Bolthole Index

Cabell County, West Virginia

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington, West Virginia adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, with a city planning office handling zoning review inside city limits1. The city's Inspections & Permits office issues permits for house additions and repairs2. Septic permits for Cabell County addresses come from the Cabell-Huntington Health Department3. Land outside city limits falls under Cabell County instead.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes, the City of Huntington's own ordinance (districts R-1 through I-2 and PUD)1
Zoning review office
City Office of Planning and Zoning4
Building permits
City Inspections & Permits office issues permits for additions and repairs2
R-1 minimum lot
8,400 square feet, 30 feet wide5
R-1 height limit
35 feet for the house, 15 feet for accessory buildings6
Septic and wells
Cabell-Huntington Health Department37

Who to call

Zoning

City of Huntington Office of Planning and Zoning

Zoning map and ordinance, zoning permit and site plan review, floodplain regulations, board of zoning appeals and planning commission

304-696-5540

800 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701

Building permits

City of Huntington Inspections & Permits

Permits for additions and repairs to houses and buildings, plus building, electrical and plumbing inspections, in room 100 at City Hall

304.696.5540

permits@huntingtonwv.gov

800 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701

Septic permits

Cabell-Huntington Health Department - Environmental Health

On-site sewage (septic) system permits and well permits for Cabell County

(304) 523-6483

703 7th Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 25, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Huntington means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Huntington, West Virginia have zoning?

Yes. The City of Huntington adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, with districts running from R-1 through I-2 plus a PUD district1. Cabell County has no countywide zoning ordinance, so the city's ordinance is the zoning that applies inside Huntington8.

In the R-1 single-family district, the minimum lot area is 8,400 square feet5. Principal buildings in R-1 may be up to 35 feet tall, and accessory buildings up to 15 feet6. In R-1, the rear yard must be at least 20 feet and each side yard at least 5 feet9. Lot coverage is capped at 60 percent in R-110. The R-2 district allows smaller lots of 4,800 square feet11.

We could not confirm whether RVs, tiny homes, manufactured homes or accessory dwellings are allowed on a given lot. Ask the planning office, and check the permitted use chart on its page, before you buy.

Do you need a building permit in Huntington, and who issues it?

Inside city limits, the City of Huntington's Inspections & Permits office issues permits for additions and repairs to houses and buildings2. The city says most structural work on houses requires a permit, so inquire before starting work2. Zoning review is separate: Huntington's Office of Planning and Zoning reviews residential and commercial projects against the zoning ordinance, and a zoning permit and site plan application is available on its page12.

We could not confirm the city's permit fees, its certificate of occupancy steps for a new home, or any owner-builder provision. Call Inspections & Permits at the number below. Cabell County's own building permit rule covers new development in the county, and its page does not say it applies inside the city, so confirm which office to use for your parcel13.

How do septic permits work in Huntington?

Septic permits for Cabell County come from the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, not from the city planning or permits offices3. A certified installer performs a percolation test and site evaluation, the owner or installer files an application, and a sanitarian must approve the site before a construction permit is issued14. The installer then calls for a final inspection before the system is covered15.

Whether a new home inside Huntington must connect to public sewer is something we could not confirm. The county permit page asks for septic approval or proof of a sewer tap where sewer service is available16. Ask the health department and the city before you plan a septic system on a city lot.

Wells, floodplain and driveways in Huntington

A permit from the local health department is required before drilling, modifying or abandoning a water well in Cabell County, and wells must be drilled by licensed well drillers7. We could not confirm a separate city well rule.

The planning office also houses the city's floodplain regulations17. In a special flood hazard area, a recreational vehicle must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, or be fully licensed and ready for highway use, or be installed to manufactured-home placement requirements17.

A new driveway onto a West Virginia state highway needs a permit from the Division of Highways, free of charge18. We could not confirm the city's own curb-cut rules.

Building a home in Huntington: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and whether the use you want is allowed, using the permitted use chart and zoning map, then call the Office of Planning and Zoning4.
  2. Submit the zoning permit and site plan application for zoning review12.
  3. Ask Inspections & Permits which building permits and inspections your project needs before work starts2.
  4. If the lot has no sewer, hire a certified installer and apply to the Cabell-Huntington Health Department for septic approval14.
  5. Get a well permit from the health department if you plan to drill7.
  6. Check flood-zone status with the planning office17.

What stays with Cabell County, and what to check before you buy

Land outside Huntington city limits is not covered by the city's zoning1. For unincorporated land, see the Cabell County page. The city's boundary lookup on the planning page shows whether a property lies inside city limits.

Countywide, Cabell County's effective property tax rate is 0.6 percent, and the median property tax bill is $989 a year1920. USDA rates only 3 percent of Cabell County soils as not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so a lot without sewer will likely need a site evaluation or an engineered system21.

West Virginia lets an owner personally doing construction work skip contractor licensing, but that exemption does not waive any building permit or inspection requirement22.

Watch-outs

  • Inside Huntington, we could not confirm rules for RV living, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, manufactured homes or minimum dwelling size; ask the Office of Planning and Zoning before you buy4.
  • Building permit fees and certificate of occupancy steps inside the city were not confirmed; call Inspections & Permits2.
  • Septic and well permits for any Cabell County address, city or not, go through the Cabell-Huntington Health Department3.
  • Within a special flood hazard area, recreational vehicles face a 180-day limit unless licensed and road-ready17.

