When you hear the phrase “ambulance fee,” you might think of a bill from an EMS organization after you were transported to the hospital. But in the context of West Virginia, an ambulance fee is effectively a tax that can only be used to provide emergency medical services in a county. As outlined below, fees are generally flat and billed by residential units – apartments, condos, single-family homes, mobile homes, etc. Most counties offer a Homestead Exemption discount as well.
Despite counties’ fairly broad powers to impose the fees, they’re not very common. Five counties currently have them, all in the eastern panhandle. Monroe and Tucker counties previously had ambulance fees, but they were abolished largely due to public pushback.
| Ambulance Fees (Annual) | County Resources | |
| Berkeley | Residential Units: $100 Residential Units with Homestead Exemption: $25 | – Berkeley Ambulance Authority – Emergency Ambulance Service Fee Ordinance (PDF) |
| Hampshire | Residential Units: $100 Seasonal mobile/billable structure/units: $50 | – Hampshire County Emergency Services Agency – Emergency Ambulance Service Fee Ordinance (PDF) |
| Hardy | Residential Units: $120 Residential Units with the Homestead Exemption: $75 Businesses, varies: $120 and up | – Hardy County Emergency Ambulance Authority – Emergency Ambulance Service Fee Ordinance (PDF) |
| Jefferson | Residential Units: $39 Residential Units, non- owner occupied: $50 Residential Units with the Homestead Exemption: $19 Properties over 10,000 square feet: $200 and up | – Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency – Emergency Ambulance Service Fee Ordinance (PDF) |
| Morgan | Residential Units: $150 No other fees or exemptions mentioned | – Morgan County EMS – Morgan County Emergency Medical Services Board – Emergency Ambulance Service Fee Ordinance (PDF) |
Counties have the power to impose these fees under the [West Virginia] Emergency Ambulance Service Act of 1975. The law outlines counties’ powers under the law, specifically surrounding the imposition of ambulance fees, the creation of ambulance authorities, EMS organization options, and more.