W. Va. Code Chapter 8A — Land Use Planning Act (Enabling + Dillon's Rule Cap) (WV)
Tracked preemption from the West Virginia overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
2004-07-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:WV
Other West Virginia preemptions
Federal Protected Lands — New River Gorge NP, Monongahela NF, USACE Locks/DamsW. Va. Code §22-6A — Horizontal Well Control Act (Marcellus/Utica Preemption)W. Va. Code §8-1-5a — Municipal Home Rule Program (Authority Expansion)W. Va. Code §8A-7-8 — County Zoning Voter Referendum RequirementW. Va. Code §22-3 — Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act (SMCRA Primacy)WV Floodplain Management — NFIP Participation MandateW. Va. Code §8-12-5(16) — Manufactured Housing Nondiscrimination FloorWV SB 187 / HB 4115 (2026) — Housing Opportunity Act (Duplex By-Right, PENDING)
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
always true
Preempted fields
4 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
zoning_authority_source | override | WV_Code_Ch_8A | Chapter 8A is the exclusive source of local zoning authority; Dillon's Rule resolves all ambiguity against the municipality |
comprehensive_plan_required_before_zoning | override | True | §8A-3 — no zoning ordinance is valid absent an adopted comprehensive plan |
zoning_amendment_notice_period_days | floor_at | 15 | §8A-7-4 requires 15-day published notice; HB 2014 (2025) added electronic publication option |
rezoning_protest_petition_threshold_pct | override | 20 | §8A-7-7 — 20% of adjacent owners triggers supermajority requirement |
Citation
Authority source
W. Va. Code §8A-1-1 et seq. (Land Use Planning Act, recodified 2004 from former §8-24); HB 2014 (2025, procedural notice amendment)
§ Chapter 8A, Articles 1–12 (esp. §8A-3 plan, §8A-7 zoning ordinance)
Research notes
Chapter 8A is the floor and ceiling of local zoning authority in WV. Unlike MA §3A or OR HB 2001, it does NOT mandate any density or use. It caps local authority via Dillon's Rule (State ex rel. City of Charleston v. Hutchinson, 154 W. Va. 585 (1970)), protects farmland (§8A-11) and vested rights (§8A-10), and authorizes TDR (§8A-12). Cities operating without an adopted comprehensive plan have no enforceable zoning.