Outside the cities, building permits in Latah County come from the County’s Planning and Building Department in Moscow, which also issues mechanical permits; electrical and plumbing permits come from the State. Applications and plans are filed electronically, zoning approval comes first, and a project valued above $30,000 pays a $700 non-refundable deposit toward a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee. Inside city limits the application starts at city hall.
When does Latah County require a permit?
The County’s own answer is short: building and zoning placement permits are required for all structures in Latah County. Its building code ordinance (Title 7, Chapter 1, last amended June 24, 2025) keeps the usual exemptions but ties most of them to a zoning step.
Building permit
- New homes, additions, remodels and commercial buildings
- Accessory and pole buildings, decks and porch covers
- Manufactured, modular and mobile home installation, including a move within a park
- Re-roofing, siding and window replacement (flat-fee permits)
- Wood and pellet stoves and other mechanical installations
- Fences over 7 feet high and signs that need a permit
- Change of use or occupancy
Exempt, but check zoning
- Exempt sheds and other one-story detached accessory structures: zoning placement permit ($25), and no wood stove, mechanical or fuel gas equipment inside
- Agricultural buildings: zoning placement permit for agricultural exempt buildings ($300), with proof of a farming operation
- Fences under 7 feet and retaining walls up to 4 feet: no placement permit
- Freestanding solar collectors up to 200 square feet and no higher than 10 feet
- Unlit signs under 12 square feet
- Painting, flooring, cabinets and similar finish work
No exempt structure may be used as a cabin, residence, tiny home, office or studio. Any electrical or plumbing in an exempt structure still needs its state permit, and a copy of the final approval goes to the department.
Who issues building permits in Latah County?
The Latah County Planning and Building Department issues building permits for unincorporated land under the county building code, and under County Code 9-1-14 its planners review every application for a new structure, or a change in location, shape, size or use, before the permit is issued. The County also issues the permits in the Moscow area of city impact, which has its own county ordinance.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Latah County Planning and Building (Planning, Building and GIS) |
| Office | Annex Building, 200 S. Almon Street, Suite 102, Moscow, ID 83843 |
| Phone | 208-883-7220 |
| PB@LatahCountyID.gov | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Apply | Apply for and Search Building Permits Online, linked from the department page |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Nine cities lie in the county, and each handles permits inside its own limits as follows.
| City | Who issues the permit |
|---|---|
| Moscow | City of Moscow Building Safety Division, which also issues its own electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits (208-883-7022) |
| Potlatch | Apply at Potlatch City Hall. The City sends the application and plans to its building inspector at Latah County, and once the County approves them you pay the City and City Hall issues the permit. A permit is needed for any structure over 200 square feet. |
| Genesee, Troy and Bovill | Each city has its own building permit application on its website, with Latah County Planning and Building (208-883-7220) named for inspections; Bovill’s form has plans emailed to the County. Genesee adopted its own City of Genesee Building Code in 2020. |
| Deary | Applications go to the Deary City Clerk, then to the city’s planning and zoning commission and council; Latah County Planning and Building approves the permit and the City calls with the fee. Anything over 200 square feet, and every commercial building, needs a permit. |
| Kendrick | Contact Kendrick City Hall (208-289-5157) before any remodel or change; the City lists the Latah County building inspection service as its inspector. |
| Juliaetta | The City of Juliaetta requires building permits and bases its fees on the cost of labor and materials; apply at City Hall (208-276-7791). |
| Onaway | Onaway publishes nothing of its own. The State’s permit map sends mechanical permit applicants in Onaway to the City of Potlatch’s building permit page, so start with Potlatch City Hall or Latah County Planning and Building. |
Genesee, Troy, Bovill, Deary and Potlatch each post a city mechanical permit application alongside the building forms. Electrical and plumbing permits in those five cities are state permits.
County applications and how they are filed
Plans, applications and other correspondence must be submitted electronically, through the County’s online building permit portal or by email to the department. Anyone without digital plans is asked to call the office, and paper plans larger than 11 x 17 carry a $50 fee. The department publishes these packets:
- Building Permit – Full Checklist, Application and Handouts, and a short version of the application.
- Accessory Pole Building Application Packet.
- Deck Permit Application.
- Roof, Siding, Windows Application.
- HUD Approved Home Installation Application.
- Mechanical Permit Application.
- Zoning Placement Permit Application, for exempt and agricultural structures.
- Non-Standard Address Application and the Temporary RV Permit.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The property owner must sign the application. An address is assigned from the constructed driveway approach, and three or more users on one driveway means it has to be named as a lane.
