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

Weston’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures within Weston corporate limits.

  • The adopted code is the then-current West Virginia State Building Code dated August 1, 2020, as amended; later state amendments modify the city code immediately.
  • City ordinance also supplements the State Building Code.

  “There is hereby adopted by the Common Council for the purpose of establishing rules and regulations for the construction, alteration, removal, demolition, equipment, use and occupancy, location, and maintenance of buildings and structures situated within corporate limits of the city that certain building code, being the most current version of the West Virginia State Building Code, dated August 1, 2020, as amended”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Weston city limits.

  • Chapter 157 provides city zoning administration and zoning permits.

  “No building or structure shall be constructed, erected, expanded, enlarged, or otherwise structurally altered until a zoning permit has been issued by the Zoning Officer.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Weston city limits.

  • Districts include C-1 General Commercial, HO1 and HO2 Historic Overlays, MH Manufactured Home Neighborhood, MU Mixed-Use, NC Neighborhood Commercial, P Parks, R-1 Single-Family Residential, and R-2 Multi-Family Residential.

  “For the purpose of this code, the city is hereby divided into the following zoning districts.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Accessory structures used as dwellings inside Weston city limits.

  • Exception: one caretaker residential unit may be permitted with an active industrial establishment.
  • The prohibition is subject to other provisions of the code.

  “Except as provided elsewhere in this code, no accessory structure shall be constructed and used as a dwelling; provided, however, that one residential unit for a caretaker may be permitted in conjunction with any active industrial establishment.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private/off-grid wastewater disposal inside Weston city limits.

  • The ban states an exception for subsequent Chapter 52 provisions.
  • Where public sewer is within 100 feet of the property line and the statutory locational conditions are met, direct connection is required after notice.

  “Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of wastewater.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Occupied, employed, recreational, or other properties inside Weston city limits that abut a public-sewer street, alley, or right-of-way.

  • Connection is required at owner expense within 90 days after official notice.
  • The public sewer must be within 100 feet (80.50 meters) of the property line.

  public sewer distance from property line: <= 100 feet (Connection condition stated by § 52.02(D).) · connection deadline after official notice: <= 90 days

  “The owner(s) of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes, situated within the city and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary or combined sewer of the city, is hereby required at the owner’s expense to install suitable toilet facilities herein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, within 90 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that the public sewer is within 100 feet ((80.50) meters) of the property line.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  City residential or commercial building-sewer permits inside Weston city limits.

  • The stated $150 tap fee may be replaced by another amount deemed appropriate by the Municipal Court.
  • Fee is payable when the application is filed.

  residential or commercial building-sewer permit tap fee: 150 USD (Or other amount deemed appropriate by the Municipal Court.) · industrial building-sewer permit tap fee: 150 USD (Or other amount deemed appropriate by the Municipal Court.)

  “A tap fee of $150, or other amount deemed appropriate by the Municipal Court, for a residential or commercial building sewer permit and a tap fee of $150, or other amount deemed appropriate by the Municipal Court, for an industrial building sewer permit shall be paid to the city at the time the applications are filed.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permits for construction and city building-sewer connection permits inside Weston city limits.

  • Zoning application must be written, filed by owner or authorized agent, state proposed use, and include the prescribed scaled plan.
  • Sewer connection requires written superintendent permit and the city form, with pertinent supplemental material as determined by the superintendent.

  “All applications for zoning permits shall be made in writing by the owner of the property or lot or the owner’s authorized agent and shall be filed with the Zoning Officer.”

Rules another office applies inside Weston

Weston does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeNone (with conditions)

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District.

  • R-1 still requires a 40-foot minimum lot width and other stated district controls.

  minimum lot size: No minimum · minimum lot width: >= 40 feet

  “Min. Lot Size (Sq. Ft.) No minimum Min. Lot Width. 40 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District.

  • Front setback is 10 feet or the average of two adjoining properties with pre-existing structures, whichever is less.
  • Rear setback has no minimum.

  front setback: 10 feet (Or the average of the two adjoining properties with pre-existing structures, whichever is less.) · side setback: 5 feet · rear setback: No minimum

  “Min. Front Setback 10 feet, or the average of the two adjoining properties which have pre-existing structures, whichever is less Min. Side Setback 5 feet Min. Rear Setback No minimum”

• Lot coverageNone (with conditions)

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District.

  • Other R-1 dimensional controls remain applicable.

  maximum lot coverage: No maximum

  “Min. Lot Width. 40 feet Max. Lot Coverage (as a %) No maximum Min. Front Setback”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “Lot, yard, and height requirements. Max. Building Height 35 feet Min. Lot Size (Sq. Ft.)”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Weston city limits.
• Inspections — Building construction inside Weston city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside Weston city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District.
• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Weston city limits.

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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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