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AI Laws in Charleston, West Virginia
As of 2026-07-02, AI Laws USA tracks 13 AI rules that apply to people and businesses in Charleston, West Virginia: 10+ federal protections, 3 West Virginia state-level rules (no Charleston-specific ordinances are indexed yet). Coverage is strongest on AI-generated images, non-consensual intimate imagery, deepfakes, and children's online safety. 3 of these rules are already in effect. Each entry below links to its official source.
Charleston local AI rules (and Kanawha County)
No city- or county-specific AI ordinances are currently indexed for Charleston, West Virginia.
- Honest gap: We don't currently index any Charleston-specific AI ordinances. Federal and West Virginia state rules still apply throughout the city. Have we missed something? Email [email protected].
West Virginia-level AI rules
3 West Virginia state rules apply to residents and businesses in Charleston. Sorted strongest first.
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In effect Limited protection
WV Fabricated Intimate Images Law
West Virginia · WV Code § 61-8-28a; WV Code § 55-20
West Virginia's intimate-images law explicitly covers AI-generated 'fabricated intimate images' — images created with AI or computer technology depicting someone's intimate parts. Disclosure or threats to disclose with intent to harass or coerce is a misdemeanor (first offense) and felony for repeats, with civil remedies under a separate uniform act.
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In effect Limited protection
West Virginia SB 198 (criminalizes AI/computer-generated child pornography)
West Virginia · Effective 2025-07-09 · S.B. 198, 2025 Reg. Sess. (W. Va.); W. Va. Code 61-8C-12
West Virginia made it a crime to create, produce, distribute, or possess with intent to distribute computer-generated or AI-generated child pornography, even when no real child was used. The law specifies that it is not a defense that an actual minor does not exist, and treats a depiction that appears to be a person under 18 as covered. Violations carry one to ten years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $20,000.
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In effect Limited protection
WV DOI AI Bulletin
WV · Effective 2024-08-09 · West Virginia OIC Insurance Bulletin 24-06 (2024-08-09)
The WV Department of Insurance adopted the NAIC Model Bulletin on Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers. Insurers licensed in WV must maintain a written AI program with governance, risk-management, testing, third-party-AI oversight, and documentation controls. The bulletin operationalizes existing unfair-trade-practice and unfair-discrimination law as applied to insurers' AI use cases — underwriting, pricing, claims, fraud detection, and marketing.
Federal AI rules that apply in Charleston, West Virginia
These federal protections apply everywhere in the United States, including Charleston, West Virginia. Showing the 10 strongest and most recent.
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In effect Stronger protection
Bartz v. Anthropic
N.D. Cal. · Effective 2025-09-05 · Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal.)
Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued Anthropic over its use of pirated-book datasets to train Claude. In June 2025 Judge William Alsup ruled that training on lawfully purchased books was fair use. The piracy claims (LibGen ingestion) were not adjudicated to a final ruling — they proceeded toward settlement. In September 2025 Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion class settlement, though Judge Alsup denied preliminary approval without prejudice pending additional information on the claims protocol and attorney fees.
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In effect Stronger protection
Banner v. Tesla (Autopilot)
S.D. Fla. · Effective 2025-08-01 · Benavides v. Tesla, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-21940 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 1, 2025)
A Florida federal jury found Tesla 33% liable in August 2025 for the 2019 death of Naibel Benavides Leon, in a crash involving Autopilot. The verdict awarded $243M (later reduced to ~$220M) — the first Autopilot wrongful-death verdict against Tesla.
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In effect Stronger protection
COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data)
United States · Effective 2025-06-23 · 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
COPPA requires online services aimed at children under 13 to get verifiable parental consent before collecting kids' personal data. The 2025 rule update — fully in effect since April 22, 2026 — adds biometric identifiers (like face templates and voiceprints, which matter for AI tools), requires separate parental consent before sharing children's data for targeted advertising, and tightens data retention limits.
