Kuna, Idaho Building Permit Guide

Inside Kuna city limits one office, the City’s Building Department, reviews plans and issues the building permit along with the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, so no separate state trade permit is involved. A residential application is emailed as PDFs with a $70 submittal fee, structural plan review is billed at $65 an hour, and the permit fee is read from the City’s project value table (about $2,024 for a home valued at $366,000).

What requires a building permit in Kuna?

Kuna City Code 4-1-3 makes it unlawful to erect or alter any building or structure, or to reroof one, inside the city without a permit. The Building Department’s residential and commercial pages list the work it expects to see an application for.

What the City exempts: detached residential storage buildings under 200 square feet. Agricultural buildings are exempt from the building codes under City Code 4-1-5, but the owner still files the Agriculture Building Permit Exemption form and gets a site permit, and the land must be classed by the Ada County Assessor as actively devoted to agriculture. A shed on a permanent foundation used as a shop or garage does not qualify.

A wood stove, fireplace insert or other solid fuel heater needs its own permit, and City Code 4-1-4 allows only appliances certified as clean burning by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

Who issues Kuna building permits?

The Building Department sits within the City’s Development Services group at City Hall. It covers parcels inside Kuna city limits only. A Kuna mailing address outside the limits is unincorporated Ada County, where Ada County Development Services issues the building permit and the county’s zoning applies, including in Kuna’s area of impact.

Three other agencies touch most Kuna projects: the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) for streets and its impact fee, the Kuna Rural Fire District for commercial plan review and the fire impact fee, and the City’s Public Works Department for civil plans, water, sewer and pressurized irrigation.

Kuna permit applications and how they are filed

Kuna does not use an application portal. Building permit applications are digital submittal only: each document is emailed as its own PDF, and the plan set goes into a Dropbox folder the Building Department creates for the project once the application arrives. Files are named by lot, block, subdivision and phase, and every document must carry the legal subdivision name with its phase number.

Forms on the City’s Forms & Applications page:

• Residential Building Permit Application (new, addition, remodel, cover, foundation, accessory building, garage) and the Residential Permit Modification form.
• Commercial Building Permit Application (new, tenant improvement, addition, foundation, accessory structure) and its modification form.
• Change of Occupancy Application.
• Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical Permit Applications, each with a fee worksheet on page 2.
• Fence Permit Application, with the clear vision triangle sheet.
• Demolition Permit Application and Moving Buildings.
• Agriculture Building Permit Exemption.

Trade, fence and exemption forms can be emailed or handed in at City Hall. Every line of an application has to be filled in; the City returns incomplete or inaccurate submittals.

Building permit fees in Kuna

Fees are set by City Council resolution. The current list is the Development Services Fee Schedule (Exhibit A), whose newest rows were adopted by Resolution R76-2026. The permit fee is based on project value; for homes the City computes that value itself, at $170 per square foot of living space, $65 per square foot of garage and $16 per square foot of covered space. Those three figures are valuations, not fees.

For example, a house with 2,000 square feet of living space and a 400 square foot garage is valued at $366,000, so the permit fee is $1,461 plus 116 × $4.85, or $2,023.60. The $70 submittal fee, hourly plan review, the three trade permits, impact fees and utility connection fees are charged on top.

The Building Department page still links an older fee PDF and mentions a 3.5% card surcharge. The Development Services schedule is the later document: it sets the card fee at 4% under Resolution R76-2026, the fine for covering work at $75 and new commercial trade tables.

Under City Code 4-1-3, plan review fees are due when the application is submitted. The permit fee, City impact fees and agency fees are due when the permit is picked up. A new building also owes the ACHD impact fee, the Kuna Rural Fire District impact fee, the City park impact fee and the water, sewer and pressurized irrigation connection fees that apply to the lot.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Kuna

Kuna runs its own trade program. Electrical and plumbing permits are issued at the Building Department, and the City requires a mechanical permit before any mechanical equipment is installed. The state does not issue these permits for addresses inside the city.

Trade work done without a permit is charged at least double the permit fee. An unfinished basement counts as living space. Commercial, industrial and solar trade applications need the bid proposal on company letterhead, because the fee is based on the full job value including owner-supplied material and labor.

