Off-Grid Living in Wood County, West Virginia

Wood County, West Virginia sits in a spot a lot of off-grid-curious folks overlook, and after digging through what's actually published by the county and the state, I'll say up front: there are real gaps in the public record here, and I want to be honest about them rather than paper over them.

Zoning. Wood County has an active Planning Commission and adopted Land Use/Subdivision Regulations that apply county-wide, but what I found addresses subdivision review and comprehensive planning, not a traditional use-zoning ordinance carving the county into districts. Whether unincorporated Wood County restricts what you can do on raw land beyond subdivision control isn't confirmed from official sources I reviewed. The City of Parkersburg, as its own incorporated municipality, has a separate subdivision code. If you're eyeing a parcel, I'd call the Wood County Planning Commission / Building Permits and Compliance Office directly before assuming anything.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find a Wood County page that specifically addresses tiny home or RV occupancy standards. That likely falls to the Building Permits office if it comes up, but there's no explicit published rule, so treat this as an open question to ask about.

Building permits. Wood County does run a Building Permits and Compliance Office and requires permits for new residential and commercial construction, and also enforces a Dilapidated and Abandoned Building Ordinance. West Virginia's state building code is optional for local adoption, with enforcement resting on local jurisdictions, so Wood County's own permitting practice is what governs here. One clean exception, set by the state legislature: agricultural structures are exempt from the State Building Code and from any county or municipal building code.

Septic and composting toilets. Septic permitting and inspection runs through the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department (MOVHD), which serves Wood County under West Virginia Bureau for Public Health rules. Interestingly, Wood County is one of the counties excluded from the state's direct Home Aeration Unit construction permit list, which suggests that function is handled locally through MOVHD rather than the state office. Composting toilets aren't addressed separately in anything I found, so don't assume one gets you out of a septic permit without confirming with MOVHD.

Greywater. No Wood County-specific greywater ordinance turned up. This inherits the state baseline: greywater has to be part of an approved onsite sewage design reviewed by MOVHD.

Rainwater harvesting. I found no county or state restriction on collecting rainwater for non-potable use. Potable use could run into separate water-system standards, but that's not confirmed specifically for Wood County.

Wells. Private well permitting goes through MOVHD's Environmental Health division under statewide well rules, and a permit is required before drilling.

Utility disconnection. No ordinance requiring or forbidding a hookup to public utilities as a condition of occupancy turned up. It seems to run indirectly through septic/well compliance and building permit review rather than a standalone mandate, but this is genuinely unclear from what's published.

Bottom line: Wood County has clear permitting infrastructure for building, septic, and wells, but the zoning and dwelling-type questions have real gaps in the public record, so a phone call before you buy or build is worth it.