Building outside Weirton, Chester and New Cumberland takes two Hancock County permits: the Assessor’s $3 building permit, which records the improvement for assessment, and a floodplain permit from the Office of Emergency Management director, who is the county’s Floodplain Administrator. Under the fee schedule signed on 13 November 2025, a new house in the floodplain pays the $25 determination fee and the Assessor’s $3 building permit, with no value-based floodplain fee; the three cities each issue their own building permits.
What needs a permit in Hancock County?
The county itself regulates development through its Floodplain Ordinance, not through a building code. The ordinance makes it unlawful to start development, new construction, a substantial improvement, the repair of substantial damage, or the placement or relocation of a structure, manufactured homes included, without a permit or certificate of compliance from the Floodplain Administrator. Land in or partly in the floodplain that is to be subdivided or used for a manufactured home park also needs an approved site plan with elevation data.
County permits outside the cities
- Assessor’s building permit ($3), the improvement notice the Assessor uses for property assessment
- Floodplain permit and floodplain determination from the Floodplain Administrator
- Site plan approval for subdivisions and manufactured home parks on floodplain land
- Sewage system permit from the Hancock County Health Department where there is no public sewer
Permits inside the cities
- Weirton: building, zoning, electrical and plumbing permits from Building Inspections & Code Enforcement
- Chester: building permit from the City Building Permit Officer
- New Cumberland: building permit from the City Building Permit Officer
Who issues permits in Hancock County?
Three offices handle county permits for land outside the cities. The Office of Emergency Management director is the county’s appointed Floodplain Administrator and grants or denies floodplain development permits. The Assessor’s Office issues the $3 building permit. The Health Department permits individual sewage systems.
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Get a free quote →| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Floodplain permits (Office of Emergency Management) | 82 Emergency Drive, New Cumberland, WV 26047; 304-564-4040; Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| Assessor’s building permit | Courthouse, 102 N. Court Street, New Cumberland; 304-564-3311 ext. 256; Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| County Commission | 102 N. Court Street, New Cumberland; 304-564-3311; 2026 schedule: second and fourth Thursdays at 2:30 p.m., but the August to mid-November 2026 meetings were moved to the following Friday at 9:00 a.m. |
| Sewage permits (Health Department) | 850 N. Chester Street, New Cumberland; 304-564-3343; Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., closed 12:00–1:00 p.m. |
Every town in the county:
- Weirton (14,487 residents on the Hancock side) runs its own Building Inspections & Code Enforcement department at 200 Municipal Plaza (304-797-8500 ext. 1005). Its permits cover the whole city, including the part in Brooke County.
- Chester (2,080) issues building permits through its Building Permit Officer; City Hall is at 600 Indiana Avenue (304-387-2820).
- New Cumberland (939) issues building permits through its Building Permit Officer; City Hall is at 204 N. River Avenue (304-564-3383), open weekdays 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Each of the three cities also manages floodplain permits inside its own limits, according to the state’s list of local floodplain managers.
County permit types and how they fit together
The county fee schedule ties the two county permits together: a floodplain permit application is made alongside the Assessor’s building permit. The ordinance sends copies of each floodplain permit to the County Assessor, as the state’s property improvement notice rule requires, and copies for new structures to the E-911 addressing coordinator, who in turn passes new address requests to the Floodplain Administrator.
- Floodplain permit: applied for in writing on county forms, with a standard site plan. The Administrator issues a placard that must stay posted on the site while work is under way.
- Floodplain determination: the step that decides whether a site lies in a regulated flood area; it carries its own $25 fee for development in the floodplain.
- Certificate of compliance: required before anyone occupies a building or connects permanent utilities in a flood hazard area.
- Stream alteration: a developer who moves or alters a watercourse must assure the county in writing that the stream’s flood-carrying capacity is kept, and new culverts, bridges and other crossings must meet the ordinance’s anchoring rules.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Permit fees in Hancock County
The Hancock County Commission signed the current Floodplain Ordinance fee schedule on 13 November 2025. The Assessor’s fee list sets the building permit at $3, and the Assessor notes its fees can change without notice.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Assessor’s building permit | $3 |
| Floodplain determination, development in the floodplain | $25 |
| One- and two-family homes in a regulated floodplain | No fee beyond the $25 determination |
| Multi-family (3 or more units) in a regulated floodplain | $15 per $1,000 of estimated value |
| Commercial or industrial in a regulated floodplain | $15 per $1,000 of estimated value |
| Site plans, grading or filling in a regulated floodplain | $15 per acre or part of an acre |
| Work started before the permit | Fees doubled; tripled for each later occurrence by the same person |
A new house on a floodplain lot therefore pays the $25 determination fee and the $3 Assessor’s permit. The county can also bill the applicant for engineering, surveying or other contracted review, and the Floodplain Administrator may ask for a deposit toward those costs.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| City | Fee |
|---|---|
| Chester (code complete to November 2012) | No fee up to $500; $5 for $501–$1,000; $2 for each further $1,000; $500 maximum |
| New Cumberland | $2 up to $50; $5 to $500; $10 to $1,000; then $5 more for each $1,000, reaching $155 at $30,000, and $5 per $1,000 above that |
| Weirton, residential | No fee up to $1,000; $10 to $2,000; $5 per $1,000 or fraction from $2,001 to $1 million |
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work
The county publishes no separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit for land outside the cities. In a flood hazard area, the ordinance bars inspection and approval of a temporary electrical connection until the floodplain placard has been issued, and a permanent utility connection waits for the certificate of compliance. Inside Weirton, electrical and plumbing work needs city permits from Building Inspections & Code Enforcement.
