Unincorporated Kanawha County sets no short-term-rental occupancy cap; the practical limit is the dwelling's septic and building capacity. Charleston ties occupancy to bedroom count and building standards through its STR permit.
The county has no STR ordinance, so it imposes no head-count limit on rentals in unincorporated areas; the real ceilings are the home's building code capacity and, on the private wells and septic systems common outside city sewer, the system's design load. Charleston, through its Short-Term Rental Permit and building standards, effectively caps occupancy by bedroom count and safety code. Whatever the setting, hosts should state an accurate maximum in the listing and enforce it, since overcrowding is what turns into the noise, parking, and trash complaints that draw enforcement.
Outside city limits there's no county occupancy citation, though overcrowding that creates a nuisance can draw complaints. In Charleston, exceeding permit occupancy can lead to permit review or revocation.
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 occupancy limits rules stack up against other locations.
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