W. Va. Code § 20-1-20
This is the official text of W. Va. Code § 20-1-20, part of West Virginia’s Va. Code — part of the compiled statutory law of West Virginia, published by the state as "Va. Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§20-1-20. Limitations on state parks and state forests; exceptions.
Official statutory text
(a)(1) The Legislature finds that the acquisition of land to construct new or expand existing state parks and state forests is costly. After these areas are constructed, they must be maintained and personnel must be employed to operate the facilities. These costs continue to increase and place a burden on state revenues.
(2) The Legislature declares that there is an ultimate limit to how many state parks and state forests, based upon its size, population and financial resources, the State of West Virginia can support. Further, the Legislature hereby declares that it is within its authority to establish, provide for and maintain limits on state parks and state forests.
(b) Without written notice to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, neither the director nor an officer, employee or agent of the Division of Natural Resources may:
(1) Acquire, or authorize the acquisition of, land for any new state park or state forest; or
(2) Construct, or authorize the construction of, any new facility or building in any state park or state forest.
(c) Notice to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is not required for the following acquisitions and construction projects:
(1) The director may authorize the construction of any new facility or building that is constructed with donated funds, materials and labor in an existing state park or state forest; and
(2) The director may construct or authorize the construction of any new facility or building built by state employees when the total cost of materials does not exceed $25,000.
(d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the director from expending any appropriations that are designated to complete land acquisitions or the construction of facilities and buildings, including electric, water and sewage systems for state parks and state forests.
(e) The director shall require that any new building has a roof of sufficient slope in accordance with the current state building code.
(2) The Legislature declares that there is an ultimate limit to how many state parks and state forests, based upon its size, population and financial resources, the State of West Virginia can support. Further, the Legislature hereby declares that it is within its authority to establish, provide for and maintain limits on state parks and state forests.
(b) Without written notice to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, neither the director nor an officer, employee or agent of the Division of Natural Resources may:
(1) Acquire, or authorize the acquisition of, land for any new state park or state forest; or
(2) Construct, or authorize the construction of, any new facility or building in any state park or state forest.
(c) Notice to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is not required for the following acquisitions and construction projects:
(1) The director may authorize the construction of any new facility or building that is constructed with donated funds, materials and labor in an existing state park or state forest; and
(2) The director may construct or authorize the construction of any new facility or building built by state employees when the total cost of materials does not exceed $25,000.
(d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the director from expending any appropriations that are designated to complete land acquisitions or the construction of facilities and buildings, including electric, water and sewage systems for state parks and state forests.
(e) The director shall require that any new building has a roof of sufficient slope in accordance with the current state building code.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in West Virginia?
Find a West Virginia lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.