Idaho County does not issue building permits. The County says that for property outside city limits and city areas of impact the only building requirements are state requirements: electrical and plumbing permits from the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), a sewage permit from North Central Public Health, and a well permit through the Idaho Department of Water Resources. DOPL’s permit map sends HVAC permits for the county to the State as well. Inside the cities it is different. Grangeville and Riggins issue their own building permits, and so does Kamiah.
What needs a permit in Idaho County?
In the unincorporated county, nothing needs a County building permit, because there is none. In 2020 the Commissioners adopted Ordinance 67, which classifies all unincorporated land as multi-use with no restrictions except the County’s subdivision ordinance and its mobile and manufactured home ordinance. The County’s two earlier building permit systems were both repealed, the second by a special election on October 9, 1979.
| Permit or approval | Who issues it |
|---|---|
| Electrical permit | Idaho DOPL, 208-334-3233, or through your electrical contractor |
| Plumbing permit | Idaho DOPL, 208-334-3233, or through your plumbing contractor |
| HVAC permit | Idaho DOPL, 208-334-3233; its permit map routes heating and cooling permits for the whole county to the State (the County’s page lists only electrical and plumbing) |
| Sewer (septic) and energizing permits | North Central Public Health, 208-983-2842 |
| Well drilling permit | Your well driller or the Idaho Department of Water Resources, 208-762-2800 |
| Approach or utility work on a county-maintained road | Idaho County Road Department, 208-926-4471 |
| Dividing land | Idaho County, under Subdivision Ordinance 70 |
| Installing a mobile or manufactured home | Idaho County, under Ordinances 50 and 63 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →A manufactured home that is not used as a residence may not be placed within 300 ft of another residence or another landowner’s building under County Ordinance 63.
Who issues building permits in Idaho County’s cities?
The County’s no-permit position stops at each city limit and at each city’s area of impact. There is no county office to call about a building permit; the Courthouse is at 320 West Main Street in Grangeville. The Census lists eight incorporated cities with land in Idaho County.
| City | Who issues building permits |
|---|---|
| Grangeville | The City of Grangeville, on its Building Permit and Plan Review Application, filed at City Hall, 225 West North Street (208-983-2851). The approved application is the permit. Grangeville also has its own floodplain development permit and a planning and zoning commission that includes a member for the area of city impact. |
| Riggins | The City of Riggins. Under City Code #4 a building permit comes from the City Clerk’s office and is approved by the City Council (208-628-3394). |
| Kamiah (a small part is in Idaho County) | The City of Kamiah, whose Building Permits and Inspections Department issues permits, reviews plans and inspects; it gives 208-935-2672 for forms. |
| Kooskia | Kooskia’s City Code has no building permit chapter. Its building title sets setbacks (7 ft 6 in from the street line, or in line with the other buildings on the block, and 5 ft from the adjoining property line), bars installing a mobile or manufactured unit that is 15 years old or older, requires City Council approval for anything built on the city levees and has a flood damage prevention chapter. City Hall is at 26 S. Main Street (208-926-4684). |
| Cottonwood, Ferdinand, Stites and White Bird | The published sources do not say; ask the city hall before building. |
Applications you may actually need
Because there is no County building application, the paperwork depends on what the project includes and where it sits.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →- Outside the cities: the DOPL electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits, the health district’s septic application, and the Idaho County Road Department’s Approach/Utility Permit packet if the driveway or a utility line meets a county-maintained road. The County also has an online Address Request Form and a Subdivision Application.
- Grangeville: the Building Permit and Plan Review Application, with a plot plan like the City’s example. The City publishes separate sheets for residential projects and pole barn construction, a Floodplain Development Permit and a Water and Sewer Permit Application.
- Riggins: a written application on the City Clerk’s form, describing the work, the site, the use and the valuation, signed by the permittee.
- Kamiah: a General Building Permit, or a Revitalization Zone Building Permit that also needs Planning and Zoning Commission approval and a Western or Victorian exterior.
Permit costs in Idaho County
There is no County building permit fee. State trade permit fees are set by DOPL and septic fees by North Central Public Health, and each is paid to that agency. The cities charge their own fees. Riggins prints its table in City Code #4, based on the total value of construction including labor and materials.
| Total valuation | Building permit fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $500 | $10 |
| $501 to $2,000 | $10 for the first $500 plus $1.50 per additional $100 or fraction |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $32.50 for the first $2,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $170.50 for the first $25,000 plus $4.50 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $283 for the first $50,000 plus $3 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 and up | $433 for the first $100,000 plus $2.50 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
Grangeville’s fees are in its Master Fee Schedule (Resolution #314), effective October 1, 2026. The building permit fee is read from a table by project valuation in $1,000 steps, and a plan fee of 40% of the permit fee is added; the smallest projects, valued under $1,201, pay a $15 permit fee and a $6 plan fee. Placing a pre-built storage shed costs $100, a manufactured home on a non-permanent foundation pays $160 for the first section and $100 for each additional one, and work started without a permit is charged a penalty equal to the permit fee on top of the fee itself. A Grangeville project over $75,000 must also provide sidewalks, curb and gutter unless a waiver is granted.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Kamiah collects its permit fees at City Hall before the inspector reviews the plans.
