Off-Grid Living in Marshall County, West Virginia

I'll be upfront: Marshall County, West Virginia turned out to be one of the trickier counties to research, mostly because there's no single, comprehensive countywide zoning or building code document I could find. What exists is a patchwork of city rules (mainly Moundsville) and state-level programs administered locally. Here's what I actually found, and where the gaps are.

Zoning. The Marshall County Commission has empowered a County Planning Commission, under the state's Chapter 8/8A framework, and that Commission has adopted at least targeted rules (a salvage yard permit ordinance is the clearest example I found). But I could not locate a general, countywide zoning ordinance that would tell you whether raw, unincorporated land can be occupied off-grid. The City of Moundsville has its own zoning code, and the separate Town of Marshall has its own too, so where you land inside or outside those boundaries matters a lot. If you're eyeing unincorporated land, call the county planning office and ask directly, don't assume there's no zoning just because I couldn't find a document.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. Nothing specific at the county level came up in my research. This is likely to be handled case-by-case depending on whether you're inside a municipality or not.

Building permits. Moundsville issues its own permits through its Building Inspection Office. I found no evidence of a countywide building code adoption for unincorporated Marshall County, and West Virginia's state baseline is that localities aren't required to adopt the state building code, so this may simply be unregulated outside city limits, but I'd confirm that rather than assume it.

Septic. This one's solid: septic and on-site sewage systems are permitted through the Marshall County Health Department, working under the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health's statewide on-site sewage program. Marshall County falls in the Wheeling District for related compliance work. Composting toilets aren't addressed anywhere I found, so treat that as unconfirmed and check with the health department before relying on one instead of a permitted system.

Greywater. No county-specific rule. It falls under the same state on-site sewage program, meaning greywater disposal generally needs to be part of an approved design filed with the Health Department.

Rainwater harvesting. I found no ordinance restricting it. It appears to be unregulated locally, at least for non-potable uses.

Wells. Governed by the state's Water Well Certification Program through the WV Bureau for Public Health, with local coordination through the county health department. No Marshall County-specific well page turned up.

Utility disconnection. No ordinance requiring hookup to electric, water, or sewer was found. Off-grid living here seems to be governed indirectly, through septic and well compliance and city codes where applicable, rather than a direct mandate to connect to utilities.

Bottom line: septic and wells are clearly state-regulated and locally administered by the Health Department. Zoning and building permitting are murkier outside Moundsville, and that's exactly where a phone call to the county saves you a headache later.