Off-Grid Living in Gilmer County, West Virginia

I'll be upfront: Gilmer County, West Virginia is one of those places where my research turned up more gaps than answers, and I think it's more useful to tell you honestly what I couldn't confirm than to pretend there's a tidy ordinance for everything. (Fair warning if you search this yourself: there's also a Gilmer County, Georgia, and most search engines will drown you in Georgia results that have nothing to do with West Virginia law. I excluded all of that.)

Zoning. West Virginia counties aren't required to have zoning, they can opt in under the state's Land Use Planning Act (WV Code §8A-7), but I found no evidence Gilmer County has adopted a countywide zoning ordinance, and no county planning commission page. That's good news if you want to buy raw land and not deal with a zoning board, but it's not a guarantee, just an absence of evidence. The Town of Glenville, the county seat, has its own municipal code, so if your land is inside town limits, different rules likely apply. Check with the town directly.

Tiny homes, RVs, dwelling size. No county rule addresses this that I could find. If there's no zoning, there may be no minimum size or RV-occupancy restriction either, but I can't confirm that's actually the case versus just undocumented.

Building permits. This is genuinely murky. I found no standalone building department or adopted building code for the county. The only clue is a line in an Assessor's Office property improvement form referencing "if a building permit has been obtained," which implies permitting happens somewhere, but I couldn't find who issues it or under what code. Call the Assessor's Office to ask directly.

Septic. This one's solid. The Gilmer County Health Department administers on-site sewage system permits under West Virginia's statewide sewage standards, using an application form (SG-49), and requires a soil evaluation and percolation test before issuing a permit. This is the clearest, best-documented rule in the county. Composting toilets aren't separately addressed, so I'd ask the health department how they're treated.

Greywater. Not specifically addressed at the county level. It likely falls under the same Health Department sewage-system approval process, but that's an inference, not a confirmed rule.

Rainwater harvesting. No county restriction found, and nothing in West Virginia's state framework restricts collecting rainwater for non-potable use, so this is likely fine, though not something I found spelled out locally.

Wells. West Virginia certifies well work through the state Bureau for Public Health, and county health departments typically serve as the local contact point. I didn't find a Gilmer-specific well page, but the county Health Department is your starting point.

Utility disconnection. No ordinance requiring hookup to public utilities was found. Off-grid living here seems to hinge on passing septic and well requirements, not a utility mandate, but that's not explicitly confirmed either.

Bottom line: septic is the one area with real documented process. Everything else, especially building permits and zoning, needs a phone call before you commit to land.