HB 4386 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Remove age limitations for fire service

HB 4386 removes the 35-year maximum age limit for new applicants seeking appointment to paid fire departments in West Virginia. This change directly affects individuals over 35 who wish to join a fire department as new hires, eliminating the current restriction in §8-15-17(d) of state law. The bill amends the application requirements to allow anyone aged 18 or older to apply, while maintaining existing exceptions for veterans (up to age 40) and reinstated former firefighters. Key provisions include deleting the age cap but preserving retirement system rules for applicants moving between departments. The bill does not alter the 18-year minimum age requirement or the existing veteran/reinstatement exceptions.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 15, 2026 Last action Jan 16, 2026
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
0
Committee
3
Jan 16, 2026
Committee
To House Agriculture, Commerce and Tourism
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
To House Government Organization
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Adam Burkhammer
Adam Burkhammer
RRepublican
WV
64