Morgantown building department

Morgantown’s Development Services and Code Enforcement staff handle building permits, demolition permits, property-maintenance complaints, and routine rental-housing inspections inside city limits. The city says Code Enforcement employs four building inspectors, four rental housing inspectors, and two compliance officers. Its codes follow the International Code Council model codes. Monongalia County handles addresses outside the city. The city’s online Zoning Viewer will tell you whether an address is inside Morgantown city limits.

Online-only applications: the Morgantown Access Portal

Morgantown does not accept paper building permit applications. Every building permit goes through the Morgantown Access Portal, as do rental and vacant-property registrations, business licenses, and planning and zoning applications. The portal moved to a new web address, so update any old bookmark. In the portal you create an account, submit the application, pay fees, track progress, and message city staff.

Some rules from the city FAQ:

• One application per scope of work. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and building work each need their own permit application type, so the right reviewer sees each one.
• Contractors must have a current Morgantown municipal license on file in the portal. If yours doesn’t appear, call the Finance Department at (304) 284-7408. An expired or missing business license is the usual cause.
• B&O tax is separate. Permit fees do not include Morgantown’s business and occupation tax. Contractors pay that through Finance.

The Building & Construction page posts permit guidance sheets for each application type. Residential types include new construction, additions, remodel/repair, roof or awning, decks or ramps, accessory structures, fences, retaining walls, pools, driveways or sidewalks, and electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas. Commercial types also include signs, change of occupancy, fire alarms, sprinklers, range-hood suppression, and FM-200 systems.

What a residential submittal includes

The city’s guidance sheets for fences and accessory structures ask for:

• a site plan showing property lines, existing buildings, the proposed work, utilities, easements, and nearby sidewalks or intersections
• the contractor’s name and license, or a statement that the owner is doing the work
• the job cost: a contractor’s estimate, or the materials cost if the owner is building it
• for fences: height, length, materials, gate count and locations, and how the fence is attached
• for sheds and other accessory structures: height, width, length, and foundation, plus wind-load anchoring. Prefab buildings need the manufacturer’s specifications. Stick-built structures need floor, wall, and roof framing details (species, size, spacing, spans), roof pitch, and roofing materials.
• for accessory structures, a Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) storm water permit application and a storm water discharge plan

Fence standards are in Planning and Zoning Code Section 1331.09. Residential accessory structures are covered in Section 1331.08. If the project doesn’t meet those standards, you can apply for a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals through the same portal.

2026 fee schedule highlights

The Plan Review and Permitting Fee Schedule took effect September 16, 2026. Selected Development Services fees:

Item	Fee
Building permit, new residential	$85 x 0.0025 x sq ft
Building permit, additions	$68 x 0.0025 x sq ft
Building permit, garages	$35 x 0.0025 x sq ft
Building permit, repair/remodel	$40 up to $1,000 of value, plus $5 per additional $1,000
Fence, deck, accessory structure permit	Included in repair/remodel permit fee
Electrical permit	$60 up to $5,000 of value, plus $5 per additional $1,000
Plan review, new residential / commercial	$750 / $1,200
Plan review, additions, garages, remodels, decks, fences, sheds, driveways	$50 each
Type I zoning review (1- and 2-family work)	$10
Certificate of Occupancy	$15
Reinspection	$25 per appointment per unit
Floodplain application (Engineering)	$20

For owner-built repair, remodel, and driveway work, the city counts the construction value as twice the materials cost. Stop-work order fees range from $75 to $750 depending on project value. The same schedule lists Fire Department fees: fire and life safety plan review costs $1 per $1,000 of construction value up to $1 million, and a fire Certificate of Occupancy inspection is $50.

Inspections and occupancy

Work may not start until the permit is issued. Inspections check the work against the approved plans. The city’s Certificate of Occupancy application is posted on the Code Enforcement page. The city’s business-startup steps say a business located in the city needs a Certificate of Occupancy before it can get a municipal business license. The CO application needs a scaled, dimensioned 8.5 x 11 floor plan showing square footage and the proposed use, plus sign-off from both the Planning Division and the Engineering Department. If the space needs no tenant improvements, call Code Enforcement within 10 days of applying to schedule the on-site inspection. Fire alarms, sprinklers, and hood systems are reviewed and tested by the Morgantown Fire Marshal, with separate acceptance-test fees.

Covered commercial occupancies may also need West Virginia State Fire Marshal plan review, which has been portal-only since March 1, 2025. The State Fire Code does not apply to one- and two-family dwellings.

Contacts

Development Services and Code Enforcement are at 389 Spruce Street, Morgantown, WV 26505. Call (304) 284-7401. The Chief Building Official, Drew Cantis, can be reached at (304) 284-7536. City Hall is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.