Sources

  1. City of Huntington - Planning & Zoning (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Huntington Inspections & Permits (cityofhuntington.com)
  3. Permits, quoted and re-checked
  4. City of Huntington Office of Planning and Zoning (cityofhuntington.com)
  5. Huntington, WV Code of Ordinances - Part Thirteen, Planning and Zoning Code (Municode) (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  6. Huntington, WV Code of Ordinances - Part Thirteen, Planning and Zoning Code (Municode) (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  7. cabellhealth.org, quoted and re-checked
  8. Cabell County - Ordinances (2026 county census)
  9. Huntington, WV Code of Ordinances - Part Thirteen, Planning and Zoning Code (Municode) (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  10. Huntington, WV Code of Ordinances - Part Thirteen, Planning and Zoning Code (Municode) (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  11. Huntington, WV Code of Ordinances - Part Thirteen, Planning and Zoning Code (Municode) (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  12. City of Huntington - Planning & Zoning (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  13. Permits, quoted and re-checked
  14. Sewage, quoted and re-checked
  15. Sewage, quoted and re-checked
  16. cabellcounty.org, quoted and re-checked
  17. Huntington, WV Code of Ordinances - Part Thirteen, Planning and Zoning Code (Municode) (Huntington), quoted and re-checked
  18. Encroachment Permits (West Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  22. West Virginia Code §30-42-6. Necessity for license; exemptions (West Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 25, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Huntington

Huntington’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Huntington city limits: Huntington city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Part Thirteen, Planning and Zoning Code, Chapters Three to Nine; zoning districts R-1 through I-2 and PUD).

    • The city planning office administers the zoning ordinance and the zoning map.
    • Land outside the city limits is not covered by this claim.
    “the office of planning and zoning houses information on the zoning map and ordinances, geographic information systems (gis) and floodplain regulations.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts of Huntington city, including R-1 and R-2 residential districts

    • The permitted-use chart is a city-published excerpt of the zoning ordinance (Article 1320); district dimensions are in the Municode code.
    “to see a list of uses permitted within each zoning district, please view the permitted use chart (excerpt from zoning ordinance)”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-1 district (single-family residential, low density, five to nine units per acre) inside Huntington city limits

    • Applies to lots in the R-1 district; the R-2 district has a separate minimum (see the R-2 claim).
    • Exception: a single-family dwelling may be located on a deficient lot if the lot was a single parcel in single ownership of record in the Cabell or Wayne county clerk's office at the time of the zoning ordinance, with documentation required by the planning director (Article 1341, paragraph b).
    • Lot width minimum 30 feet, no maximum.

    minimum lot area: >= 8400 square feet (deficient pre-existing lots: see condition) · minimum lot width: >= 30 feet

    “1321.02 - development requirements. r-1 district r-2 district lot lot area (min) 8,400 sf 4,800 sf lot width (min/max) 30'/none 30'/100' lot coverage (max) 60% 70%”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-1 district inside Huntington city limits

    • Front yard is a prevailing setback (see section 1315.06.b), or where less than 25% of combined lot widths facing a block have principal structures, 20% to 50% of lot depth.
    • Side yards: 20% of lot width total, 5 feet minimum each side (see also section 1315.06.6).
    • Rear yard: 20 feet minimum.
    • Accessory buildings: the table does not list an accessory setback in the excerpt opened.

    minimum rear yard: >= 20 feet · minimum side yard each side: >= 5 feet (minimum total side yards 20% of lot width)

    “side yards (min total/min each side) 20% of lot width/5'. see also section 1315.06.6 20% of lot width/5'. see also section 1315.06.6 rear yard (min) 20' 20'”
  • Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-1 district inside Huntington city limits

    • Building coverage maximum in R-1 is 40 percent per the same table.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 60 percent · maximum building coverage: <= 40 percent

    “lot coverage (max) 60% 70% building coverage (max) 40% 60%”
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-1 district inside Huntington city limits

    • Principal buildings: 2 1/2 stories or 35 feet maximum.
    • Accessory buildings: 15 feet maximum.

    maximum building height, principal: <= 35 feet (also limited to 2 1/2 stories) · maximum building height, accessory: <= 15 feet

    “building height, principal uses (max) 2½ stories/35' building height, accessory buildings (max) 15'”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Development and recreational vehicle placement inside a special flood hazard area in Huntington city

    • Recreational vehicles in a special flood hazard area must be on site for fewer than 180 consecutive days, or be fully licensed and ready for highway use, or be installed to manufactured-home placement requirements.
    • Subject to the city floodplain ordinance and floodplain administrator; the planning page says the office houses floodplain regulations.

    recreational vehicle maximum days on site in special flood hazard area: < 180 days (or fully licensed and ready for highway use)

    “recreational vehicles to be placed within any special flood hazard area shall either: a. be on site for fewer than 180 consecutive days, or b. be fully licensed and ready for highway use.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Zoning permit and site plan review for projects inside Huntington city limits

    • The planning page provides a zoning permit and site plan application and says to contact the office for zoning review.
    • Building permit, inspection and fee steps are not described in the excerpt opened.
    “permitting the office of planning and zoning provides permit and plan review for both commercial and residential projects within the city of huntington.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Huntington or Cabell County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Huntington city limits
  • Inspections — Inspections for new construction inside Huntington city limits
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new dwelling inside Huntington city limits
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for a single-family home in the R-1 district inside Huntington city limits
  • Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Huntington city limits
13 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Huntington publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Cabell County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Cabell County: county rules, score and offices