Pop. 46,536 · Kanawha County
Charleston regulates dangerous and vicious dogs based on behavior rather than breed. Dogs that bite or attack may be declared dangerous after a hearing, triggering muzzle, confinement, and liability-insurance requirements under Chapter 6.
Charleston Chapter 6 prohibits dogs from running at large within city limits, requiring owners to keep dogs leashed or confined on private property. Animals running loose may be impounded by the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association under the city contract.
Charleston does not have a comprehensive wildlife feeding ban, but feeding deer or bears that creates a public nuisance can be cited under general nuisance provisions. State Division of Natural Resources rules also discourage feeding wildlife near urban areas.
Charleston restricts open burning under Chapter 16, prohibiting trash and refuse burning within city limits and limiting recreational fires to small contained pits. The Charleston Fire Department and WV Division of Forestry both regulate seasonal burn restrictions.
Charleston requires property owners to maintain lots free of overgrown brush, dry weeds, and accumulated combustible debris that can fuel fires or attract pests. Code enforcement under Chapter 32 and Chapter 40 issues abatement orders for noncompliant properties.
West Virginia legalized consumer fireworks in 2016, and Charleston permits sales and use during state-defined periods such as around July 4 and New Years Eve. The Charleston Fire Department enforces local time restrictions and prohibits use that creates fire risk.
Charleston allows residential fire pits for recreational use when contained, properly distanced from structures, and using only clean firewood or charcoal. The Charleston Fire Code follows state IFC adoptions and may impose drought-period bans.
Charleston follows the West Virginia State Fire Code (adopted IFC) for residential propane storage, generally limiting unprotected portable cylinders on porches and inside structures. Larger tanks require setbacks from buildings and property lines.
West Virginia Code Chapter 20 Article 3 establishes Division of Forestry authority over wildfire protection statewide, imposing strict liability for fire suppression costs and uniform restrictions in all forested areas regardless of locality.
Short-term rental guests in Charleston must follow the city general noise ordinance and quiet-hour standards in residential zones. STR hosts are responsible for guest conduct and may face escalating fines for repeat noise complaints.
Charleston requires short-term rental operators to obtain a city business license under Chapter 10 and remit hotel occupancy tax. Listings on Airbnb or Vrbo must register with the city before accepting guests.
Short-term rental operators in Charleston must collect 6 percent city hotel occupancy tax on every booking under 30 nights, in addition to the 6 percent West Virginia hotel tax, and remit monthly to the Finance Department.
Charleston short-term rentals must comply with building code occupancy limits and zoning density rules. The International Building Code adopted under Chapter 8 limits sleepers based on bedroom count and square footage in residential dwellings.
Charleston short-term rental operators should provide off-street parking consistent with zoning code Chapter 42 standards for the underlying residential use, since on-street parking may be limited especially in East End historic blocks.
Charleston does not impose a city-mandated insurance minimum for short-term rentals, but operators should carry commercial liability coverage since standard homeowner policies typically exclude transient business use of the dwelling.
West Virginia Code §19-35 establishes statewide cottage food rules allowing home producers to sell non-potentially hazardous foods directly to consumers without commercial kitchen licensing, preempting most local food-handling permit requirements for qualifying products.
West Virginia Code §49-2-114 and Bureau for Family Assistance regulations establish statewide licensing and registration tiers for in-home child care, preempting local efforts to impose conflicting child care operating standards on family providers.
West Virginia Code §22-15 and 45CSR6 set statewide composting and open burning standards. Residential backyard composting is exempt from solid waste permits, but open burning is regulated and largely prohibited.
West Virginia state law imposes no restrictions on residential rainwater harvesting. Collection of rainwater for non-potable uses is universally legal, with state agencies actively encouraging rain barrel programs.
West Virginia Code §61-3-48 establishes statewide treble damages liability for unauthorized cutting, damaging, or removal of trees, timber, and growing plants from another person's land without written permission.
West Virginia regulates public swimming pools, spas, and bathing places under the Public Bathing Places Act. State rules require enclosure barriers, self-closing gates, and depth markings around regulated pools. Private residential pool fencing is governed by local building codes.
West Virginia's Public Bathing Places Act and Bureau for Public Health rules set statewide safety standards for public pools and spas, covering water quality, lifeguard requirements, rescue equipment, signage, and operational permits. These standards apply uniformly to all regulated facilities.
