Zoning & Districts

Residential Zoning Districts

R-1 Residential

R-2 Residential

R-3 Residential

Community Development Objectives

To identify those areas in the City where predominantly low-density residential development has taken place and will be encouraged in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Single-Family Detached Dwelling
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. Private garages, swimming pools, other accessory uses, and structures customarily appurtenant to a principal permitted use, including home gardening, but not the raising of livestock or poultry or any similar objectionable activity.
  • SPECIAL 
    1. Church, Sunday school, and other places of worship.
    2. Planned Residential Development
    3. Public parks, playgrounds, firehouses, and libraries.
    4. Bed and Breakfast Inn
    5. Home Occupation

Community Objectives

To identify those areas which have been developed with one and two-family structures.

To protect the areas from the intrusion of incompatible land uses.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Single-Family Detached Dwelling
    2. Two-Family Dwelling
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. All accessory uses are permitted in the R-1 District.
    2. Home Occupation
  • SPECIAL
    1. All special uses in R- 1 district. p-Public schools, community buildings, social organizations, and other similar uses.
    2. Multi-Family Dwellings.

Community Development Objectives

To identify areas in the community for higher density development, as well as for mobile homes. and mobile home parks.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Single-Family Detached Dwelling
    2. Two-Family Dwelling
    3. Mobile Homes
    4. Mobile Home Park
    5. Multi-Family Dwellings
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. All accessory uses permitted in the R-2 district.
  • SPECIAL
    1. All special uses provided in the R-2 district.

Thriving Business Row

Princeton is a hub for thriving small businesses, art, music, and events. We work together with business owners to help them succeed in the best ways possible, such as helping them with their storefront beautification or walking them through opening a new business.

Join the movement, and open your business in one of our booming business districts:

 

  • Mercer Street Grassroots District 
  • Mercer Street Historic District 
  • Thorn Street 
  • Rogers Street 
  • South Walker Street 
  • Stafford Drive

Commercial Zoning Districts

C-1 Commercial

C-2 Commercial

C-R Commercial

O-I Office and Institutional

I-1 Industrial

Community Development Objectives

To identify an area for concentrated retail commercial activity to serve the needs of the residents of the City.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Appliance Sales & Repairs
    2. Banks and other financial institutions
    3. Barber shops and beauty parlors
    4. Book and stationery stores
    5. Cigar stores
    6. Department stores
    7. Specialty stores
    8. Drug stores
    9. Dry goods and variety stores
    10. Massage Parlors
    11. Dry cleaning and clothes pressing
      establishments provided that non-flammable cleaning agents are used
    12. Eating and drinking places
    13. Florists
    14. “Enclosed” hardware stores
    15. Furniture Stores
    16. Laundries, coin-operated
    17. Locksmiths
    18. Offices, business and professional
    19. Paint and wallpaper stores
    20. Photographic equipment, supplies, and services
    21. Professional business and technical schools, and schools and studios for
      photography, art, music, and dance.
    22. Light limited industrial uses when totally conducted within enclosed buildings, including manufacturing of apparel, jewelry, toys, novelties, photo processing, printing, and laboratories.
    23. Food stores
    24. Lodging, hotels, motels
    25. Sporting and athletic goods
    26. Storage Units
    27. Radio and television sales and repair
    28. Parking lots and parking garages
    29. Shoe repair shops
    30. Soda fountains
    31. Tailors and dressmakers
    32. Telephone exchange and installations
    33. Wearing apparel stores
    34. Commercial/Residential Mixed Use Buildings
    35. New and used car dealers/showrooms without auto-repair garage
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. Accessory uses and building customarily appurtenant to a principal permitted use, such as incidental storage.
    2. Off-street parking and loading facilities
    3. Signs
  • SPECIAL 
    1. Multi-Family Dwellings
    2. Rooming Houses
    3. Tattoo Parlors
    4. Club or Lodge Halls
    5. Advertising Signs
    6. Automobile Repair Garages or Service Stations
    7. Churches or Places of Assembly
    8. Indoor amusement enterprises, including theaters, billiards or pool parlors, bowling alleys, or other similar places of assembly.
    9. The sale of beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages will be permitted in restaurants, pubs, clubs, or craft beer breweries after a Special Use Permit has been issued by the City. Beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages shall be sold for consumption to patrons and customers while dining inside the premises only. Application for such Special Use Permit shall first be submitted to the City’s Zoning Board of Appeals, and, if granted, be referred to the Clerk for a license. The Special Use Permit shall be revoked if there are valid complaints referred by the Police Department to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Council.

