Kanawha County and its cities require dogs to be leashed or controlled off the owner's property, licensed through the county, and current on rabies shots. West Virginia law (WV Code §19-20A-2) makes rabies vaccination mandatory for every dog and cat.
Dogs in Charleston and across Kanawha County must be leashed or under control when off the owner's property; at-large dogs may be impounded by animal control, run locally through the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association. West Virginia requires every dog to be licensed, and the county assessor assesses the dog head tax, collected with proof of a current rabies shot. State law, WV Code §19-20A-2, requires rabies vaccination for all dogs and cats on a set schedule. Owners are liable for bites and damage. In the wooded hollows, leashing also keeps dogs clear of deer, bear, and other wildlife.
A dog at large or unlicensed draws citations and impound plus boarding fees. Letting a dog's rabies vaccination lapse violates state law, and a bite exposes the owner to civil liability.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kanawha County, WV
Kanawha County does not regulate holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays on private property, and West Virginia has no state holiday-display law. No co...
Kanawha County, WV
Temporary garage-sale signs are generally fine on your own property. Unincorporated Kanawha County barely regulates them; cities apply their zoning sign code...
Kanawha County, WV
Political signs are allowed on private property across Kanawha County. Unincorporated areas have little sign regulation; Charleston's zoning code governs sig...
Kanawha County, WV
West Virginia has no statewide rental license, and unincorporated Kanawha County runs no rental registry. Programs are municipal: West Virginia Code §8-12-16...
Kanawha County, WV
West Virginia has no just-cause eviction law, and Kanawha County cannot add one. A landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with a full period's notice under §...
Kanawha County, WV
Neither Kanawha County nor Charleston can impose rent control. West Virginia is a Dillon's Rule state, and the Legislature has never granted local government...
See how Kanawha County's dog leash laws rules stack up against other locations.
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