A guide from Quillhaven Financial in Huntington, West Virginia to the city's zoning ordinance and map, the Board of Zoning Appeals, building permits and inspections, the Certificate of Occupancy and the city business license, and where each fits in a funding file. Based on cityofhuntington.com pages read in October 2026.
Huntington, WV Zoning Ordinance: Districts, Uses and Variances
The city's Planning and Zoning office keeps the zoning ordinance and the development ordinance, published in the city code on Municode, a Permitted Use Chart that lists the uses allowed in each zoning district, and an online Zoning Map Look Up. A Boundary Lookup shows whether an address is inside city limits at all, which matters because Huntington, WV spans Cabell and Wayne Counties and has neighbors outside its limits.
Most development needs planning and zoning review, according to the office. For a business, the first question is simple: is the proposed use allowed in the district where the property sits? The Permitted Use Chart answers that for most uses; where it does not, the office can.
Where a property cannot meet the ordinance's minimum standards because of its own conditions, an owner can ask the Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance. The BZA meets at 5:30 pm on the third Tuesday of each month at City Hall, the city says, and the city quotes the state code: a variance cannot permit a use otherwise prohibited in the district or change the zoning classification. The Planning Commission meets on the first Monday of each month at 5:30 pm.
Huntington, WV Building Department Reviews and Inspection Timing
The city's Inspections and Permits Division has building, electrical and plumbing inspectors, according to its page, and recommends calling ahead or emailing the permit technician for an appointment. Inspectors meet the public between 8 and 9 a.m. and 3 and 4 p.m. on weekdays. The city adopts the 2018 International Building Code, the 2018 International Plumbing Code, the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2021 edition of NFPA 1, the fire code, per its building permit page.
The pages do not give a review period, and none is promised here. For a funding timeline, the practical step is to ask the permit office at the start how long review and inspections are running, and to build that into the date the money is needed.
City of Huntington, WV Building Permits for Kitchens and Clinic Upfits
The city code requires a permit before anyone constructs, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, demolishes or changes the occupancy of a building, or installs or alters electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems regulated by code (Article 1711.05, as quoted on the city's building permit page). A kitchen hood, a walk-in cooler connection, a new exam room or a dental operatory with plumbing and suction all fall within that.
The building permit fee is set by the cost of labor and materials for the project, plus a $20.00 application fee for each permit, according to the same page; the city publishes a fee schedule. Since January 2, 2016 the permitting office has required a copy of the contract between the general contractor and the person starting the project, and the subcontract amounts, or a "Notice to Proceed" form with the contracts supplied before the final.
Contractors working in the city must be licensed with the city, and a contractor's city license application includes the West Virginia contractor license and general liability insurance with the city as certificate holder. The WV contractor license guide covers the state license.
City of Huntington, WV Business License Next to the Zoning Check
The city's business license page sets out the order. First, every business needs a West Virginia business registration certificate from the State Tax Division, through the WV One Stop Business Portal or the Tax Commissioner. Next, check with Planning and Zoning that the location is zoned for the business and get any permits the location needs, such as a Certificate of Occupancy, a Home Occupation Permit, a Mobile Food Vendor Permit, an Outdoor Dining Permit or a sign permit.
Then apply for the Huntington Business License, emailed to the city's finance office. The page lists a $20 fee, varying by license type and not prorated, and a license term from July 1 to June 30, with renewal notices sent around the first of June. After the license is issued, the city mails quarterly Business and Occupation tax returns and City Service Fee returns.
Certificate of Occupancy Steps When a Business Moves In or Changes Hands
A Certificate of Occupancy is required before a new building is occupied or an existing building is used for a new purpose, and whenever a new business moves into a structure or there is a change of business owner, according to the city's Certificate of Occupancy page. That last point matters for anyone buying a business.
- Meet Planning and Zoning to check the zone, discuss signage and complete the application.
- The application goes to the permit technician for processing.
- Pay the $75.00 Certificate of Occupancy fee at City Hall or by mail.
- Schedule the inspection; building, electrical and plumbing inspectors and the fire marshal inspect under the adopted codes.
- Business and Licensing contacts you to collect the certificate.
- Apply for the Huntington Business License, bringing the WV business registration certificate.
- Open once the business license is issued.
Card payments at City Hall carry a 3.75% service fee with a $2.50 minimum, the page notes.
Where Permits and Licenses Sit in a Funding File
A funding partner reviewing an upfit, a purchase or equipment that will be installed in a building may ask for the permits and certificates that show the business can operate where it is. Typical items:
- The zoning look-up or a note from Planning and Zoning confirming the use is allowed
- The building permit and the contractor's contract or Notice to Proceed
- The Certificate of Occupancy for a new use or a change of owner
- The Huntington Business License and the WV business registration certificate
- For restaurants, the health permit and any ABCA license
Permits that are still pending are a timing risk: equipment financed before a kitchen can open has payments due before sales begin. The equipment page and the term loan page cover funding the work itself, and the article on buying a business covers a change of owner.
By Quillhaven Financial · Updated