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In effect Stronger protection
TAKE IT DOWN Act
United States · Effective 2025-05-19 · Pub. L. No. 119-12 (S. 146)
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of someone without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes. Social media and similar platforms must give victims a way to request removal and must take the content (and known copies) down within 48 hours. The platform removal requirement became enforceable May 19, 2026, and the FTC has already begun enforcement.
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Blocked / in litigation Stronger protection
NetChoice v. Yost (Ohio)
S.D. Ohio · Effective 2025-04-16 · NetChoice, LLC v. Yost, No. 2:24-cv-00047 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 16, 2025)
Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act — requiring parental consent for minors' social-media use, including algorithmic feeds — was preliminarily enjoined on February 12, 2024, then permanently enjoined on April 16, 2025 when the district court granted summary judgment for NetChoice. The state appealed to the Sixth Circuit, which vacated the district court's injunction in 2026.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thaler v. Perlmutter (Copyright)
D.C. Cir. · Effective 2025-03-18 · Thaler v. Perlmutter, 130 F.4th 1039 (D.C. Cir. 2025)
The companion copyright case: Stephen Thaler sought to register a copyright with 'Creativity Machine' (his AI) as the author. The D.C. Circuit affirmed in March 2025 that the Copyright Act's human-authorship requirement is dispositive as a matter of statutory law. AI cannot be a copyright author under U.S. law.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thomson Reuters v. Ross
D. Del. · Effective 2025-02-11 · Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. Ross Intelligence, Inc., 694 F. Supp. 3d 467 (D. Del. 2025)
Thomson Reuters sued legal-research startup Ross Intelligence in 2020 for copying Westlaw headnotes to train a competing AI legal-research tool. In February 2025, Judge Stephanos Bibas (sitting by designation) granted summary judgment to Thomson Reuters on direct copyright infringement and rejected Ross's fair-use defense — the first definitive U.S. ruling on AI-training fair use. The 2023 jury trial verdict had been deadlocked; the 2025 ruling resolved liability.
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In effect Stronger protection
Louis v. SafeRent
D. Mass. · Effective 2024-11-20 · Louis v. SafeRent Solutions, LLC, No. 1:22-cv-10800 (D. Mass.)
SafeRent agreed in November 2024 to a $2.275M settlement and a five-year ban on using its 'SafeRent Score' for housing-voucher applicants, after a class action alleged its AI tenant-screening tool systematically denied housing to Black and Hispanic Section 8 voucher holders. The first major AI tenant-screening Fair Housing Act settlement.
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In effect Stronger protection
FTC Impersonation Rule (AI)
United States · Effective 2024-04-01 · 16 C.F.R. Part 461; 89 Fed. Reg. 15017
The FTC's Impersonation Rule lets the agency directly sue scammers who pretend to be a government agency or a real business — including those who use AI-cloned voices or generated images to do so. Civil penalties can reach $53,088 per violation. The FTC also issued a supplemental notice in February 2024 proposing to extend the rule to all individual impersonation.
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In effect Stronger protection
TCPA (AI voice calls)
United States · Effective 2024-02-08 · 47 U.S.C. § 227; FCC 24-17
Robocalls using AI-cloned or AI-generated voices are treated like other 'artificial voice' calls: callers need your prior express consent, must identify themselves, and must offer opt-outs for telemarketing. You can personally sue violators for $500 to $1,500 per illegal call.
Frequently asked questions about AI laws in Charleston, West Virginia
Are there AI laws in Charleston, West Virginia?
What federal AI rules apply in Charleston?
Does West Virginia have an AI privacy law?
Are deepfakes illegal in West Virginia?
Can my employer use AI to screen me for jobs in Charleston?
How do I report an AI law violation in Charleston?
Are facial recognition cameras allowed in Charleston?
Is Charleston regulated by West Virginia's consumer privacy act?
Have we missed an AI rule in Charleston?
This page is generated from our open civic dataset. If you know of a Charleston ordinance, county rule, or local enforcement action we should add, email [email protected] or submit a correction. Every entry must include a verifiable source.