⁷.

1. Ask Planning & Development for the parcel's zoning district, allowed use, subdivision status and floodplain status before finalizing a design^2,10.
2. Confirm legal access; subdivision lots need an access road or private right-of-way that meets the county's stated conditions¹¹. A driveway connecting to a state highway also needs a free Division of Highways permit¹⁵.
3. Submit a complete county building-permit application with supporting documents¹.
4. Have a certified septic installer perform the site evaluation, then submit the septic application, county building permit and fees to the health department³.
5. For floodplain construction, obtain an elevation certificate showing the lowest finished floor at least 2 feet above base flood elevation and a scaled site plan showing stream flow and the flood-protection setback¹.
6. Obtain a local health-department well permit before drilling, modifying or abandoning a well⁴.
7. Obtain stormwater authorization before disturbing 1 acre or more, including a smaller site within a larger common development plan¹⁶.
8. Arrange the septic inspection before covering the system, and ask Planning & Development for the building-inspection sequence^1,3.

Confirm zoning, subdivision status, legal road access and floodplain status with Planning & Development before closing^2,10,11. In the county’s floodplain areas, an elevation certificate must show the lowest finished floor at least 2 feet above base flood elevation; a scaled site plan is required, and mobile or modular homes need a licensed manufactured-home installer¹. The flood-protection setback from a watercourse is twice the channel width or 50 feet, whichever is less, measured from the top of the bank¹. Make septic feasibility a contract contingency because only 0.3% of mapped soils are rated without severe conventional-drain-field limits⁶. For subdivisions using individual septic systems, written health-department subdivision approval must precede well permits; the developer or lot owner then obtains the well or septic construction permit¹³. Kanawha County is 93.9% wooded and receives about 46.7 inches of precipitation annually, so inspect proposed access and building sites in wet conditions when possible⁶. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.7%, with a median annual bill of about $922⁶.