What a floodplain permit application must include
The ordinance lists the minimum content of every county floodplain permit application:
- Name and address of the applicant and of the landowner
- Names, addresses and valid West Virginia licence numbers of every contractor, or an affidavit for anyone exempt from contractor licensing
- A site description with the tax map and parcel number and the latest deed book and page
- A standard site plan showing the size and location of the work, existing buildings, adjoining roads and watercourses with the direction of flow
- The lowest adjacent grade, the Base Flood Elevation and the floodway boundary, where they apply
- Copies of any state or federal permits the project needs
- A signed acknowledgement that the applicant will pay the ordinance fees
The Floodplain Administrator will not issue a permit to someone who needs a contractor’s licence and does not have one.
Rather not deal with the Hancock County building department?
Get a free quote →How to get permits in Hancock County
Find out whether the lot is inside Weirton, Chester or New Cumberland. If it is, the city issues the building permit.
Contact the Office of Emergency Management (304-564-4040) to learn whether the site lies in a regulated flood area.
Draw the work, existing buildings, roads and streams, and add flood elevations if the lot is in the floodplain.
Submit the floodplain application with the Assessor’s $3 building permit and pay the fees.
On land without public sewer, apply to the Health Department for a permit to install an individual sewage system.
Start within 180 days and finish within 18 months, or ask the Administrator in writing for more time.
Inspections and sign-off
During construction, the Floodplain Administrator or another authorized official may inspect the site to check that the work matches the permit. Ongoing development without a floodplain determination or permit gets a stop-work order, and a permit holder who does not fix a violation within 15 days of a written notice can lose the permit. In a flood hazard area, the certificate of compliance is issued after the final inspections and any required elevation certificate or floodproofing certificate.
Local details that matter in Hancock County
Stream setback: the ordinance keeps a flood protection setback from the top of each stream bank equal to twice the channel width or 25 feet, whichever is less, and natural vegetation is to stay in that strip.
Septic systems: the Health Department publishes the state individual sewage system design standards, the sewage system application and the permit to install or modify an individual sewer system.
Addresses: one aim of the ordinance is to keep E-911 addresses current, so the Floodplain Administrator sends copies of permits for new structures to the county addressing coordinator, and the coordinator shares new address requests in return.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →West Virginia building code
West Virginia lets each county and city adopt the State Building Code or no building code at all; no other building code may be adopted, and floodplain, sewage and fire rules can apply either way. West Virginia rules
Official Hancock County permitting resources
Official county, city and health department pages for permits in Hancock County.
- West Virginia Code §15A-11-5, State Building Code adoption
- West Virginia State Fire Marshal, Regulatory and Licensing Division
- Hancock County Floodplain Ordinance
- Hancock County Floodplain Ordinance fee schedule (November 2025)
- Hancock County Assessor’s fee list
- Hancock County Commission 2026 meeting dates
- Hancock County Office of Emergency Management
- Hancock County Health Department septic permits and forms
- City of Weirton building permits
- City of Chester codified ordinances (Building and Housing Code)
- City of New Cumberland City Hall
- WV Flood Tool flood maps
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Hancock County permit FAQs
Does Hancock County issue building permits?
Outside the cities, the county’s building permit is a $3 Assessor’s permit used to record property improvements. Floodplain permits come from the Office of Emergency Management director, the county’s Floodplain Administrator.
Who issues building permits in Weirton, Chester and New Cumberland?
Each city issues its own: Weirton’s Building Inspections & Code Enforcement department, and the Building Permit Officer in Chester and in New Cumberland.
How much does a floodplain permit cost for a new house?
One- and two-family homes pay only the $25 floodplain determination fee, plus the Assessor’s $3 building permit.
What if I start work before getting the permit?
The county doubles the floodplain fees, and triples them for each later occurrence by the same person.
Who issues septic permits in Hancock County?
The Hancock County Health Department, 850 N. Chester Street, New Cumberland (304-564-3343).
How long is a floodplain permit valid?
Work must start within 180 days of issue and be finished within 18 months, unless the Administrator grants a written extension.
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More West Virginia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Hancock County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.