Who administers zoning in Morgantown, WV?

The City of Morgantown's Planning Department administers zoning under authority granted by Chapter 8A of the West Virginia Code.

How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Morgantown?

Morgantown's Planning Department maintains the official zoning map, and parcel-level zoning and ownership details can be cross-checked through the Monongalia County Assessor's records.

Why does Morgantown's zoning near WVU get updated so often?

Neighborhoods bordering West Virginia University face persistent tension between single-family character and high demand for student rental housing, which has led the city to revise density, parking, and occupancy standards for those areas more frequently than in the rest of Morgantown.

Morgantown, West Virginia · city zoning districts · 12 districts

Morgantown, WV zoning map & districts

Morgantown's zoning is administered by the city's Planning Department under authority granted by Chapter 8A of the West Virginia Code. As home to West Virginia University, the city's zoning has been shaped heavily by student-housing demand — neighborhoods close to campus have seen recurring rezoning debates and code amendments over allowable density, off-street parking minimums, and occupancy limits for rental housing, making Morgantown's ordinance more actively contested than in many comparably sized West Virginia cities.

The code Morgantown Zoning Ordinance

Morgantown zoning map

Morgantown's Planning Department maintains the official zoning map and ordinance text; parcel-level zoning can also be checked through the Monongalia County Assessor's parcel records.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Morgantown planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Morgantown

Because zoning authority is locally delegated rather than a home-rule power, Morgantown's council sets district boundaries and standards directly, and the city has periodically revised its code to manage the tension between preserving single-family neighborhood character and accommodating purpose-built student housing near campus. Developers should confirm current zoning and any campus-adjacent overlay standards directly with the Planning Department before assuming a parcel's allowed density.

Morgantown zoning districts by family

The 12 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Morgantown, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Morgantown Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 4 districts
R-1	Single Family Residential District	Morgantown's base single-family zone.
R-1A	Single Family Residential District	Smaller-lot single-family tier common near WVU-adjacent neighborhoods.
R-2	Single and Two-Family Residential District	Allows duplexes alongside single-family homes.
R-3	Multi-Family Residential District	General multifamily zone, frequent site of student-housing rezoning fights.
Mixed-use 1 district
PRO	Professional, Residential and Office District	Transition zone blending offices into residential-scale blocks.
Commercial 4 districts
B-1	Neighborhood Business District	Convenience-scale commercial serving nearby neighborhoods.
B-2	Service Business District	Service-oriented commercial zone.
B-4	General Business District	Morgantown's broad general-commercial zone.
B-5	Shopping Center District	Zone for planned shopping-center development.
Industrial 1 district
I-1	Industrial District	Morgantown's general industrial zone.
Special purpose 2 districts
O-I	Office and Institutional District	Office and institutional-use zone; the city's GIS layer hyphenates the code as O-I, not the dataset's former 'OI'.
PUD	Planned Unit Development District	Custom-negotiated development zone outside the standard district ladder.

Morgantown zoning — common questions

Who administers zoning in Morgantown, WV?: The City of Morgantown's Planning Department administers zoning under authority granted by Chapter 8A of the West Virginia Code.
How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Morgantown?: Morgantown's Planning Department maintains the official zoning map, and parcel-level zoning and ownership details can be cross-checked through the Monongalia County Assessor's records.
Why does Morgantown's zoning near WVU get updated so often?: Neighborhoods bordering West Virginia University face persistent tension between single-family character and high demand for student rental housing, which has led the city to revise density, parking, and occupancy standards for those areas more frequently than in the rest of Morgantown.

Working in West Virginia? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when West Virginia opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← West Virginia zoning — who holds the zoning power in West Virginia, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other West Virginia cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Morgantown zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.