Vienna, West Virginia Building Permit Guide

The City of Vienna’s Building Code & Inspection office issues building permits inside city limits, and you apply in person at the City Building front office on 29th Street. Contractors must first pass the City’s online stormwater course, and a home remodel is charged a share of its value, from a $5 flat fee for small jobs to 0.44% of value for projects of $100,000 or more.

What requires a permit in Vienna?

Vienna’s zoning ordinance (Section 1309.01) makes it unlawful to do the following without filing with the Building Inspector and getting a permit:

No new or structurally altered building may be occupied until the Building Inspector issues an occupancy permit.

Who issues building permits in Vienna?

Inside city limits, the Building Inspector receives every building permit application, decides whether the applicant is entitled to the permit, issues it once the fee is paid and can revoke it in writing. The same official serves as the City’s Floodplain Administrator. The office sits within Building Code & Inspection, which also runs code enforcement and zoning; the City directory lists John Knapp as Building Inspector.

Land outside Vienna is not covered by the City: elsewhere in Wood County, the county’s Building Permits and Compliance Office at 1 Court Square in Parkersburg issues permits for new homes and commercial buildings outside the municipalities.

Vienna permit types and the stormwater course

The City’s fee section lists these permit types next to the building permit: electrical upgrade, plumbing, demolition, excavation and grading, driveway, sidewalk and fence, and pool or fountain permits, plus water and sewer taps. The Building Inspector also issues floodplain development permits and the occupancy permit at the end of a job.

Stormwater certification: before any building permit is issued, the applicant must give the Building Inspector written proof of passing a stormwater certification course run by the City or the Vienna Utility Board. The City’s licensing page says contractors and lawn or landscape businesses cannot get a business license or building permit without taking the online course first. The certificate lasts two years. A homeowner doing their own work on their own primary residence does not need it.

Grading permits are issued by the Mayor once the Building Inspector has inspected the site, which the ordinance says happens within three days of the application. Disturbed soil may not be left uncovered for more than 30 days.

Building permit fees in Vienna

Fees are set in Section 1721.03 of the Codified Ordinances (last amended for plan review in 2017). Alterations, replacements and repairs that do not add to a structure are charged on the value of materials and labor:

For example, a $30,000 kitchen remodel in a house is charged the residential 0.0048 rate (the code’s $20,000–$49,999 band): 0.0048 × $30,000 = $144.

Plumbing, driveway, sidewalk, fence and pool permits (residential and commercial alike), and commercial electrical and demolition permits, refer to a separate “Fee Schedule” that the code does not print, and the section also refers to a square-foot fee without printing it; ask Building Code & Inspection (304-295-5070, ext. 338) for those figures. The older soil erosion article (Section 1739.06, from 1981) still lists the grading fee at $5 per $1,000 with a $5 minimum, while the 2010 fee section charges $10 per $1,000.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in Vienna

Trade work inside the city is permitted through the same Building Code & Inspection office. The ordinance requires all construction, installation and alteration to meet the building, plumbing and electrical codes adopted in Part Seventeen, which since August 1, 2022 means the State Building Code: the 2018 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code for homes.

The plumbing and electrical upgrade fees do not apply when the work is already covered by the square-foot fee for a new building, and the plumbing fee includes lawn irrigation systems. Every application must list the contractors, subcontractors and electrical contractors on the job with their state license numbers.

Application documents for a Vienna permit

Once all the information is in, the ordinance gives the Building Inspector five days from considering the application to issue the permit or give the reasons for refusing it. Plan review fees must be paid before the permit is issued.

How to get a Vienna building permit: 6 steps

Inspections and the occupancy permit

The fee section sets two notice points for every job: the Building Inspector must be told before the footer is poured and before electrical and plumbing work is covered. Call Building Code & Inspection at 304-295-5070, ext. 338.

When a new or structurally altered building is finished and the owner gives notice, the Fire Chief and the Building Inspector carry out a final inspection within ten days. If the building meets the zoning ordinance, building codes and other City ordinances, the Building Inspector issues the occupancy permit, and the building may not be used before then.

A permit expires if work has not started within 90 days of issue, or if the work is not substantially finished within one year. After that, a new permit is needed before work continues.

Local Vienna details that matter

Floodplain: the Building Inspector is the City’s Floodplain Administrator. New construction, substantial improvements, repair of substantial damage and placing or moving any structure, including manufactured homes, need a floodplain development permit and a site plan. The applicant must show a valid West Virginia contractor license or sign an affidavit that none is needed, and copies of the permit go to the Wood County Assessor and the county E-911 addressing coordinator.

Stormwater: the Storm Water Department (210 60th Street, 304-295-4543) runs the City’s storm water program and the training video contractors must complete.

Zoning appeals: an appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals costs $10, a variance or exception $15, and a petition to Council to rezone $20. The Planning Commission meets quarterly, with special meetings when needed.

Home repair help: Building Code & Inspection runs a window replacement program for low-income residents, funded by Community Development Block Grant money, and publishes a Minor Home Repair application.

Pending change: an ordinance amending Article 1735, the unsafe structures article, was on the October 8, 2026 City Council agenda for first reading.

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 Vienna permitting resources

City of Vienna pages and ordinances:

• Building Code & Inspection contact and staff
• Building Code & Inspection department page
• Licensing, Tax Returns & Permitting (building permit and stormwater course)
• Storm Water Training Video
• Effective Building Codes for Vienna (August 1, 2022)
• Section 141.02, Building Inspector and building permits
• Article 1309, zoning administration and building permits
• Section 1721.03, permit fees
• Section 1759.07, floodplain administration
• Storm Water Department
• Wood County Building Permits and Compliance Office (outside city limits)
• West Virginia Flood Tool
• West Virginia Code 15A-11-5, State Building Code
• State Building Code rule, 87 CSR 4
• West Virginia State Fire Marshal

Vienna permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Vienna, WV?

The City’s Building Inspector, in the Building Code & Inspection office at the City Building, 609 29th Street (304-295-5070, ext. 338). Outside city limits, Wood County’s Building Permits and Compliance Office handles new construction.

How much does a remodeling permit cost in Vienna?

For a one- or two-family home it is a share of the job’s value: $5 up to $999, then 0.51% up to $19,999, 0.48% up to $49,999, 0.45% up to $99,999 and 0.44% above that. A $30,000 remodel costs $144. Commercial rates run from 0.76% to 0.84%, with a $15 minimum.

Do I need the stormwater course to get a permit?

Contractors and landscapers do: the City will not issue a building permit or business license until the online course is passed, and the certificate lasts two years. A homeowner doing their own work on their own primary residence is exempt.

Can a homeowner get a building permit?

Yes. For work done only by the property owner, the Building Inspector needs a drawing or other description of the work in a form the Building Inspector accepts.

How long does it take to get a permit?

The ordinance gives the Building Inspector five days from considering a complete application to issue the permit or explain a refusal in writing.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a pool in Vienna?

Yes. Driveways, sidewalks and fences have their own permit, and so do pools 24 inches deep or more or with 250 sq ft of surface or more.

When does a Vienna building permit expire?

If work has not started within 90 days, or is not substantially complete within one year of issue.

Simplify Vienna permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in West Virginia. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Vienna permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.