Just cause eviction rules in Kanawha County, WV — sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances — list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
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 wrongful-occupation petition under §55-3A; only a judge can order removal.
No West Virginia statute makes a landlord prove cause before ending a tenancy. Under §37-6-5 either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with one full rental period's written notice, and a fixed-term lease simply expires. To remove a holdover or non-paying tenant, the landlord files a verified petition for wrongful occupation of residential rental property under §55-3A-1 in Kanawha County magistrate or circuit court. Kanawha County cannot impose just-cause, relocation pay, or a good-cause defense; West Virginia grants it no such power. Self-help eviction, such as changing locks or cutting utilities, is illegal, and the court process is the tenant's protection. Deposits return under §37-6A.
A landlord who locks out a tenant or shuts off utilities instead of using the court commits an illegal self-help eviction and faces damages. Skipping the required notice gets the petition dismissed.
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