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits
These are state permits everywhere in Idaho County. The County sends owners to DOPL (208-334-3233) or to their electrical or plumbing contractor, DOPL’s permit map sends electrical, HVAC and plumbing permits for the whole county to the state’s online services, and its inspector list assigns state inspectors to Cottonwood, Ferdinand, Grangeville, Kooskia, Riggins, Stites and White Bird. Grangeville’s residential handout makes the same point from the city side: if a project involves a bathroom, a state plumbing permit is required.
The County’s contact list puts “sewer and energizing permits” together under North Central Public Health.
What the city applications ask for
For a house on unincorporated land there is no County plan submittal. The two cities with published requirements ask for the following.
Grangeville residential project
- Foundation plan with footings, stem wall, depth and rebar
- Elevation drawings of the front and one side
- Type of framing and any interior support system
- Roof system and its snow load rating
- Siding and roofing materials
- Actual building plans for new construction or a substantial remodel
- A plot plan
Riggins application
- Description of the work
- House and fire address, or a description that locates the site
- Intended use or occupancy
- Valuation of the work
- Signature of the permittee or an authorized agent
- Anything else the Building Official reasonably requires
Riggins exempts three kinds of work from its permit: non-structural alterations and repairs worth no more than 25% of the building’s value, roof covering repair or replacement that does not change the plane of the roof, and unroofed fences, decks and patios not over 6 ft high.
Rather not deal with the Idaho County building department?
Get a free quote →How to proceed in Idaho County: 5 steps
If the parcel is inside a city or its area of impact, go to that city hall first. Otherwise only the state permits apply.
North Central Public Health’s Grangeville office is at 903 West Main (208-983-2842).
Your driller or the Idaho Department of Water Resources handles the well permit; the County Road Department issues the approach permit on a county-maintained road.
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits come from DOPL, usually through the contractor doing the work.
Use the County’s Address Request Form for a new home site.
Inspections
With no County building permit there is no County building inspection. State inspectors inspect the electrical, plumbing and HVAC work under the DOPL permits, and the health district inspects the septic system.
In Grangeville, the City’s permit lists six required inspections: footings, foundation, framing, insulation, sheetrock and final. They are requested by calling City Hall on 208-983-2851. In Riggins, the Building Official makes an on-site pre-inspection with the applicant, then foundation, frame and final inspections, and reinforcing steel or structural framework may not be covered before approval. A Riggins permit lapses if work has not started within 120 days.
Local Idaho County details that matter
Roads: the County requires approach and utility permits on all roads its Road Department maintains. The department’s administrative office is at the main shop, one mile south of Kooskia on Highway 13 (208-926-4471).
Septic: North Central Public Health serves Idaho County and issues the sewage permit.
Water: well drilling goes through the driller or the Idaho Department of Water Resources (208-762-2800), and water rights questions go to the department on 208-287-4800.
Floodplain: the County rescinded its flood damage prevention ordinance by Ordinance 66. Grangeville, by contrast, requires a Floodplain Development Permit inside the city.
Subdivisions: dividing land is the main thing the County does regulate, under Ordinance 70, with its own application and a variance and waiver form.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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 Idaho 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 trade permits
- Idaho DOPL building codes
- Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- Idaho County ordinances and repealed permit systems
- Idaho County official building and living guidance
- Idaho DOPL building FAQ
- Idaho County Road Department: approach and utility permits
- North Central Public Health District septic systems
- City of Grangeville forms and applications
- City of Grangeville Master Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2026)
- City of Riggins Code #4 (building permits)
- Kooskia City Code, Title 3 Building Regulations
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Idaho County building permit FAQs
Do I need a building permit in Idaho County?
Not from the County. Outside city limits and city areas of impact, the County says the only building requirements are state requirements, such as electrical, plumbing and septic permits. DOPL also lists HVAC permits for the county as state permits.
Who issues building permits in Grangeville?
The City of Grangeville, at City Hall, 225 West North Street, 208-983-2851.
Do I need an electrical, plumbing or HVAC permit on rural land in Idaho County?
Yes. Those are state permits from the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, 208-334-3233.
Does Kooskia require a building permit?
Kooskia’s City Code has no building permit chapter. It does set building setbacks, bars mobile or manufactured units 15 years old or older and regulates building in the floodplain and on the levees, so call City Hall on 208-926-4684 before you build.
Who issues septic permits in Idaho County?
North Central Public Health, whose Grangeville office is at 903 West Main, 208-983-2842.
Do I need a permit for a driveway onto a county road?
Yes. The Idaho County Road Department requires an approach permit on every road it maintains.
How much is a building permit in Riggins?
It is based on the value of the work: $10 for a job up to $500, rising to $433 for the first $100,000 plus $2.50 for each additional $1,000.
Does Idaho County have zoning?
Ordinance 67 classifies all unincorporated land as multi-use with no restrictions, apart from the subdivision ordinance and the mobile and manufactured home ordinance.
Simplify Idaho 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.
Ready to break ground in Idaho County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Idaho County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Idaho permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Idaho County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.