Benewah County, Idaho Building Permit Guide

Benewah County’s Building Department, in the courthouse at 701 W College Avenue in St. Maries, issues building permits for land outside the cities on a paper application; hand-drawn plans are accepted if they show enough detail. The fee comes from a valuation table (a $200,000 project is $1,553.75 plus 10% residential plan review), and electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are separate state permits.

When does Benewah County require a permit?

The county enforces the building codes adopted by the State of Idaho (County Code 8-1-1), and its one-page permit form covers six classes of work: new construction, additions, alterations, repairs, moving a building and removing one. Anything built for people to live in, or that needs sewage disposal, cannot get a building permit until the health district has approved a septic permit (County Code 8-1-4).

Small earthwork is exempt from the site disturbance permit: less than 50 cubic yards of cut or fill in 12 months, or grading on a slope under 10% that is more than 500 feet from surface water and disturbs less than one-third of the parcel. The second exemption does not cover commercial or industrial projects.

Who issues building permits in Benewah County?

The county Building Department permits the unincorporated county. The three incorporated cities are handled as follows:

• St. Maries runs its own Building Department. Applications go to City Hall, 602 College Avenue (208-245-2577), in person or by email, and the city values projects with the ICC building valuation data.
• Plummer requires building permits and issues them through City Hall, 880 C Street (208-686-1641). The city has its own building inspector.
• Tensed publishes no permit information of its own; ask the county Building Department whether it covers a Tensed address before you draw plans.

Part of the county lies inside the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation, and the county’s site disturbance rules list the Coeur d’Alene Tribe as a permitting authority for earthwork within the reservation boundary.

Benewah County applications and forms

There is no online portal. The Building Department posts its forms as PDFs and takes them at the courthouse counter:

• Building Permit (form revised March 2025) — the applicant fills in spaces 1 to 11: job address and tax parcel number, lot and block, owner, contractor and licence number, designer or engineer, use of the building, IBC or IRC, class of work, a description of the work, its valuation in labor and materials, and the building data.
• Address Application — $150. An assigned address does not replace the building permit or the approach permit.
• Application and Permit to Use Public Right-of-Way for Approach — $250 to Benewah County Public Works, valid for 180 days, with a sketch of the work and photos of the site.
• Floodplain Development Permit application — asks for the market value of the existing structure and the cost of the work, because work costing 50% or more of that value is treated as a substantial improvement.
• Sewer Connection Permit application — for parcels served by a county sewer system.

The owner signs the building permit as owner-builder when no contractor is used.

Benewah County permit fees and valuation

County Code 8-1-2 has the building official set the valuation under the county’s current fee resolution, and the permit fee is then read from the table below. This is the table the county published as its current schedule in September 2025; after a public hearing on September 19, 2025 the commissioners voted to keep it with no changes, turning down a proposal for higher fees and a 40% plan review charge.

For a project valued at $200,000 the permit fee is $993.75 plus 100 × $5.60, or $1,553.75, and residential plan review adds about $155.

Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and septic permits

The county permit covers the structure only. Its form states that separate permits are required for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and sewer, and the state’s permit map assigns all three trades in Benewah County to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). Trade inspections are booked with the state, not with the county inspector.

On a county sewer system a licensed installer sets the septic tank to Panhandle Health District standards and connects it to the county main, and Public Works inspects the connection before it is covered.

What to submit with the application

The county asks for three things with every building permit, and it does not require drafted plans for simple work.

Design values printed on the form and in County Code 8-1-2: seismic design category C, 24-inch minimum frost depth, 90 mph wind (3-second gust), a minimum roof snow load of 50 psf, an assumed soil bearing pressure of 1,500 psf and ice shield underlayment.

How to apply for a Benewah County permit: 6 steps

Inspections and permit completion in Benewah County

The county requires progressive inspections, recorded on the permit itself: footing, foundation or stem wall (or poles); framing; insulation; drywall; and final. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC inspections fall between framing and insulation and are arranged with the state. A sewer or septic permit must be in hand before the final inspection.

A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of issue, or stops for 180 days. The building official can reinstate an expired permit on a written request that shows good cause, for a fee equal to the reinspection fee, as long as the codes in force when it was issued still apply.

No building may be occupied until the county issues a certificate of occupancy or completion. Before it does, the applicant has to hand in final approvals from every other agency involved, such as the fire district, the highway district or Idaho Transportation Department, Panhandle Health District, the sewer district and the state electrical and plumbing inspectors.

Local Benewah County filing considerations

Two counters: Building is in the courthouse on College Avenue; Planning & Zoning (40 Airport Road) and Public Works (130 Airport Road) are at the airport. Subdivision and county sewer paperwork goes to Airport Road.

Paved county roads: an approach onto a paved county road has to be paved too, with a 20-foot radius. If a culvert is needed it must be corrugated metal pipe, 12 inches unless Public Works specifies otherwise. Call the road district at least 72 hours before starting.

Floodplain and dikes: the building permit form has its own sign-off lines for an elevation certificate and for the dike district. Planning & Zoning keeps the flood maps and the county’s flood control code.

Timber and slopes: a design professional must prepare the site disturbance plan for any commercial or industrial project and for sites the county rates high risk after its site inspection.

Idaho building code

Idaho’s building codes are set statewide and enforced by the cities and counties that run a building program: the 2018 International Building Code and the Idaho Residential Code (based on the 2018 IRC), the 2018 Idaho Energy Conservation Code, the 2023 National Electrical Code, and a state plumbing code based on the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code rather than the International Plumbing Code. Idaho’s adopted codes

Official Benewah County permitting resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Idaho DOPL HVAC permit questions
• Idaho DOPL building program
• Benewah County Planning & Zoning
• Benewah County Building Department
• Idaho DOPL building questions
• Benewah County building permit application and checklist
• Benewah County Code, Title 8: Building Regulations
• Benewah County fee hearing notice with the current permit fee table (September 2025)
• Commissioners’ minutes, September 19, 2025 (building fees kept unchanged)
• Benewah County Commissioners: agendas, minutes and fee hearings
• Idaho DOPL permit map: who issues electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits
• City of St. Maries Building Department
• City of Plummer Planning, Zoning & Building

Benewah County building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Benewah County?

It is based on valuation. A $100,000 project is $993.75 and a $200,000 project is $1,553.75, plus plan review at 10% of the permit fee for residential work or 15% for commercial work.

Do I need drafted plans?

No. The county accepts hand-drawn construction plans that show dimensions, materials, spacing and insulation values. Engineered trusses are required for every structure.

Does a barn need a building permit in Benewah County?

An agricultural building on land the assessor classes as actively devoted to agriculture is exempt from the building codes, but the owner still needs a site permit from the Building Department.

Who issues electrical and plumbing permits?

The State of Idaho, through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses. The county does not issue or inspect trade permits.

Who issues septic permits?

Panhandle Health District. Its approval has to come before the county building permit for any dwelling.

Does the county issue permits inside St. Maries or Plummer?

No. St. Maries has its own Building Department at 602 College Avenue, and Plummer issues permits through its City Hall.

How long is a Benewah County building permit valid?

Work has to start within 180 days, and the permit is void if work then stops for 180 days.

Simplify Benewah County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Idaho. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Benewah County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.