Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Oceana, West Virginia

Town of Oceana’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration, wrecking, or moving of a building, structure, or appurtenance in Oceana's Commercial, Residential, or Mobile Home District.

  • Permit is required before site preparation or excavation.
  • Ordinary cultivation and landscaping do not require a permit.
  • In Residential or Mobile Home Districts, work valued below $500 does not require a permit.
  • Unpermitted work must still comply with applicable construction requirements.

  residential/mobile-home exemption threshold: < 500 USD construction value (Construction, alteration, wrecking, or moving in Residential or Mobile Home Districts.)

  “Prior to site preparation or excavation, a building permit shall be issued”

• InspectionsLimited

  Applications to place a mobile home inside Oceana town limits.

  • The Town Council requires an on-site inspection of the mobile home, the placement property, or both before approving a placement-permit application.

  “The Town Council shall require as prerequisite to the approval of an application for placement permit an on-site inspection of the mobile home”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Oceana town limits.

  • The town's Chapter 153 establishes Residential, Mobile Home, and Commercial use districts.

  “Residential; Mobile Home; and Commercial.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  All land inside Oceana town limits.

  • Land later added to the town is Residential until Town Council assigns another district.
  • Commercial and Mobile Home District boundaries are described by the ordinance and Appendix A; all other property is Residential.

  “All other property not included in the Commercial District and Mobile Home District as stated above shall be considered as residential property.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes in Oceana's Residential and Commercial Districts.

  • A mobile home in the Residential District is allowed only as a nonconforming use or under a special-use permit.
  • No mobile home may be used residentially in the Commercial District.

  “no mobile home shall be used for residential purposes in the Commercial District.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Sewer service availability for premises inside Oceana town limits.

  • A sewer main must be installed and maintained by the utility within 250 feet of the premises.
  • Sewage must flow by gravity or by another Bureau for Public Health-approved method into utility facilities.
  • The customer's hookup cost must not exceed $1,200.

  maximum distance to sewer main: <= 250 feet (Other availability conditions also apply.) · maximum customer hookup cost: <= 1200 USD (Other availability conditions also apply.)

  “at a distance of 250 feet or less from the user’s premises; provided, that service shall not be deemed to be available unless”

• Subdividing landLimited

  Subdivision or development of land inside Oceana that is partially or fully in the regulatory floodplain.

  • A detailed site plan must be submitted to and approved by the Floodplain Administrator before development.
  • The rule also covers manufactured-home parks and subdivisions.

  “a detailed site plan must be submitted to, and approved by, the Floodplain Administrator prior to any development.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development, new construction, substantial improvement, substantial damage, or placement/relocation of a structure within Oceana town limits.

  • A completed permit application and standard site plan are required.
  • A permit must be obtained from the Floodplain Administrator.
  • For land partially or fully in the regulatory floodplain that is subdivided or otherwise developed, a detailed site plan needs prior approval.

  “permit has been obtained from the Floodplain Administrator.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town building permits in Oceana's Commercial, Residential, and Mobile Home Districts.

  • Fee is payable upon application.
  • The $500 Residential/Mobile Home District exemption remains applicable.

  first construction-value tier fee: per 4 USD (First $1,000 of construction value.) · additional construction-value tier fee: per 2 USD (Each additional $1,000 of construction value or portion thereof.)

  “The fee for a building permit, payable upon application, is $4 for the first $1,000 of construction value and $2 for each additional $1,000 of construction value or portion thereof.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town building-permit applications in Oceana's Commercial, Residential, and Mobile Home Districts.

  • The town furnishes the application form.
  • Application requires a scale plan of the building, structure, and appurtenance and any applicable scale plot plan.
  • Town Council may require other information.
  • The building inspector or designated agent determines compliance and issues or rejects the application.

  “Application for a building permit shall be submitted to the building inspector or other designated agent of Town Council, on blank forms furnished by the town.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Oceana

Town of Oceana does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  One- or two-family dwellings in Oceana's Residential District.

  • For buildings designed for more than two families, the standard is 1,800 square feet per family.

  minimum building-site area: >= 3000 square feet (One- or two-family dwelling and accessory buildings.)

  “In the Residential District every building designed for the housing of one or two families together with its accessory buildings, shall be located on a building site in one ownership having an area of at least 3,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Houses in Oceana's Residential District.

  • Front and rear measurements exclude porches, eaves, and similar features.
  • Corner-lot street-side yard is 20 feet.
  • Where a dwelling faces a side lot line, it must be at least 20 feet from that line.

  front setback: >= 20 feet (Exclusive of porches, eaves and the like.) · side setback: >= 5 feet (Dwellings not exceeding two stories; special corner and orientation rules apply.) · rear setback: >= 10 feet (Exclusive of porches, eaves and the like.)

  “No portion of a house shall be built closer than 20 feet to the front line on the lot, exclusive of porches, eaves and the like.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in Oceana's Residential District.

  maximum height: <= 40 feet (Also limited to three stories.) · maximum stories: <= 3 stories

  “In the Residential District no building shall hereafter be erected or structurally altered to exceed 40 feet or three stories in height.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Oceana or Wyoming County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built construction inside Oceana town limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Oceana town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside Oceana town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings in Oceana's Residential District.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Oceana town limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Oceana means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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