Charleston Code Chapter 20 housing standards require landlords to maintain rental units free of rodent and insect infestations. Tenants share responsibility for sanitation, and code enforcement can require professional treatment for serious infestations.
Charleston elevators are regulated under West Virginia state elevator-safety laws administered by the Division of Labor, requiring annual inspections, certified mechanics, and posted certificates. Building owners must remediate defects promptly to keep units in service.
Charleston follows federal HUD and EPA RRP rules for lead-based paint in pre-1978 housing, requiring disclosure on sale or rental and certified contractors for renovations. West Virginia Bureau for Public Health administers state-level inspection programs.
Charleston follows the West Virginia State Building Code which adopts the International Building Code and International Fire Code, mandating fire sprinklers in most new commercial and multi-family buildings. Single-family homes are generally exempt under WV adoption.
Charleston construction projects using scaffolding and sidewalk encroachments must obtain right-of-way permits from the city and follow OSHA and WV state safety standards. Pedestrian protections such as canopies and covered walkways are required for downtown work.
Charleston operates a rental property inspection and registration program under Chapter 20 (Housing) requiring landlords to register units, pay an annual fee, and pass periodic inspections to ensure habitability and code compliance.
West Virginia Code 37-6A sets statewide security deposit rules. Charleston landlords must return deposits within 60 days after tenancy ends with an itemized statement of any deductions for damages beyond ordinary wear and tear.
Charleston has no rent control ordinance and West Virginia has no statewide rent stabilization framework. Landlords may set initial rents and adjust at lease renewal subject only to lease terms and notice periods.
The Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority administers Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) for income-eligible renters. Source-of-income discrimination is not banned by Charleston or WV, so landlord participation in the voucher program is voluntary.
Charleston and West Virginia do not require just cause for eviction. Landlords may decline to renew at lease end with proper notice, or terminate month-to-month tenancies with one months written notice for any non-discriminatory reason.
Charleston has no dedicated tenant anti-harassment ordinance. Tenants must rely on WV Code 37-6-30 anti-retaliation provisions, common-law claims like nuisance and trespass, and federal Fair Housing Act protections to address landlord harassment.
Charleston regulates obstruction of sidewalks and public ways under Chapter 24 (Offenses Against Public Conduct) and Chapter 34 (Streets and Sidewalks), prohibiting blocking pedestrian passage but does not impose a 24-hour blanket sit-lie ban.
Charleston is served by the Kanawha Valley Collective Continuum of Care led in part by Roark-Sullivan Lifeway Center, with shelter beds at Union Mission, YWCA Sojourners Shelter, Bartlett-Burdette-Cox, and other partners coordinating intake and rapid rehousing.
Charleston coordinates with the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and Public Works to clean encampments on public property. Notice is typically posted before removal, and recovered personal property is stored for retrieval before disposal.
Charleston restricts harm-reduction syringe services through a 2018 ordinance requiring participants to show ID and limiting one-for-one exchange. The rules followed concerns about discarded needles in public spaces.
Charleston landlords must address bed bug infestations as a habitability and pest control issue under city property maintenance and state landlord-tenant duties. Tenants should report infestations promptly to preserve remedies.
Charleston restaurants are inspected by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department under West Virginia Bureau for Public Health food establishment rules. Inspection results are public, and serious violations can trigger closure until corrected.
Charleston property owners must keep premises free of rodent harborage. The city and Kanawha-Charleston Health Department can order abatement when garbage storage, debris, or structural conditions support rat infestations.
Charleston has no mandate requiring corner stores to stock fresh produce, but city and county partners run voluntary healthy food retail and food desert programs in underserved West Side and East End neighborhoods.
Charleston food workers must follow West Virginia food code rules requiring at least one certified food protection manager per establishment. There is no separate Charleston-specific food handler card requirement.
Medical cannabis dispensaries in Charleston operate under West Virginia Code Chapter 16A and city zoning that restricts locations relative to schools and churches. Recreational cannabis remains illegal statewide.
West Virginia law prohibits personal cannabis cultivation, including by registered medical cannabis patients. Only state-licensed growers may cultivate cannabis, and Charleston enforces this state ban locally.
Charleston enforces buffer distances between medical cannabis dispensaries and sensitive uses such as schools, churches, parks, and daycares, layered on top of West Virginia state buffer rules under Chapter 16A.
