Short-term rental permit rules in Kanawha County, WV — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Unincorporated Kanawha County has no short-term-rental permit chapter, so an STR outside city limits operates under general rules. Charleston, by contrast, requires a Short-Term Rental Permit, a city business license, and a safety inspection.
The rules split sharply by location. In unincorporated Kanawha County there is no dedicated STR ordinance, so a whole-home rental outside a municipality isn't specially licensed or capped by the county. The City of Charleston, a WV Municipal Home Rule participant, is stricter: hosts must obtain a Short-Term Rental Permit plus a city business license, provide proof of ownership, insurance, and a local contact, and pass a safety inspection, with annual renewal. Zoning determines whether an address qualifies. St. Albans, South Charleston, Dunbar, and Nitro set their own rules, so confirm requirements with the specific city before listing.
Outside city limits there's no county STR permit to violate. In Charleston, operating without the required permit and business license draws city code enforcement and can bar you from continuing to list.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kanawha County, WV
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See how Kanawha County's permit requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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