5 rules for unincorporated Kanawha County, West Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
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, each city's zoning ordinance decides whether you may run a business from home.
W. Va. Code §8A-7-2(b)(1)
Regulating the use of land and designating or prohibiting specific land uses
No county sign rule governs unincorporated Kanawha County home businesses. Where a city zones, the municipal sign code caps home-occupation signs, commonly to one small, non-illuminated nameplate fixed to the dwelling in Charleston, St. Albans, South Charleston, Dunbar, and Nitro.
Kanawha County sets no countywide traffic limit on home businesses. City zoning ordinances in Charleston and neighboring towns keep a home occupation incidental to the home, capping client visits, limiting nonresident employees, and requiring customer parking to stay off the street.
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. Va. Code §19-35-6 exempts these and preempts Kanawha County and its cities from banning them.
W. Va. Code §19-35-6(a)
The production and sale of nonpotentially hazardous foods, when done in conformity with this section and the accompanying legislative rules, are exempt from licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling laws of this state.
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 §49-2-113. Registration brings background checks, a home inspection, and training, not a county permit.
W. Va. Code §49-2-113(d)
Every family day-care home which operates in this state, including family day-care homes approved by the department for receipt of funding, shall obtain a certificate of registration from the department.
See every category we cover for Kanawha County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Kanawha County Ordinance Hub →