Building permits, zoning and land rules in Greenbrier County, West Virginia

At a glance

Building permit

Required for construction, improvements and demolition¹

Zoning

Applies only inside zoned areas; Planning and Permits makes a determination with every building permit application²

Septic

Health Department approval is required before installation⁵

Private well

Apply before drilling; a certified well driller is required⁶

Accessory dwelling

Allowed with a single-family dwelling where the applicable zoning district permits it⁷

Tiny home

No specific occupancy rule was confirmed; building, zoning and sanitation review still apply¹²⁵

Owner-builder

Personal work can be exempt from contractor licensing, but not from permits or code⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Greenbrier County, West Virginia?

Yes. Greenbrier County requires a permit for construction, improvements to, or demolition of any structure.¹ The county has adopted the West Virginia State Building Code, so covered work is reviewed under that code before construction begins.⁹ Residential projects with more than 2,000 square feet of enclosed space need plans certified by a West Virginia registered design professional.¹⁰

Every building-permit application receives a floodplain determination, and a floodplain project may need an elevation certificate, site and construction plans, or other supporting documents.¹¹

The agricultural exception is narrow: the State Building Code does not apply to structures used primarily for agricultural or agritourism purposes, but the responsible party must submit the exemption question to the Commissioner of Agriculture.¹² Do not assume a barn label alone settles the issue; take the proposed use to Planning and Permits before starting work.

Who issues building permits in Greenbrier County, West Virginia?

The Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office reviews applications, issues building permits, checks the building code, and administers the county floodplain, zoning and subdivision ordinances.¹³ Inspections and reinspections can be scheduled through Cloudpermit or by calling the office.¹³

Applications can be submitted through Cloudpermit.¹⁴ Depending on the project, the county may request building and site plans, a material list, parcel and address information, utility records, septic or well permits, floodplain material, zoning information and construction documents.¹⁴

An owner or occupant may personally perform construction on property the person owns or leases without a West Virginia contractor license, but that licensing exemption does not erase Greenbrier County permits or code requirements.⁸ An applicant who is not subject to contractor licensing must file an affidavit to that effect before the building permit is issued.⁸

Does Greenbrier County, West Virginia have zoning?

Greenbrier County applies its zoning ordinance in mapped zoned areas, and incorporated municipalities may have their own planning commissions and ordinances.¹⁵ Planning and Permits makes a zoning determination with each building-permit application, and a parcel inside a county-zoned area must comply with its specific district.² District schedules regulate uses, lot size, setbacks and building height.¹⁶

The ordinance contains district-specific standards rather than one universal rural-land rule.¹⁶ The schedule states minimum setbacks of 35 feet front, 15 feet side and 30 feet rear, with a combined side setback of at least 60 feet.¹⁷ Residential, Open Space Conservation and Forest Recreation districts list a 40-foot maximum building height.¹⁸ One cited schedule uses minimum lots of 20,000 square feet with public water and sewer, 30,000 square feet with public water but no sewer, and 43,560 square feet without either utility.¹⁹ In the unincorporated Lewisburg and Fort Spring Tax Districts shown on the official zoning map, a single-family home must be at least 20 feet wide at the narrowest point of its first story for a depth of 20 feet, must sit on a permanent foundation, and must be owned together with its land.²⁰ The ordinance charges no fee for zoning permits or floodplain determinations, but a Board of Zoning Appeals application costs $50.²¹ Ask Planning and Permits to identify the parcel's jurisdiction and district before relying on any measurement.

How do septic and well permits work in Greenbrier County?

Greenbrier County Health Department Environmental Health approves and inspects onsite septic systems and water wells.³ Submit a septic application for approval before work begins.⁵ A newly created lot needs a subdivision permit before a septic-installation application can be submitted, and approval requires completed perc-test results plus a Health Department-verified observation hole.²² Septic testing and installation must be done by an installer certified in West Virginia, with the additional certification required for a Class II system.²³

Only about 6.7% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make approval a purchase contingency when public sewer is unavailable.²⁴ Greenbrier County does not treat off-grid sanitation as permit-free: private septic and well permits are required with a building application unless public water and sewer documentation applies.²⁵

For a private well, apply before drilling; a West Virginia-certified driller must perform the work.²⁶

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Greenbrier County?

Greenbrier County's complete rule for living in an RV on private land could not be confirmed. Ask the Planning and Permits Office whether the parcel's zoning district allows RV occupancy, temporary camping or an RV during construction, and ask Environmental Health what approved sanitation arrangement is required.

