Kanawha County imposes no sidewalk snow-clearing duty on unincorporated property owners, and maintains few sidewalks outside the towns. The real duty is municipal: Charleston and the other cities require owners to clear the abutting walk — a serious matter on the valley's steep, icy streets.
There is no county ordinance requiring owners in unincorporated Kanawha County to shovel, and little continuous sidewalk exists outside the cities. The duty sits inside city limits. Charleston, like most West Virginia cities, requires the owner or occupant to keep the sidewalk abutting their property clear of snow and ice, generally within about 12 hours after the snow stops, and to treat ice that cannot be removed. This matters here: Charleston, South Charleston, St. Albans and Dunbar sit on steep grades where icy sidewalks and hills are genuinely dangerous. Inside a city, check that city's code for its exact deadline; in the unincorporated county, no shoveling citation applies.
No county citation exists for an uncleared sidewalk in unincorporated Kanawha County. Inside a city, failing to clear draws a fine and possible city clear-and-bill, plus slip-and-fall liability on the valley's steep walks.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Charleston, WV
West Virginia Senate Bill 167, enacted in 2017, prohibits sanctuary policies. Charleston cannot adopt rules barring police cooperation with federal immigrati...
Charleston, WV
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...
Charleston, WV
Charleston levies a business and occupation gross receipts tax under Chapter 10 of the City Code, with rates that vary by business classification such as ret...
Charleston, WV
Charleston has not adopted a hotel worker retention ordinance like those in some larger cities. Hotel sales or change-of-control transactions in Charleston f...
Charleston, WV
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 p...
Charleston, WV
Charleston enforces loud party rules through the city noise ordinance and disorderly conduct provisions in Chapter 24, with stronger response near East End r...
See how Charleston's snow & sidewalk clearing rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.