Our primary function is promoting local government and the county government operations and the programs that impact the people. WVACo assists in coordinating the legislative relations between the counties, the elected county officials and the State.

The West Virginia Code Officials association is the professional organization of state public sector building code officials, inspectors and plans examiners and private sector inspectors, plans examiners, engineers, architects, contractors and construction suppliers and associations. We are committed to the protection of the safety, health and well being of all persons who live in, work in, or visit the State of West Virginia by requiring safe construction standards and renovation standards. 

Community Development is the act of making a place the best version of itself. At The Hub, we know that every community has the potential to shine as a strong and vibrant place where locals can live their best lives and visitors are excited to explore. We work to bring forward local leaders to highlight the assets, history, engagement, and connection among residents that make a community so special. 

The Hub’s purpose is to:

• 1. Coach volunteer community leadership teams to help them build sustained development in rural communities; and

  2. Grow the overall community economic development system in West Virginia through collaborative partnerships that use innovative approaches to address systemic challenges for rural development. 

The West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Centers were created in 2005 by the West Virginia Legislature to empower communities to plan and implement brownfields redevelopment projects.  The two Centers promote economic development and environmental and public health protection through innovative redevelopment of brownfield sites.  The Centers also promote and coordinate the development of brownfield property by providing training and technical assistance, facilitating site preparation efforts, engaging community involvement, as well as by helping communities with grant writing and leveraging project funding.  

In an effort to provide comprehensive assistance to communities throughout West Virginia, the two Centers coordinate by producing state-wide conferences, collaborating on regional projects, and sharing current brownfields information.

The West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University, located in Huntington, WV is housed within The Center for Environmental, Geotechnical, and Applied Sciences (CEGAS).  They serve the southern 22 counties in West Virginia with collaborations extending statewide. 

The Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center is housed in the West Virginia Water Research Institute (WVWRI) at the Energy Institute at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.  They serve the northern 33 counties with collaborations also extending statewide.  

WVU Bad Building Program: 

The BAD (Brownfield, Abandoned, Dilapidated) Buildings Program is a West Virginia statewide initiative that provides technical assistance and site analysis tools to enhance abandoned and dilapidated building programs in WV communities. Failure to address BAD Buildings imposes severe social and economic costs on neighborhoods. This program helps to identify, prioritize, and redevelop such buildings. 

Regulatory and Licensing Division

​​​​​​​​​​Mission and Responsibilities:

The West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office, Regulatory and Licensing Division is responsible for duties which include, but are not limited to administration and enforcement of the following programs state-wide: Electrical Licensing, Building Code Officials, Electrical Inspectors, Fire Protection Workers, Fireworks Permitting, Home Inspectors, Pyrotechnicians, and the storage and handling of Explosives.  

WV Land Stewardship Corporation

• The WV Land Stewardship Corporation offers communities support in several areas critical to the success of land reuse projects including:

  • WVLSC can own and hold property ownership when a non-private entity is needed, and it does not make sense for the local government to be the property owner,

  • WVLSC can support communities in accessing environmental cleanup and property reuse funding, and

  • WVLSC can offer project management support for communities who need it.

The West Virginia Municipal League is a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan association of cities, towns and villages established in 1968 to assist local governments and advance the interests of the citizens who reside within.

The League achieves this directive through legislative advocacy, research, education and other services for municipal elected officials. The membership includes all 230 municipalities' population in the state.

The central purpose of the League is to advance the interests and welfare of the people residing in the municipalities of our state.  By cooperating through the League, cities benefit from research programs and a united legislative voice that would be impossible to maintain individually.

WV APA is the West Virginia state chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) Our organization is comprised of professional and citizen planners who work to support responsible planning throughout the state. Membership is open to professional planners employed in planning or a related field, lay planners who serve on planning commissions or boards of zoning appeals, student members who are enrolled in a course of study in planning or a related field, and citizens interested in planning for their communities.

The West Virginia State Auditor serves as the state’s official bookkeeper, Chief Inspector and Supervisor over Public Offices, Securities Commissioner and Commissioner of Delinquent and Non-entered Lands.  

WVU Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic: 

Provide legal and planning services to conserve land and water, support local land use planning, and offer educational opportunities for law students and citizens of West Virginia. The From Liability to Viability Toolkit is free and presents effective legal tools currently available to help local governments in West Virginia convert dilapidated properties to productive use.

The County or Municipality should consider adopting WV State Building Codes (WVSBC)

The West Virginia State Building Code (WVSBC) is a set of technical rules and standards for building construction, renovation, and safety. Effective enforcement of the building code can help prevent properties from becoming dilapidated in the first place and provide remedies for repair and demolition if a property is not properly maintained. The WVSBC combines several different code standards to form one uniform statewide building code. If a community decides to adopt the WVSBC, the community must adopt it in one of the following manners: 

1. adopt all parts of the WVSBC, which consists of 11 different codes

2. adopt only the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) without adopting the rest of the WVSBC

3. adopt all of the WVSBC except the International Property Maintenance Code. Local governments are given interpretation and enforcement authority over the adopted codes in their respective jurisdictions. 

May also consider adopting the following additional ordinances to regulate unsafe properties

• Section 7-1-3ff allows counties to regulate unsafe and unsanitary structures

• Section 8-12-16 allows municipalities to regulate the repair, closing, or demolition of dwellings or buildings unfit for human habitation.

Sharing Building Inspectors

Most communities in West Virginia have very limited resources, either in the form of financial resources or personnel. For many communities, hiring personnel or a certified third-party contractor to enforce the building code is not feasible. However, if the community establishes an agreement with another community to share a building inspector, costs for each participating community are lowered. (source)