Homeowners may work on their own primary residence without registering as a contractor, but must take out the permit and physically do the work themselves. Anyone else doing the electrical, plumbing or mechanical work has to hold the Idaho licence for that trade.

The Kuna Rural Fire District reviews commercial and tenant improvement plans for life safety. The City forwards the plans, and the applicant completes the District’s own forms and pays its review fee.

Application documents and plan review

Civil plans are reviewed separately by Public Works and have to be approved before the building set is submitted. A commercial or tenant improvement job then goes to four different reviewers before the permit fee is worked out.

Applications are processed in the order received. Once a file is entered, the City emails an invoice for the submittal fee (for commercial work, the $200 submittal fee together with the electrical and plumbing review fees), and plan review starts when that invoice is paid. Before a commercial permit is released, the City needs the Fire District’s plan review and impact fee certifications and the ACHD impact fee receipt.

How to apply for a Kuna permit: 6 steps

Kuna building inspections and closeout

Inspections are requested in the City’s iWorQ portal, reached from the Schedule an Inspection link on the Building Department page. You sign in with a contractor access code that iWorQ issues (it is not your licence number), search by permit number and submit the request. One email confirms the request was sent and a second confirms it was accepted, and the portal also shows fees still due.

• Requests received before 4:00 p.m. are scheduled for the next business day; later requests are not.
• A complete set of approved plans and the permit inspection record must be on site.
• An adult aged 18 or older has to be present for an inspection inside an occupied home.
• Not being ready for a requested inspection can bring a re-inspection fee, and covering work before it is inspected carries a $75 fine.
• No inspections are made on City holidays, including the day after Thanksgiving.

A permit becomes invalid if work does not start or resume within 180 days, and a permit not picked up within 180 days of issuance is voided; the Building Official can grant an extension before the expiry date. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy costs $40.

Local Kuna rules to plan around

Job site rules: no construction between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (City Code 10-6-3), the site is to be cleaned every night, and adequate restroom facilities must be on site.

Fences: on an interior lot a solid fence in the front yard setback is limited to 36 inches and an open vision fence to 48 inches; a 72 inch fence may run behind the front dwelling setback along the property line. A fence reaching the sidewalk or right-of-way line needs a licence agreement from ACHD, and corner lots must keep the clear vision triangle open.

Manufactured homes: placing a mobile or manufactured home needs an installation permit, with the same site information as a single-family building permit.

Penalties: starting construction or demolition without a permit, occupying a building without an occupancy permit or skipping a required inspection carries civil penalties of $50, $100 and $150 for the first, second and third violation, and each day counts separately.

Outside the city: on unincorporated land around Kuna, Central District Health is the agency for septic permits in Ada County.

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 Kuna building-permit resources

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

• Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
• City of Kuna Building Department
• Kuna building applications and submittal instructions
• Kuna Development Services Fee Schedule (Exhibit A)
• Kuna residential building information
• Kuna commercial building information
• Kuna iWorQ inspection portal
• Kuna City Code, Title 4 Building Regulations

Kuna building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Kuna?

The fee follows the City’s project value table. A home valued at $366,000 (2,000 square feet of living space and a 400 square foot garage) pays $2,023.60, plus a $70 submittal fee, plan review at $65 an hour, trade permits and impact fees.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Kuna?

Yes. The fence permit has a $25 submittal fee and a $65 inspection fee, and the application includes a site plan showing the clear vision triangle.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A detached residential storage building under 200 square feet is exempt. Larger sheds, garages and anything attached to the house need a permit.

Does Kuna or the State issue electrical and plumbing permits?

Kuna does. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits for addresses inside the city come from the City of Kuna Building Department.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Kuna?

Yes, for a primary residence, provided the owner takes out the permit and personally does the work. Trade work done by someone else requires an Idaho licensed contractor.

When do I have to request an inspection?

Before 4:00 p.m. through the iWorQ portal for an inspection on the next business day.

Is there a fee for paying by card?

Yes. The current fee schedule adds a 4% technology fee to card transactions, adopted by Resolution R76-2026. The 3.5% figure on the Building Department page is older.

Simplify Kuna 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 Kuna permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.