Who administers zoning in Parkersburg, WV?

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

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

Parkersburg's Community Development Department maintains the official zoning map, and parcel-level zoning and ownership details can be cross-checked through the Wood County Assessor's records.

Why is so much of Parkersburg zoned industrial?

Parkersburg developed as a chemical and plastics manufacturing center along the Ohio River, and a significant share of its riverfront and rail-served land remains zoned industrial to support those long-established manufacturing operations.

Parkersburg, West Virginia · city zoning districts · 10 districts

Parkersburg, WV zoning map & districts

Parkersburg's zoning is administered by the city's Community Development Department under authority granted by Chapter 8A of the West Virginia Code. Situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers, the city's land-use pattern is closely tied to its chemical and plastics manufacturing base — industrial zoning is concentrated along the riverfront and rail corridors, near the large chemical-manufacturing complexes that have anchored the Mid-Ohio Valley economy for decades.

The code Parkersburg Zoning Ordinance

Parkersburg zoning map

The city publishes its zoning map at City of Parkersburg Official Zoning Map (PDF) .

Parkersburg's Community Development Department maintains the official zoning map and ordinance text; parcel-level zoning can also be checked through the Wood County Assessor's parcel records.

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 Parkersburg

As in the rest of West Virginia, Parkersburg's zoning powers are locally delegated rather than a home-rule authority, so district boundaries and standards are set entirely through city ordinance under the Chapter 8A framework rather than any statewide housing mandate. Developers should confirm current zoning directly with the Community Development Department, since industrial buffer requirements near active chemical-manufacturing sites can materially affect what is allowed on nearby parcels.

Parkersburg zoning districts by family

The 10 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Parkersburg, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Parkersburg Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 5 districts
R-1	Single-Family Low-Density District	Parkersburg's largest-lot single-family zone.
R-2	Single-Family Medium-Density District	Mid-size-lot single-family zone.
R-3	Residence District	General residential district permitting a mix of housing types.
R-3A	High Density Residence District	Parkersburg's highest-density residential district.
R-4	Multi-Family Apartment District	Apartment-scale multifamily zone.
Commercial 2 districts
B-1	Neighborhood Business District	Convenience-goods commercial serving adjacent residential areas.
B-2	General Business District	Parkersburg's dominant general-commercial district by land area; missing from the prior dataset.
Downtown / core 1 district
B-3	Central Business District	Parkersburg's downtown core district; missing from the prior dataset, which had no downtown entry.
Industrial 2 districts
M-1	Light Manufacturing District	Parkersburg's lighter-intensity manufacturing zone.
M-2	Heavy Manufacturing District	Parkersburg's most intensive manufacturing zone.

Parkersburg zoning — common questions

Who administers zoning in Parkersburg, WV?: The City of Parkersburg's Community Development Department administers zoning under authority granted by Chapter 8A of the West Virginia Code.
How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Parkersburg?: Parkersburg's Community Development Department maintains the official zoning map, and parcel-level zoning and ownership details can be cross-checked through the Wood County Assessor's records.
Why is so much of Parkersburg zoned industrial?: Parkersburg developed as a chemical and plastics manufacturing center along the Ohio River, and a significant share of its riverfront and rail-served land remains zoned industrial to support those long-established manufacturing operations.

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.

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