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

Unincorporated Putnam County, West Virginia requires a permit before construction of any permanent structure or placement of a mobile or manufactured home¹. Starting work before issuance brings a late fee in addition to the usual development-permit fee, and other agencies may require separate approvals¹. The Office of Planning & Infrastructure provides separate applications for zoned and non-zoned land, and applications may be completed online or printed and sent to the county⁷. Structures used primarily for agriculture are exempt from the State Building Code, State Fire Code and an adopted county or municipal building code, but that state exemption does not establish an exemption from Putnam County's development permit^1,8. Inside an incorporated town, the town's own rules may apply instead, so confirm jurisdiction first¹. Septic permits are a separate county health permit, covered below³. Ask Planning which permit applies before clearing or construction begins.

The Putnam County Office of Planning & Infrastructure handles county development permits, zoning administration and floodplain questions for unincorporated Putnam County². Reach the office at (304) 586-0237, or visit 12093 Winfield Road, Winfield, WV 25213, Room 226². The county supplies different development-permit applications for zoned and non-zoned parcels; either may be completed online or printed and sent to the county⁷. Commercial, industrial, multifamily, lease-community and manufactured-home-park applications may also require a site plan, drainage analysis, stormwater-detention design, a fee and applicable floodplain materials, although the Planning Director may waive an unnecessary item⁷. The same office provides flood-hazard information for unincorporated Putnam County and Buffalo, Bancroft and Poca⁹.

Putnam County zoning applies only within designated Zoned Unincorporated Areas, including the Putnam Public Service District sewer area in Teays Valley and the US35 corridor². The county publishes multiple districts for those areas, so use the county planning and zoning viewer or ask the Office of Planning & Infrastructure for the parcel's exact classification¹. Incorporated municipalities may administer separate zoning rules that the county does not administer¹.

Standards vary by district. In the R-C Rural County District, the ordinance lists a 30-foot front setback, a 10-foot side setback for a principal use, a 5-foot side setback for an accessory use, and a 20-foot rear setback that becomes 30 feet for lots used for livestock agriculture¹⁰. In the R-1 Single Family Residential District, the front setback is 20 feet, with 5-foot side setbacks for principal and accessory uses¹⁰. The ordinance's single-family classifications include a Class C minimum of 400 square feet, while Class A and Class B homes are governed by minimum dimensions of 40 by 20 feet and 40 by 14 feet⁴. Do not assume these figures for every parcel; ask Planning to confirm the controlling district¹.

The Putnam County Health Department's Environmental Health division issues permits for new, modified and repaired on-site sewage systems after an environmental health specialist approves the site³. After the application arrives, an environmental health specialist schedules a site visit, and the installer must contact the Health Department for a final inspection³. The owner or the installer submits an on-site sewage application, the specialist schedules a site visit, a permit issues only after site approval, and a final inspection is required before the system is covered up³. Every installation must be performed by a certified on-site sewage-system installer³. The county's fee schedule lists $194.25 for a conventional single-family dwelling system and $393.75 for all other types¹¹. A separate $30 state registration fee applies to each septic tank¹². Only 1.9% of Putnam County soils rate better than "very limited" for a conventional septic drain field, so make approval of the proposed system a purchase contingency rather than assuming a standard drain field will work¹³. Reach Environmental Health at (304) 757-2541 or putnamlhd@wv.gov, or visit 11878 Winfield Road, Winfield, WV 25213³.

Putnam County's published materials do not confirm a general rule allowing residential RV use on an individual parcel, so ask the Office of Planning & Infrastructure before planning to live in an RV during construction. The R-C Rural County District lists an RV park as a regulated use, but that does not answer whether one occupied RV is allowed on private land¹⁴. Tiny-home occupancy is also not confirmed countywide. A small home in the zoned areas must meet the ordinance's single-family dwelling classes, including a Class C minimum of 400 square feet, and tiny-home occupancy outside the zoned areas is not confirmed^1,4. A permanent tiny home requires the county permit applicable to permanent structures¹. West Virginia's owner-builder exemption concerns contractor licensing; it does not waive applicable permits, codes or inspections⁵.

1. Use the county viewer or ask the Office of Planning & Infrastructure to confirm whether the parcel is zoned and, if so, its district¹.
2. Choose the county's zoned-area or non-zoned-area application and obtain the development permit before beginning a permanent structure or placing a mobile or manufactured home^1,7.
3. Ask Planning for a flood-hazard determination and any applicable floodplain requirements^7,9.
4. Apply to the Putnam County Health Department for septic review; an environmental health specialist will schedule a site visit, and the certified installer must arrange the final inspection before the system is covered³.
5. Obtain a local-health-department permit before drilling, modifying or abandoning a private well⁶.
6. Confirm inspection and occupancy requirements with Planning, because a general county schedule could not be confirmed; the State Fire Marshal's inspection mandate excludes one- and two-family dwellings¹⁵.
7. If the project divides land, follow the county's exempt, minor or major subdivision procedure before relying on the proposed lots¹⁶.

Confirm the parcel's zoning status and district with the Office of Planning & Infrastructure because zoning applies only in parts of unincorporated Putnam County and the district controls parcel-specific standards^1,2. If a seller proposes to split land, request the approved and recorded plat or ask which county procedure applies; Putnam County regulates land divisions with exempt, minor and major checklists, and review can address roads, drainage, water, sewage and other improvements¹⁶. Check flood risk with Planning before choosing a building site⁹. Only 1.9% of county soils rate better than "very limited" for a conventional drain field, while 83.4% of the county is wooded and 19.2% lies at a slope of 15% or less, so septic feasibility and usable terrain deserve on-site review before closing¹³. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.6%, with a median annual bill of about $1,235¹³.