Around West Virginia
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local snake information
Snake control in West Virginia
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Snakes in West Virginia: what to know
What to note
Where you see snakes, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.
A useful next step
Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.
Local research
Snakes in West Virginia: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which snakes actually live in West Virginia, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Only two species are venomous: the northern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake
Venomous snakes in West Virginia
The copperhead is the state's most commonly encountered venomous snake.
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)Less common than the copperhead and found in mountainous areas with talus slopes
Timber rattlesnake habitat
It is also West Virginia's official state reptile.
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)It is unlawful to take or possess most native reptiles and amphibians, covering 23 snake species, in effect since March 23, 2021
Native reptiles are protected
Property owners may still kill or relocate snakes found inside residences and structures.
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)Snake species recorded in West Virginia
- Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) — State endangered in Virginia (canebrake population in the southeast); northern Florida only as far south as Gainesville.
Two WVDNR pages give different totals for the state's native snake species, so no total count is cited here.
Rules that apply in West Virginia
For context, nationally
Sources: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR); CDC/NIOSH; Nuisance wildlife: Snakes. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Explore West Virginia cities
Beckley
Humid Subtropical · rural setting
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Charleston
Humid Subtropical · urban setting
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Clarksburg
Humid Subtropical · rural setting
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Fairmont
Humid Subtropical · rural setting
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Huntington
Humid Subtropical · urban setting
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Martinsburg
Humid Subtropical · rural setting
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Morgantown
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Parkersburg
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Weirton
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Wheeling
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Bluefield
Humid Subtropical · rural setting
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