Building permits, zoning and land rules in Preston County, West Virginia

A general county building permit is not required for a home in unincorporated Preston County¹. Preston County has no county zoning, while building permits and zoning approval for construction inside an incorporated area come from that town's city hall². West Virginia's State Building Code applies only where a county or municipality adopts it rather than automatically statewide⁸. Buildings used primarily for agriculture are exempt from the State Building Code, State Fire Code and adopted county or municipal building codes, though stricter compatible laws or agency rules may still govern⁹. Separate approvals still apply: septic installation, water-well work and development in a designated floodplain each require permits^6,10,11. We could not confirm a general residential inspection or certificate-of-occupancy process for unincorporated land, so ask the County Commission about those items and the parcel's floodplain status.

Preston County does not publish a dedicated county building or zoning department; the county has no zoning, and a general permit is not required for unincorporated residential construction^1,2. Start with the Preston County Commission for parcel-boundary, county land-use and floodplain-office questions¹². The local permit officer reviews proposed work in a designated floodplain, determines the standards that apply and requires copies of other federal or state permits before issuing the floodplain permit; the fee varies¹¹. Inside an incorporated area, the town's city hall handles building permits and zoning approval, but septic and well permits do not move to the town^2,10. The Preston County Health Department handles local septic application review and site inspections under the statewide public-health program, as well as individual-well permits^4,5,13. Road-repair questions go to the WV Division of Highways county office at 304-329-0192, not the County Commission².

No. Unincorporated Preston County has no county zoning districts; anyone seeking a building permit or zoning approval inside an incorporated area must contact that town's city hall². Unincorporated land therefore has no county zoning-based setback, lot-coverage or building-height rule². Unincorporated land also has no county zoning-based minimum dwelling size or minimum lot size². Those answers are limited to zoning: septic design, floodplain standards, subdivision review, deed restrictions and other non-zoning constraints can still determine where and what you may build. We could not confirm an unincorporated subdivision ordinance, so ask the County Commission about a recent or proposed land split. Municipal requirements are separate; Kingwood, for example, has a zoning appeals process, showing why a parcel inside town limits needs a city-hall check¹⁴.

A new or modified septic tank system in Preston County needs a permit before installation, after review of its application, plans and specifications¹⁰. Minor repairs outside the drainfield may be exempt, but work within the drainfield generally needs a permit¹⁰. West Virginia Public Health Sanitation has primacy over individual on-site sewage systems, while local health departments perform application review and site inspections^13,15. Do not cover a soil-absorption system or use the system until the director approves the installation in writing; covered work may have to be uncovered¹⁰. Only 2% of Preston County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility an early purchase contingency rather than assuming a standard system will fit¹⁶. A water well also needs a local-health-department permit before drilling, alteration or abandonment and must be drilled by a licensed driller⁴.

Unincorporated Preston County has no county zoning restriction on residential or long-term RV occupancy². Unincorporated Preston County likewise has no county zoning restriction on tiny-home occupancy². Those answers are limited to county zoning, not blanket exemptions: septic permitting and inspection still apply to an on-site sewage system, and development in a designated floodplain needs separate approval^10,11. Private deed restrictions may also bind a parcel. A parcel inside an incorporated town needs a separate city-hall check because municipal rules may apply². Before relying on an RV or tiny home full-time, confirm the sanitation plan with the Preston County Health Department⁵.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is inside an incorporated town; town building permits and zoning approval come from that city hall, while septic and well permits still come from the Health Department².
2. Ask the County Commission whether the building site is in a designated floodplain; floodplain development needs a permit even though unincorporated Preston County has no general residential building permit^1,11,12.
3. Make septic feasibility a purchase contingency and apply through the Preston County Health Department before installation^5,10.
4. If the home needs a well, apply before a licensed driller begins⁶.
5. If the driveway connects to a state highway, get the required WV Division of Highways encroachment permit; the permit is free of charge¹⁷.
6. If you will personally perform the work on property you own or lease, the owner-builder exemption removes contractor-licensing requirements but does not settle separate permit or code obligations⁷.

Soils and septic go together here: with only 2% of the county's soils free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field, get a site evaluation from the Health Department before you commit to a purchase¹⁶. Water is generally plentiful, with about 51.5 inches of precipitation a year and severe drought in only about 1.9% of years, but a private well still needs a permit if there is no public supply^4,16. Terrain is mixed: 53.3% of the county sits at 15% slope or less, and 78.9% of the land is wooded, so expect real grading and clearing costs on steeper, more forested parcels¹⁶. Ask the County Commission whether the building site is inside a mapped floodplain¹². A floodplain permit is documented for the Route 7 waterline-extension portions crossing the 100-year floodplain of Dillan Creek, but that project-specific fact does not establish the rule for another parcel¹⁸. If the tract was recently split, ask the Commission whether a subdivision or plat process applies because we could not confirm a Preston County subdivision ordinance. Property taxes have an effective rate near 0.5% and a median bill around $747 a year¹⁶.