Community Objectives

To identify those areas in the City generally within walking distance of major residential areas for convenience goods and services to serve the everyday needs of the residents, as well as areas along highway traffic routes for auto and highway-related retail and commercial use.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Any C-1 Permitted Use.
    2. Retail sales with outside storage merchandise.
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. Any C-1 Permitted accessory use
    2. Accessory uses and buildings customarily appurtenant to a principal permitted use, such as incidental storage
    3. Off-street parking and loading facilities
    4. Signs
  • SPECIAL
    1. Any C-1 Special Use
    2. Automobile repair garages and service stations
    3. Mobile Offices
    4. Liquor Stores
    5. New and used car dealers/showrooms with auto-repair garages.
    6. The sale of beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages will be permitted in restaurants, pubs, clubs, or craft beer breweries after a Special Use Permit has been issued by the City. Beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages shall be sold for consumption to patrons and customers while dining inside the premises only. Application for such Special Use Permit shall first be submitted to the City’s Zoning Board of Appeals, and, if granted, be referred to the Clerk for a license. The Special Use Permit shall be revoked if there are valid complaints referred by the Police Department to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Council.

Community Development Objectives

To identify those areas of the City where concentrated residential use of property exists in or near concentrated commercial use of land.

To protect existing residential property from the intrusion of incompatible land uses in close proximity to existing residential development.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Any O-I permitted principal use.
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. Any O-I permitted accessory use.
  • SPECIAL
    1. Any C-2 Permitted Principal, Accessory, or Special Use.

Community Development Objectives

To identify those areas of the City where offices, institutions, and higher density residential construction will be encouraged.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Single-Family Detached Dwelling
    2. Two-Family Dwelling
    3. Multi-Family Dwelling
    4. Professional, business, and government offices
    5. Banks and investment houses
    6. Hospitals, nursing homes, and medical clinics
    7. Funeral homes
    8. Private, public, or professional schools
    9. Veterinarian clinics or animal hospitals
    10. Recreational uses
    11. Shops
    12. Commercial Schools
    13. Restaurants
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. Accessory uses incidental to the principal permitted use.

Community Development Objectives

To identify those areas in the City best suited for industrial development by virtue of location, topography, supporting facilities, and relationship to other land uses.

Uses

  • PERMITTED PRINCIPAL
    1. Any R-3 or C-2 Permitted Use. Includes general industrial uses, the manufacture, assembly, packing, storage, or treating of merchandise.
    2. Mobile offices

      The following uses are specially prohibited from located in the City:

      1. Abattoirs or slaughterhouses
      2. Dead animal
      3. Offal reduction
      4. Junkyards
      5. Fertilizer manufacturers
      6. Massage parlors
      7. Adult book stores
  • PERMITTED ACCESSORY
    1. Any R-3 or C-2 Permitted Accessory Use.
    2. Accessory storage within a wholly enclosed permanent building of materials, goods, and supplies intended for sale, processing, or consumption upon the premises.
    3. Customary buildings and uses accessory to the main use or building.
    4. Private garage or private parking area. Truck loading space is subject to recommended standards.
    5. Signs
    6. Mobile offices

Check Your Zone

The zoning map shows the areas referenced above. If you’re not sure which district you’re located in, check your address against the color-coded areas.

Click the photo to enlarge, or download a printable version using the button below.

This is a map highlighting the zoning districts in Princeton, WV. You can download a PDF by clicking on the button.