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1. What is the purpose of a building permit?

The purpose of a building permit is to provide minimum construction standards established by the West Virginia State Building Code. These minimum construction standards provide safeguards for life, health, property and welfare by regulating design, construction, materials, use and the type of occupancy of all buildings. A building permit must be obtained any time a building or structure is erected, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, converted, or demolished.

The Building Inspection Division is found in the Code Enforcement Office at City Hall on Spruce Street. Enter the double doors, and the Code Enforcement Office is through the door to your right.

To get a better idea as to how long it will take for Code Enforcement to review your permit application materials please view the Permit Review Timeline (PDF)

2. How do I get a building permit?

Step 1: Does Your Project Require A Building Permit?

Most construction projects in the City of Morgantown require a permit; however, there are exceptions. Below is a list of common projects that require a permit. If you’re still unsure if you need a permit call the Code Enforcement office at 304-284-7401 or stop by in person.

Projects That Usually Require Permits:

• New Buildings
• Additions
• Residential Work (decks, garages, fences, fireplaces, pools, water heaters, etc.)
• Renovations (garage conversions, basement furnishings, kitchen expansions, re-roofing, etc.)
• Electrical systems
• Plumbing systems
• Installing electrical outlets
• Replacing windows
• HVAC (heating, ventilating, air-conditioning) systems
• Remodeling kitchens or bathrooms
• Installing a pool, spa, or hot tub

Step 2: Find Your Application

Below is a list of projects with helpful information about their requirements. Simply select the project that is the most similar to yours and fill out the application included in the information packet. Please note that forms MUST be printed in COLOR to be accepted by the Code Enforcement office.

• Deck, Porch, Ramp (PDF)
• Grading (PDF)
• Interior (PDF)
• New Construction (PDF)
• Pools (PDF)
• Retaining Walls (PDF)
• Roof (PDF)
• Shed (PDF)
• Signs (PDF)
• Wireless Facility (PDF)
• Fence (PDF)
• Plumbing and Electrical (PDF)
• Asbestos (PDF)
• Demolition (PDF)

Step 3: Draw Your Site Plan

Now that you have obtained your application and specific site plan requirements, you are ready to begin drawing your site plans.

Depending on the site plan, you may need to draw out what you plan on doing in your construction project. Make sure to include as much detail as possible. This includes dimensions of the project, location of the property, windows, plumbing and electric depending on the project.

If you have a complicated project and you don’t feel comfortable creating your own plans, there are many designers in Morgantown who can draw your plans for you.

Step 4: Submit Your Application

After you’ve completed your application and your site plans, you’re ready to turn your documents in to the Code Enforcement office. The Code Enforcement office is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Stop by in person, or send a copy of your permit via email to permits@morgantownwv.gov.

Once your application is received it will be logged into the permit system, and will be reviewed by Code Enforcement officials, along with any other applicable departments to determine if your project meets local requirements.

If your plans meet these requirements, you will be issued a permit. If not, a code enforcement officer may suggest solutions to help you correct the issue.

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1. Who is my Ward Councilor?

View our City Council members and the Ward they represent on the City Council page.

2. Where do I register to vote?

If you would like to register to vote please visit the

Mon County Clerk website.

3. Can I watch a meeting live or archived online?

You can watch our City Council meeting online by visiting our Streaming Media Archive page.

4. How do I contact the City Clerk’s Office for more information?

You can call the City Clerk's Office at 304-284-7439 or for additional contact options visit the City Clerk page.

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1. Does the Morgantown Police Department offer vacation checks?

You can have your residence added to the vacation home watch by calling 304-284-7522, select option 0 or by filling out an online request.

If you plan on leaving town for any length of time: 

•Make arrangements to have someone pick up your mail, newspapers and packages. 

•Make arrangements to have garbage cans returned to the house and do not allow them to remain unattended in front of your residence. 

•Have automatic timers, turn lights on and off inside your residence, or have someone turn them on and off daily.

2. What should I do if I am having problems with wildlife or non-domestic animals?

If it is a non-emergency situation, please contact ABC Humane Animal Removal at 304-291-0957, JB's Wild Game Rescue Services at 304-278-5336 or an animal removal service of your choice. All charges incurred for removal are the responsibility of the caller.

In an emergency, please dial 911 and the operator will dispatch the Morgantown Police Department. All domestic animal calls will be directed to the dog warden/canine center.

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1. What can I do now?

Friends of Deckers Creek is aiding Downstream Strategies’ and the Morgantown Municipal Green Team’s research by establishing the Morgantown Sustainable Business Coalition. If you are interested in joining the Sustainable Business Coalition, please visit the Next Step page.

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1. How does it work?

