Land for Sale in Pocahontas County, WV

Pocahontas County at a glance

• County seat: Marlinton. Towns: Marlinton, Durbin and Hillsboro; Snowshoe is an unincorporated community.
• 2020 population 7,869; about 942 square miles; 8.4 people per square mile; the third-largest county in West Virginia.
• Thorny Flat on Cheat Mountain, at 4,848 feet, is the highest point; the mean elevation is 3,219 feet.
• The Monongahela National Forest protects much of the river headwaters; the Green Bank Observatory is in the county, which is part of the National Radio Quiet Zone.
• Highways: US 219 and 250 and West Virginia 39, among others.

The Pocahontas County land market

Buyers look for mountain acreage, hunting land, river and creek parcels, cabin sites and land near Snowshoe. Typical parcels are 5- to 100-acre wooded or pasture tracts. Parcels with road frontage, power and a level building site cost more than steep, remote forest land. Winters are long and snowy at this elevation, so year-round access matters.

Severed minerals and horizontal drilling

In West Virginia, mineral rights are often owned separately from the surface under deeds dating to the early 1900s. A mineral owner generally has the right to use the surface as reasonably necessary, subject to state surface owner protections. In 2019 the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals addressed horizontal drilling in EQT Production Co. v. Crowder and a companion case, Andrews v. Antero Resources, and summaries read the decisions differently on how far a mineral owner may use one tract's surface to reach minerals under neighboring land, so read the opinions or ask an attorney. West Virginia also has a hybrid dormant minerals approach that can reunite abandoned mineral interests with the surface.

Before you buy, order a title abstract that traces both the surface and mineral chains, confirm whether minerals convey, and check for leases, wells, pipelines and easements. A West Virginia oil and gas attorney can review a specific tract.

The National Radio Quiet Zone

Pocahontas County is in the National Radio Quiet Zone around the Green Bank Observatory, where radio transmissions are restricted to protect telescope observations. That can limit cell service, wireless internet and some electronics. Ask about broadband and cell coverage at the parcel and about any local rules on wireless devices before you buy.

Terrain, septic and access

Steep slopes, shallow rock and cold winters affect septic design, driveways and building costs, so get a septic evaluation and a driveway estimate. Many roads are state gravel and some are private, so confirm recorded legal access and snow removal. Wells vary in depth, and flood risk along the Greenbrier and Cheat river headwaters should be checked on the FEMA map.

Before you buy land in Pocahontas County

• Who owns the minerals, and any leases, wells or pipelines.
• Cell and internet coverage in the radio quiet zone.
• Septic evaluation, slope and driveway cost.
• Recorded legal access and winter road maintenance.
• Boundaries with the Monongahela National Forest and a survey.

Mineral rights vs. surface rightsLand due diligence checklist

Frequently asked questions

What is the National Radio Quiet Zone?

An area around the Green Bank Observatory where radio transmissions are restricted to protect telescope observations, which can limit cell service and wireless internet in parts of Pocahontas County.

Do I get the mineral rights when I buy land in West Virginia?

Not necessarily. Minerals are often severed from the surface. Order an abstract that traces both chains of title.

How high is Pocahontas County?

The mean elevation is 3,219 feet, and the highest point, Thorny Flat, is 4,848 feet.

Sources

• Pocahontas County, West Virginia (2020 census figures)
• Frost Brown Todd: West Virginia surface owner and oil and gas rulings
• Jones Day: dormant minerals acts and the Marcellus and Utica shale plays