Zoning, building permits and septic rules in New Martinsville, West Virginia

At a glance

Zoning

None. The city code states New Martinsville has no zoning ordinance¹

Building permit

Required from the city for structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work; small jobs up to $500 need a permit but no fee²⁴

Setbacks

City guidance lists 25 feet frontal and 5 feet side for new structures⁵

Septic

Wetzel-Tyler Health Department issues sewage-system permits for Wetzel County³⁶

Septic permit fee

$252 for a conventional single-family system, including a $30 state DEP fee⁷

Water well

State permit required; the health department's fee for a new or repaired well is $150⁸⁹

Subdivision

Regulated by the city code's subdivision chapter¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Does New Martinsville, WV have zoning?

No. The City of New Martinsville's code states that the city currently has no zoning ordinance, and its zoning chapter is reserved for any future legislation¹. Because no zoning districts exist, New Martinsville publishes no district schedule of permitted uses or minimum lot sizes¹¹. The code is clear that other municipal, state, building, subdivision, floodplain, utility, health and nuisance rules may still apply¹.

The Building Department does publish setback guidance for new structures: 25 feet frontal, 5 feet on the side, and 10 feet between permanent structures at the roof line⁵. Fences and retaining walls should stay off the property line but may go up to it⁵. We could not confirm rules inside New Martinsville for RVs or tiny homes as housing; ask the Building Department before you buy or park one.

Do you need a building permit in New Martinsville, and who issues it?

Yes, for most real construction work. The City of New Martinsville Building Department requires a permit for all electrical, plumbing and mechanical (structural) work inside city limits². Maintenance such as painting, replacing a deck board or repairing a roof leak, and interior jobs under $2,000 with no electrical, plumbing or structural work, may not need a permit; slab-concrete driveways and sidewalks are listed as no permit necessary².

Permit applications come in a standard version and a floodplain version. Forms can be printed, filled in and turned in at City Hall¹²¹³. The Building Department is at 191 Main Street, phone 304-455-9130¹³.

How much does a building permit cost in New Martinsville?

The city publishes a short fee schedule. A permit for county or state work, or for jobs up to $500, carries no fee⁴. Residential projects from $501 to $1,000 cost $25.00 plus $3.00 per $1,000 or fraction thereof, and commercial projects in that range cost $50.00 plus $4.00 per $1,000 or fraction thereof⁴. A demolition permit costs $10.00⁴. We could not confirm the fee for projects above $1,000, so ask the Building Department for a quote on a full house¹³.

How do septic permits work in New Martinsville?

Septic permits are a health-department matter, not a city one. The Wetzel-Tyler Health Department serves Wetzel and Tyler Counties and issues sewage-system permits³. New septic systems and changes to existing ones must be permitted before installation⁶. The published fee is $222.00 for a conventional single-family dwelling plus a $30.00 DEP fee, $252.00 in total⁷.

The city code index lists municipal provisions on septic tanks, private sewage disposal and public sewers, but we could not confirm whether a lot inside city limits must connect to city sewer or may use a septic system. Ask the Building Department and the health department at (304) 337-2001 before you plan either¹⁴. Wetzel County's soils are a caution: only about 0.2% rate as not limited for a conventional drain field¹⁵.

Building a home in New Martinsville: the steps, in order

1. Call the Building Department at 304-455-9130 to confirm what your project needs, since the city has no zoning but does regulate building work¹¹³.
2. Check the setbacks: 25 feet frontal, 5 feet side⁵.
3. If the lot is platted or being divided, review the city's subdivision regulations¹⁰.
4. Ask whether the lot is in a flood zone; the city offers a separate floodplain permit application¹².
5. Get the septic permit from the Wetzel-Tyler Health Department before installing a system⁶.
6. Turn in the building permit application at City Hall and pay the fee¹².

What stays with Wetzel County and the state (and what to check before you buy)

For land outside city limits, see the Wetzel County page. Wetzel County has no countywide building permit; its permit requirement is limited to floodplain development, which needs a permit from the Floodplain Manager¹⁶. Whether that county floodplain permit applies inside city limits we could not confirm; ask the Wetzel County OEM/E-911 office at 304-455-6960¹⁷.

A new driveway onto a West Virginia state highway needs a free permit from the Division of Highways¹⁸. Drilling a private water well requires a state-required permit, issued locally through the health department⁸⁹. Wetzel County is about 92.9% wooded and only 9.6% of its land is at 15% slope or less, so buildable flat ground is scarce¹⁹²⁰. The county's effective property tax rate is 0.6%²¹.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm a certificate-of-occupancy or building-inspection requirement inside New Martinsville city limits; ask the Building Department what inspections apply to your project¹².
• We could not confirm which building code the city enforces or whether owner-builders have an exemption inside city limits; ask the Building Department before you hire or start work yourself¹³.
• State law guarantees at least one accessory dwelling unit by right on a lot with a single-family dwelling inside a West Virginia municipality, subject to the municipality's fire, building and other requirements²².

Sources

1. Chapter Three — Zoning Regulations (New Martinsville), quoted and re-checked
2. Building Department (New Martinsville), quoted and re-checked
3. Wetzel Tyler Board of Health Fees for Permits & Services, quoted and re-checked
4. Building Department (New Martinsville), quoted and re-checked
5. newmartinsville.com (New Martinsville), quoted and re-checked
6. Inspection of a Standard Septic Tank System Installation, quoted and re-checked
7. Permit & Service Fees, quoted and re-checked
8. Water Wells (West Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Wetzel Tyler Board of Health Fees for Permits & Services, quoted and re-checked
10. Chapter One — Subdivision Regulations (New Martinsville), quoted and re-checked
11. Chapter Three — Zoning Regulations (New Martinsville), quoted and re-checked
12. Building Department (New Martinsville), quoted and re-checked
13. City of New Martinsville Building Department (newmartinsville.com)
14. Wetzel-Tyler Health Department (wetzeltylerhealthdepartment.com)
15. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
16. Ordinances | Wetzel County, WV, quoted and re-checked
17. Wetzel County OEM/E-911 (911 Addressing & Floodplain) (wetzelcountywv.gov)
18. Encroachment Permits (West Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
20. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
21. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
22. West Virginia Code §8-42-1. Definitions (West Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 15, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.