Administrative overview · FIPS 54039
Kanawha County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
County
This county profile is the primary starting point for unincorporated-area permitting.
Responsible agency
Kanawha County Department of Planning & Development
For a project in or near Kanawha County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
304-357-0570
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
407 Virginia Street East, 2nd Floor, Charleston, WV 25301
Operating hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Review expectation
Ask the agency for its current review estimate
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Kanawha County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Kanawha County Department of Planning & Development is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
How should I begin an application?
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact 304-357-0570 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
A typical review timeline was not verified. Ask the agency for its current completeness and review estimate.
How are inspections scheduled?
Call Planning & Development at 304-357-0570 to coordinate required ordinance and floodplain inspections. Where required in a floodplain, the finished-construction elevation certificate and all prescribed inspections must be completed before a certificate of compliance or utility authorization is issued.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
West Virginia State Building Code, including the 2018 IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IPMC, IEBC, and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code; 2015 IECC; 2017 ICC/ANSI A117.1; 2020 National Electrical Code; and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (2021), with state amendments. Kanawha County also enforces its Floodplain Ordinance effective August 1, 2023, subdivision regulations, and property-maintenance ordinance in unincorporated areas. County guidance requires permits for any new, used, relocated, or placed structure; mobile homes; land clearing or earth disturbance; septic/aeration work; fences; basements; solar projects; specified signs; and remodeling or improvements exceeding 50% of market value. It does not publish a broader cosmetic-work exemption list. State law exempts primarily agricultural/agritourism structures from the State Building Code, and residential storage sheds no larger than 200 square feet without plumbing or electricity are exempt from local code inspection, though the county does not state that such sheds are exempt from its permit requirement.