Building permits, RV rules and septic in the Town of Marlinton, West Virginia

At a glance

Building permit

Required inside town limits; apply to the building inspector before work starts¹

Permit fee

$25 base fee plus $5 per $1,000 of value⁵

Building code

2022 State Building Code, adopted by the town⁶

Zoning

Not confirmed; ask Town Hall⁷

RV living

Permanent living in an RV or tent is prohibited²

Setbacks

10 feet residential, 5 feet business or commercial⁸

Septic

Permit from the Pocahontas County Health Department before any building permit³

Wells

County health department permit required to drill⁴

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Marlinton, West Virginia?

Yes. Inside the Town of Marlinton, a written application must be filed with the building inspector, and the permit must be issued before any work begins on the building or structure¹. Ordinary repairs are exempt, but changes of use or occupancy are covered¹.

The town adopted the State Building Code as its building code, and the 2022 State Building Code controls if the town chapter conflicts with it⁶. The fee is a $25 base fee plus $5 per $1,000 of value, or any portion of that amount⁵. Water taps, sewer connections, electrical permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy can carry separate fees⁵.

We did not find an owner-builder exemption in the town's permit provisions, so assume an owner building a home in Marlinton still needs the permit; confirm with Town Hall¹.

Who issues building permits in Marlinton, and how do you reach them?

The Town of Marlinton's building inspector issues building permits inside town limits¹. The town's published code does not list a direct line for the inspector, so start at Town Hall, 709 Second Avenue, Marlinton, at 304-799-4315⁷.

The inspector makes the required inspections of permitted work, and may accept reports from authoritative, recognized services or individuals⁹. For unusual technical issues the inspector may engage experts with the Mayor's approval, and the applicant pays the town's added cost⁹.

A certificate of use and occupancy from the building inspector is required before rental housing is occupied¹⁰. The Pocahontas County Commission does not issue building permits, inspections or certificates of occupancy, so the county is the wrong counter for a lot inside town limits¹¹.

Does Marlinton have zoning, and what about setbacks, RVs and tiny homes?

We could not confirm whether the Town of Marlinton has a zoning ordinance or district map; ask Town Hall at 304-799-4315 before you buy⁷. Pocahontas County itself has no zoning ordinances, but that statement covers the county's own jurisdiction outside towns and does not say what Marlinton requires¹².

Setbacks are set by the town's code. The minimum building setback is 10 feet in the residential district and 5 feet in business or commercial districts, measured to the nearest street right-of-way, property line or easement line⁸. A building here means any dwelling, garage, storage building or other structure over 100 square feet⁸.

RVs: Marlinton prohibits using a recreational vehicle or tent for permanent living, sleeping or housekeeping, or connecting one to utilities, anywhere within town limits, unless a variance applies². Storing an RV on private property must meet setback and fire codes². We did not find a town rule on tiny homes, so a tiny home would likely be judged as a dwelling under the building code; ask Town Hall.

How do septic permits work inside Marlinton?

Septic and well permits for Marlinton addresses come from the Pocahontas County Health Department, not from the town³¹³. Homeowners and sewage-system installers must both obtain permits, installers must be certified by West Virginia, and systems must meet minimum design standards³.

A septic permit must be obtained before any building permit is issued, so start with the health department if your lot is not on public sewer³. Inside town limits, the town code requires a building that does not abut a street with sanitary sewer, and lies within the fire limits, to use a septic tank approved by the Health Officer¹⁴. Outside the fire limits, such a building must have sanitary sewage disposal unless a sanitary pit privy is expressly authorized and approved¹⁴.

Call the health department at 304-799-4154 at 900 10th Avenue, Marlinton¹³. Wells also need a county health department permit, and drillers must be state-certified⁴.

Building a home in Marlinton: the steps, in order

1. Call Town Hall at 304-799-4315 to confirm the zoning situation for your lot and to reach the building inspector⁷.
2. If the lot has no sewer, get the septic permit first from the Pocahontas County Health Department, because it must come before any building permit³.
3. File a written building permit application with the building inspector and pay the $25 base fee plus $5 per $1,000 of value¹⁵.
4. Build to the 2022 State Building Code, and keep buildings at least 10 feet back in the residential district⁶⁸.
5. Have the work inspected by the building inspector⁹.
6. Before any construction, file a floodplain determination, which the Pocahontas County Assessor's Office page lists as required¹⁵.

What stays with Pocahontas County, and what to check before you buy in Marlinton

Septic and well permits, and the floodplain determination, are county matters even inside town limits³¹⁵. For land outside the town, see the Pocahontas County page; the town's building permit rules do not apply there.

Before buying, confirm four things. First, ask Town Hall whether the lot is subject to zoning. Second, check sewer availability, because state law can require connection to a municipal sewer within 30 days after notice¹⁶. Third, ask about floodplain status. Fourth, if you plan a driveway onto a state highway, the Division of Highways requires a free permit¹⁷.

For scale, Pocahontas County's effective property tax rate is 0.3%¹⁸, and only about 4.9% of its soils are rated not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system¹⁹.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm whether the Town of Marlinton has a zoning ordinance or district map; ask Town Hall at 304-799-4315⁷.
• Town rules apply only inside Marlinton limits; the Pocahontas County Commission says it does not issue building permits, inspections or certificates of occupancy¹¹.
• The RV prohibition covers permanent living, sleeping or housekeeping and utility hookups anywhere in town limits, public or private land².
• We could not confirm town rules on tiny homes, accessory dwellings, manufactured homes, minimum lot size or building height; ask Town Hall at 304-799-4315 before you commit to a plan⁷.

Sources

1. § 150.084 When Permit Is Required (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
2. § 150.255 Use of Recreational Vehicles and Tents as Dwelling Prohibited (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
3. Sewage and Water, quoted and re-checked
4. Sewage and Water, quoted and re-checked
5. § 150.103 New Construction, Mobile Homes and Prefabricated Homes and Alterations (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
6. § 150.002 Adoption of State Building Code (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
7. Town of Marlinton, Town Hall (townofmarlintonwv.com)
8. § 150.042 Minimum Setback Requirements (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
9. § 150.077 Inspections (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
10. § 150.120 Certificate of Use and Occupancy (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
11. Pocahontas County Commission July 19, 2022 Regular Session PDF, quoted and re-checked
12. Pocahontas County Commission minutes, July 19, 2022, quoted and re-checked
13. Pocahontas County Health Department, Environmental Services (pocahontashd.com)
14. § 53.04 When a Septic Tank Is Required (Town of Marlinton), quoted and re-checked
15. Pocahontas County Assessor's Office, quoted and re-checked
16. West Virginia Code §8-18-22 — Connection to sewers, quoted and re-checked
17. Encroachment Permits (West Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
19. 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

Written October 15, 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.