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.
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 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.