Kanawha County, WV Ordinances (2026)

Abandoned and inoperative vehicles in Kanawha County are handled under West Virginia's abandoned-motor-vehicle law, W. Va. Code §17-24A. A vehicle counts as abandoned once it sits over…

In unincorporated Kanawha County there's no decibel code or fixed quiet hours; the Sheriff enforces West Virginia's disorderly-conduct law, W. Va. Code §61-6-1b, against unreasonably…

Amplified music in unincorporated Kanawha County has no decibel cap, but the Sheriff can treat loud sound intended to annoy neighbors as disorderly conduct under W. Va. Code §61-6-1b…

A short-term stay in Kanawha County owes West Virginia's 6% consumers sales tax plus a 6% hotel occupancy tax, levied by the county in unincorporated areas and by Charleston and other…

Short-term-rental guests in unincorporated Kanawha County follow the same noise law as everyone: the Sheriff-enforced disorderly-conduct statute, W. Va. Code §61-6-1b. Charleston…

Outdoor burning is legal in Kanawha County, but West Virginia's forest-fire seasons confine it to 5 p.m.–7 a.m. each spring and fall, and burning household trash is banned statewide…

Consumer fireworks are legal statewide for adults 18 and older under West Virginia's 2016 Fireworks Safety Act, but the City of Charleston limits discharge to a handful of holidays and…

Backyard fire pits are legal across Kanawha County with no county permit, but during West Virginia's spring and fall forest-fire seasons even a small warming or cooking fire must sit…

Kanawha County sets no defensible-space mandate, but if you burn cleared brush you must follow West Virginia's forest-fire-season rules: a 10-foot safety strip around the fire and the…

West Virginia does not preempt local breed bans, so a city may adopt breed rules. Charleston and Kanawha County rely mainly on conduct-based dangerous-dog law under WV Code §19-20-20…

Beekeeping thrives across Kanawha County's wooded hollows and wildflower slopes. West Virginia law (WV Code §19-13-4) requires every beekeeper to register colonies with the state…

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…

Unincorporated Kanawha County requires a building permit from the Planning & Community Development Department before installing a swimming pool. The county enforces the West Virginia…

No county bulk-item route serves unincorporated Kanawha County. Arrange large-item pickup through your hauler or haul to the WM transfer station and landfill. Illegal dumping in the…

Kanawha County runs no countywide curbside trash service. West Virginia law requires every household to subscribe to a hauler or prove lawful disposal. Charleston and the other cities…

West Virginia has no household recycling mandate for most residents, but state law requires its larger cities to run curbside recycling. In Kanawha County that reaches Charleston, St…

Flash flooding is West Virginia's defining hazard. Kanawha County enforces FEMA floodplain standards, and a floodplain development permit is required before building or filling in a…

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 §37-6-5, then files a…

West Virginia has no statewide rental license, and unincorporated Kanawha County runs no rental registry. Programs are municipal: West Virginia Code §8-12-16c lets cities register…

Political signs are allowed on private property across Kanawha County. Unincorporated areas have little sign regulation; Charleston's zoning code governs signs inside the city. Placing…

West Virginia lets you sell non-potentially-hazardous homemade foods, breads, cakes, candies, jams, honey, dried produce, direct to consumers with no license, permit, or inspection. W…

A family child care home in Kanawha County, four to six children, must hold a certificate of registration from the state, now the WV Department of Human Services, under W. Va. Code…

Kanawha County has not adopted countywide zoning, so no county home-occupation permit exists for unincorporated areas. In Charleston, St. Albans, South Charleston, Dunbar, and Nitro…

Parks across Kanawha County close after dark, whether run by the county, the City of Charleston, or the state. Staying past posted hours is a trespass under W. Va. Code 61-3B-3 once…

Growing cannabis at home is illegal everywhere in Kanawha County. West Virginia allows medical cannabis only, and even registered patients cannot cultivate. Growing any plant is…

Medical cannabis dispensaries are legal and operating in the Kanawha County area, licensed by the WV Office of Medical Cannabis. State law bars any dispensary within 1,000 feet of a…

Two layers apply in Kanawha County. Charleston and neighboring cities order weeds and overgrowth cut at 10 inches under nuisance codes, while noxious species like multiflora rose fall…

In unincorporated Kanawha County, a foundation-built tiny home is a dwelling under the West Virginia State Building Code, while a tiny home on wheels is treated like an RV or mobile…

Unincorporated Kanawha County requires a building permit to place any structure, so even a small shed technically needs one: broader than the State Building Code's 200-square-foot…

West Virginia has no residential shared-cost fence statute, so no one can force a Kanawha County neighbor to split a boundary fence. On rural land, WV Code §19-17 governs partition…

Rooftop solar in Kanawha County needs building and electrical permits plus a utility interconnection agreement. West Virginia guarantees net metering through the Public Service…