West Virginia Code §16A and Chapter 60A categorically prohibit home cultivation of cannabis, even by registered medical patients, preempting any local rule that would attempt to authorize personal grows in homes or accessory structures.
West Virginia raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco and vape products to 21 under W. Va. Code 16-9A-1, aligning with federal Tobacco 21 law. Charleston retailers must verify ID for any apparent buyer under 30.
Charleston vape shops follow West Virginia retailer rules including age 21 minimum, signage, and product registration. The city imposes no separate vape retail license beyond the standard business license and state tobacco rules.
Charleston and West Virginia have not banned flavored tobacco or flavored vape products. Menthol cigarettes and flavored e-liquids remain legal for sale to adults 21 and over.
Charleston requires erosion and sediment controls on all land-disturbing activities, with WV DEP construction stormwater permits triggered above one acre, plus enhanced controls on the steep hillsides typical of the Kanawha Valley.
Charleston operates a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) under WV DEP permit, requiring property owners to control runoff and prohibiting illicit discharges into storm drains throughout the Kanawha River watershed.
Properties along the Kanawha and Elk Rivers fall within FEMA-mapped flood zones, requiring elevation certificates, flood-resistant construction, and city floodplain permits before building, substantial improvement, or fill placement.
Charleston relies primarily on state air-quality rules rather than a strict municipal idling cap, but excessive engine idling near schools, hospitals, or residences can trigger nuisance enforcement under Chapter 24 conduct provisions.
Charleston has not adopted a binding climate-emergency declaration and operates within a state economy still tied to coal extraction, but the city pursues energy efficiency and flood-resilience steps under Imagine Charleston 2017.
West Virginia regulates land grading and drainage through DEP construction stormwater rules in WV Code §22-11, surface mining and oil-and-gas earthwork rules in §22-3 and §22-6A, and statewide building code adoption under §29-3-5b.
Drinking water service in Charleston is supplied by WV American Water, a private utility regulated by the WV Public Service Commission, so leak reports go to the utility rather than the city for hydrant, main, and service-line issues.
Charleston has no permanent calendar-based irrigation restriction because the humid Kanawha Valley rarely faces severe drought, but WV American Water can request voluntary or mandatory cutbacks during declared emergencies.
Charleston imposes no restriction on plastic straws. Restaurants may distribute straws freely, with no upon-request rule or material requirement under city or state law.
Charleston has no plastic bag ban, and West Virginia law under W. Va. Code 22-15-3 partially limits the ability of municipalities to enact bag fees or bans on auxiliary containers, leaving the city largely without authority.
Charleston imposes no ban on polystyrene foam food service containers. Restaurants and food trucks may freely use foam clamshells, cups, and plates without city restriction.
Imagine Charleston, adopted in 2017, is the city's guiding land-use document and shapes Title 42 zoning amendments, capital investment, and neighborhood planning for the Kanawha Valley capital city.
Title 42 of the Charleston Code includes mixed-use and infill provisions that can support higher-density projects in downtown and corridor districts, though Charleston does not operate a formal statutory density bonus like coastal-state cities.
Charleston's steep terrain prompts enhanced grading, drainage, and slope-stability review for hillside lots under Title 42, with attention to landslide history and stormwater discharge into the Kanawha and Elk Rivers.
Charleston has not adopted a comprehensive shared-scooter ordinance, and dockless fleets are not currently operating downtown, while privately owned e-scooters must follow general WV traffic rules.
Charleston has expanded bicycle infrastructure over the last decade, including the Kanawha River Boulevard trail and on-street lanes, with motor vehicles required to give safe passing distance under West Virginia state law.
Chapter 40 of the Charleston Code, the city's Tree Code, regulates removal and pruning of trees in public rights-of-way and city parks, with private-property removals largely unregulated outside historic districts.
When a Charleston street tree is removed for hazard, disease, or development, Chapter 40 supports replacement planting to maintain the urban canopy along Capitol Street, riverfront, and neighborhood corridors.
Charleston does not maintain a formal heritage-tree registry with binding protections like some West Coast cities, but Chapter 40 allows the Tree Commission to identify and prioritize notable specimens for preservation in public spaces.
Secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers in Charleston must hold a city business license and report transactions to law enforcement under Charleston Code provisions and West Virginia secondhand dealer reporting laws.