An electrician needs a few minutes of your time to install one of Mosaic's smart sensors on each of your water heaters. These small sensors remotely adjust the timing of water heater power usage by minutes and seconds to match momentary changes in electricity supply and demand. There is no noticeable difference in the availability of hot water to the tenants.

2. What do I need to participate?

Multi-unit structures with electric water tanks of at least approximately 40 gallons, and that use up to 30 amps, are eligible to participate.

3. How do I sign up?

For contact information to sign up to participate in the electric water heater network initiative, please visit the Sign Up page.

4. What does it cost?

There is no cost to the property owner. Mosaic covers the installation cost and will guide you through the quick and simple installation process.

5. How much will I get paid?

Mosaic Power pays landlords $100 per water heater per year.

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1. What is a Brownfield?

Brownfields are parcels of land with any history of previous use that hinders their current or future development. Any real – or, importantly, any perceived – contamination from previous uses might affect how we can responsibly use lands. The operation of an oil tank farm, despite the visible steps taken to limit the effects of any spill, has undoubtedly long affected the perception of White Park.

In the late 1980’s, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) formally recognized White Park as a brownfield after receiving citizen complaints at a few previous tank sites within White Park. Since then, in their assessment and associated cleanups of periodic complaints at specific tank sites, the WVDEP and the USEPA have worked directly with oil companies responsible for the previous use. This process has been piecemeal and reactionary in nature, limited to areas that were identified by complaints and with nearly no involvement of the City or BOPARC.

2. What is the Voluntary Remediation Program?

The WVDEP created the VRP in 1996 to encourage redevelopment of existing sites rather than development of pristine land. Going through the VRP will enable the city to do a complete assessment of White Park, clean up any identified contamination or areas of concern, and develop plans that will guide all future activity on the site. Completion of the program will ensure any clean up of White Park follows the latest state and federal health and environmental regulations, with activities led by Licensed Remediation Specialists overseen by the WVDEP. 

You can learn more about the program on the WVDEP’s website.

3. Why is the City now taking the lead on cleanup efforts?

While Pennzoil/Quaker State, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, remains the chief responsible party due to its acquisition of the Eureka Pipeline Company and its liabilities, the City of Morgantown recognizes its role as the landowner. With updated regulations, new frameworks to conduct assessments and cleanups, increases in funding on the horizon, and a mandate from citizen requests to invest in White Park, we want to ensure this historical issue is dealt with in a comprehensive, cooperative, and timely manner. Entering the VRP now, as the primary applicant, will allow us to direct what happens to this immensely important recreational asset. Keeping decision-making power local will ensure that White Park’s future is based on our communal vision.

Discussions between Shell and the City of Morgantown are ongoing. Shell will be held accountable for any cleanup required at White Park that is associated with their inherited liabilities.

4. What is the cost?

The cost is still being determined, but the initial assessment is expected to be funded through a combination of grants and $50,000 of City funds that have already been allocated to the project.

5. What about the reservoir?

The drinking water reservoir in White Park was constructed in 1958 and has provided a portion of our source water ever since. Municipal drinking water is heavily processed and is monitored extensively for its potential to impact human health. The Morgantown Utility Board has decades of testing showing that the quality of the water sourced from the reservoir is some of the cleanest in the state. Testing of the reservoir has not indicated any contamination from the oil tanks. Unless future testing indicates potential contamination there are no immediate plans by the City to include the reservoir in the VRP process.

6. Are there any hazards to people currently using the park?

Over the past few decades, federal and state regulatory agencies have tested portions of the site for various contaminants of concern. Although these investigations did require certain, limited cleanup activities, nothing has been found that has prompted immediate enforcement action and modification of current uses.

It is important to note that previous assessments were judged against risk levels set for residential use. Since the most recent cleanup in 2010, new regulations have set recreational risk levels that account for the differences between these land uses and their associated risks. In short, there is nothing that has led us or any regulators to believe that excessive hazards currently exist.

7. What is the timeline?

The City anticipates entering the VRP in the Summer of 2022 and expects to complete the program within a three-year period. During that time, the City will develop and build a master trail plan for White Park that will expand and formalize the current trail system.

8. What about the Southside Trail?

The Southside Trail will be constructed within the next year along the southern boundary of the Cobun Reservoir. The trail is part of an agreement with MUB to expand the trail network in White Park following the installation of the raw water pipeline. The Southside Trail is a pilot for how trail construction serves to clean up a landscape with limited areas of contamination while enhancing recreational activities.

9. What about the rest of the old tank farm?

The City is being proactive with property that is within the jurisdiction of the City.

10. Should I be concerned that my house or property is within the boundary of the old tank farm?

The City of Morgantown will coordinate with WVDEP to hold workshops that will assist property owners in determining what steps they can take to determine potential contamination on their property. Once those workshops are scheduled they will be posted on this website and shared to those interested. You can sign-up to receive notifications for events and more from the city on our notify me page here.