A tiny home is not automatically outside the permit system: Greenbrier County requires permits for construction or improvements to any structure, reviews zoning with each application, and requires septic approval or public-sewer documentation before issuing permits for new homes.¹² A county rule specifically addressing tiny-home occupancy could not be confirmed, so describe the proposed structure, foundation, utilities and intended use to Planning and Permits.

A single-family dwelling may have an accessory dwelling unit where the applicable zoning district allows it, with building, utility and sanitation rules still applying.⁷ Factory-built and manufactured homes are permitted by right in the Open Space Conservation District, subject to building, zoning, septic and well requirements.²⁷ In the Lewisburg and Fort Spring districts a mobile home is prohibited unless it meets the ordinance's standards and sits in an approved mobile-home park or a qualifying previously approved location.²⁰ Short-term rentals are also district-specific and may require a conditional-use permit, so a permitted dwelling is not automatically cleared for vacation-rental use.²⁸

Building a home in Greenbrier County: what are the steps?

1. Ask Planning and Permits for parcel-specific zoning and floodplain determinations before finalizing the site plan.²¹¹

1. Confirm water and wastewater service. Where public water and sewer are accessible, obtain written service documentation from the applicable utility or municipality; otherwise start the Health Department's septic and well process.²⁹

1. Complete the perc test, observation hole and septic design process before expecting septic approval.²²

1. Assemble the plans, site plan, parcel and address information, utility approvals and any floodplain materials, then file through Cloudpermit.¹⁴

1. Obtain WVDEP stormwater authorization before disturbing one acre or more, including a smaller site that is part of a larger common plan.³⁰

1. Obtain a WVDOH driveway permit for new access to a public road, then schedule county inspections through Cloudpermit or the Planning and Permits Office.³¹¹³

What should you check before buying land in Greenbrier County?

Start with buildability, not the listing description. Ask Planning and Permits to confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zoning district, allowed use, dimensional standards, subdivision status and floodplain location.¹⁵³²¹¹ Land divisions may require Planning Commission review, although the ordinance provides specific exemptions.³²

Make the offer contingent on wastewater feasibility when public sewer is unavailable. Only about 6.7% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, while about 29% of the county's land has a slope of 15% or less.²⁴³³ Those countywide figures are screening signals, not substitutes for the Health Department's site work.

Confirm legal and physical road access, and remember that new access to a public road requires a WVDOH driveway permit.³⁴ Finally, budget from parcel-specific records rather than county medians: the effective property-tax rate is about 0.5%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $640.³⁵³⁶

Watch-outs

• A building permit for a new home or addition will not be issued until the county receives septic approval or documentation of public-sewer coverage.¹
• Zoning is parcel-specific because county zoning applies only in mapped zoned areas and incorporated municipalities may administer their own ordinances.¹⁵²
• RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy, minimum dwelling size and a complete fee schedule remain unconfirmed; ask Planning and Permits before purchase or placement.²

Sources

1. Building Checklist, quoted and re-checked
2. Building Checklist, quoted and re-checked
3. Septic & Water, quoted and re-checked
4. Building Checklist, quoted and re-checked
5. Environmental Health, quoted and re-checked
6. Environmental Health, quoted and re-checked
7. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
8. West Virginia Code §30-42-3. Definitions, quoted and re-checked
9. Building Code, quoted and re-checked
10. Building Code, quoted and re-checked
11. Building Checklist, quoted and re-checked
12. Order Adopting the 2022 State Building Code, quoted and re-checked
13. Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office (greenbrierwv.gov)
14. Planning & Building, quoted and re-checked
15. Planning Commission, quoted and re-checked
16. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
17. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
18. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
19. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
20. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance of May 2003 Revised Edition, quoted and re-checked
21. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance of May 2003 Revised Edition, quoted and re-checked
22. Septic & Water, quoted and re-checked
23. Septic & Water, quoted and re-checked
24. 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
25. Building Code, quoted and re-checked
26. Septic & Water, quoted and re-checked
27. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
28. Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
29. Building Code, quoted and re-checked
30. Construction Stormwater General Permit (West Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
31. dev.greenbrierwv.gov, quoted and re-checked
32. Greenbrier County Subdivision Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
33. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
34. greenbrierwv.gov, quoted and re-checked
35. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
36. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 9, 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.