Charleston tattoo and body piercing studios must hold a city business and occupation license and comply with West Virginia body piercing and tattoo studio regulations enforced by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.
Charleston tobacco retailers must obtain a city business license under Chapter 10 and comply with West Virginia state tobacco licensing rules, including the statewide age-21 minimum sales age set by W. Va. Code Section 16-9A-1.
Charleston pawnbrokers must hold both a city business license and a state pawnbroker license, observe state interest rate caps, and comply with city secondhand reporting and inspection rules.
Massage establishments operating in Charleston must hold a Charleston business license and individual practitioners must hold a West Virginia Massage Therapy Licensure Board credential to lawfully operate within the city.
Charleston prohibits open containers of alcohol on public streets, sidewalks, and parks under Chapter 24, with exceptions for licensed special events such as designated outdoor refreshment areas downtown.
Charleston Code Chapter 24 on offenses against public order treats public urination and defecation as a public nuisance and disorderly conduct subject to citation, fines, and possible municipal jail time.
Charleston enforces loud party rules through the city noise ordinance and disorderly conduct provisions in Chapter 24, with stronger response near East End residential areas and student housing.
Charleston regulates aggressive panhandling under Chapter 24, prohibiting threatening conduct, blocking pedestrians, and solicitation at ATMs, bus stops, and outdoor dining areas while protecting passive expressive begging.
Charleston follows the Kanawha-Charleston Clean Indoor Air Regulation prohibiting smoking in indoor public places and many outdoor patios, plus state restrictions on smoking near public building entrances.
Charleston cannot set its own minimum wage above the West Virginia rate of 8.75 dollars per hour set by W. Va. Code Section 21-5C-2. State law preempts local minimum wage ordinances entirely.
West Virginia has no statewide private-sector paid sick leave mandate, and local governments have limited authority to impose paid leave on private employers.
West Virginia has no statewide predictive scheduling law and no broadly recognized authority for cities to impose fair workweek mandates.
Charleston has not adopted a hotel worker retention ordinance like those in some larger cities. Hotel sales or change-of-control transactions in Charleston follow at-will employment rules under West Virginia law.
Charleston hotel guests pay a 6 percent city hotel occupancy tax under W. Va. Code Chapter 7 plus a 6 percent state consumer sales tax, totaling roughly 12 percent on transient lodging in the city.
West Virginia Senate Bill 167, enacted in 2017, prohibits sanctuary policies. Charleston cannot adopt rules barring police cooperation with federal immigration authorities and must comply with state anti-sanctuary requirements.
West Virginia does not impose a universal statewide E-Verify mandate on private employers, leaving federal law and limited public contracting rules to govern verification.
Commercial drone operations in West Virginia require FAA Part 107 remote pilot certification under federal law, with state criminal statutes in WV Code §61-16 adding limits on weaponization, surveillance, and interference with critical operations.
Recreational drone flight in West Virginia is governed primarily by FAA Part 107 and recreational flyer rules, with state law adding criminal restrictions under WV Code §61-16 against weaponized drones, voyeurism, and interference with first responders.
West Virginia allows permitless concealed carry for adults aged 21 and older and issues optional shall-issue permits for reciprocity and federal purposes.
West Virginia broadly preempts municipal and county firearm regulation under W. Va. Code 8-12-5a, leaving most lawmaking authority to the Legislature.
West Virginia generally permits open carry of firearms by lawful adults without a license, subject to location-based restrictions in state law.
West Virginia allows lawful adults to carry firearms in their motor vehicles without a permit, consistent with the state's permitless carry law and broad preemption of local rules.
West Virginia limits local zoning that would restrict bona fide agricultural uses, working alongside the Right to Farm Act in W. Va. Code 19-19.
The West Virginia Right to Farm Act in W. Va. Code 19-19 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors.
West Virginia Code Chapter 22 Article 15A prohibits illegal dumping and littering of bulk items statewide, requiring large or hazardous waste be disposed at permitted facilities, with uniform enforcement and substantial penalties applied across all counties.
West Virginia Code Chapter 22C Article 4 requires every household and business in the state to subscribe to or use approved solid waste disposal services, with statewide enforcement through the Solid Waste Management Board and county authorities.
West Virginia Code Chapter 22 Article 15A Section 18 establishes statewide recycling goals and authorizes the Recycling Assistance Program, with mandatory municipal recycling for cities over ten thousand population applied uniformly under state law.