Latah County permit fees and valuation
Fees are in the County Development Services Fee Schedule, adopted by Resolution 2023-18 and amended by Resolutions 2024-14, 2025-06 and 2025-10. Valuation uses the ICC Building Valuation Data, with county values added for items such as decks and porch covers ($12.50 per sq ft), pole buildings ($24.00) and moved buildings ($65.00). Those are valuations; the fee comes from Table 1-A.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Valuation $1 to $500 | $50.00 |
| $501 to $2,000 | $50.00 for the first $500, plus $1.30 per additional $100 |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $69.25 for the first $2,000, plus $14.00 per additional $1,000 |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $391.25 for the first $25,000, plus $10.10 per additional $1,000 |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $643.75 for the first $50,000, plus $7.00 per additional $1,000 |
| $100,001 and up | $993.75 for the first $100,000, plus $7.00 per additional $1,000 |
| Plan review | 65% of the permit fee, in addition to it |
| Plan review deposit, valuation over $30,000 | $700, non-refundable |
| Re-roof, siding, or window replacement with no change in size | $75 each |
| Manufactured, modular or mobile home installation | $225 per section; foundations are charged separately |
| Mechanical permit | $75 |
| Wood stove or pellet stove inspection | $75 |
| Address fee | $100 |
| Zoning placement permit | $25 non-agricultural exempt building, $300 agricultural exempt building |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancy | $100, and $100 for an extension |
| Permit extension | $50 each, 3 at most |
| Re-inspection | $75 per hour |
| Work started without a permit | 25% of the permit fee |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →For example, under the posted schedule a project valued at $300,000 pays a permit fee of $993.75 plus 200 × $7.00, or $2,393.75, and a plan review fee of $1,555.94, $3,949.69 in all. The $700 deposit is deducted from the plan review fee, and the code says plan review fees are never reduced or waived. Mechanical work in a new home is covered by the building permit fee, with no separate mechanical permit.
Remodels are charged a share of the full fee for the floor area: 10% for a Level 1 alteration, 45% for Level 2 and 90% for Level 3.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
Latah County adopted the International Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes and issues its own mechanical permit ($75); a wood or pellet stove inspection is also $75. It does not issue electrical or plumbing permits. Those come from the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (208-334-3233); the permit support number printed on the County’s handout is an older one.
The two systems are linked at one point: the County will not schedule a framing inspection until the state electrical and plumbing permit numbers have been given to its office. The numbers can follow the application, but they need to arrive as soon as the permits are issued.
| Approval | Agency |
|---|---|
| Septic permit | Public Health – Idaho North Central District, 333 E. Palouse River Drive, Moscow, 208-882-7506. A perc test or soil evaluation is not a permit. |
| Road approach | North Latah Highway District 208-882-7490, South Latah Highway District 208-285-1412, or the Idaho Transportation Department 208-799-5090 on a state highway |
| Sewer, in place of septic | The sewer district or city serving the parcel |
Application documents and site approvals
Idaho law treats an application with missing information as incomplete, and the County will not accept a permit until everything is provided. Review timelines restart when missing items arrive.
Rather not deal with the Latah County building department?
Get a free quote →Required with a new-construction application
- Completed application signed by the property owner
- Zoning approval through the Planning Department, including any conditional or administrative use permit
- Non-refundable permit deposit
- Address fee, or the existing assigned address
- Site plan with distances to each property line, utilities, easements, well and septic
- Driveway plan meeting County Code 9-9-2, with engineering where that section requires it
- Construction plans; all trusses engineered for the snow load
- Approved septic permit and approved road access permit
Design criteria
- Roof snow load from the county map in Section 7-1-10; add 20 psf above 3,300 feet elevation
- Wind speed 115 mph
- Seismic Design Category B
- Frost depth 30 inches
- Ice shield underlayment required
- Flood hazards: confirm with staff before design
Buildings under the International Building Code, and some under the residential code, need plans stamped by an Idaho licensed architect or engineer. Siding, window, re-roof, mechanical and sign permits, and accessory structures without bedrooms or bathrooms, do not need septic verification so long as the work stays 20 feet from the tank and drainfield. Approved plans are printed to scale and kept on site for the inspector.
How to apply for a Latah County permit: 7 steps
Not every parcel in the county is eligible for a building permit; ask a county planner before buying or designing.
Planning confirms setbacks and any flood hazard, design standard or use permit that has to be in place first.
Obtain the septic permit from the health district and the approach permit from the highway district or the Idaho Transportation Department.
File the application, site plan, driveway plan and construction plans through the county portal or by email, and pay the deposit and address fee.
Review starts once the application is accepted as complete and the plan review fee is paid.
Give the office your electrical and plumbing permit numbers so the framing inspection can be scheduled.
Keep the stamped plans on site and finish with a Certificate of Occupancy before moving in.
Inspections and permit completion
County inspectors work from the approved, stamped plan set, which has to be on site and printed to scale. A zoning inspection is typical before and after an exempt structure is placed, to check setbacks.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →- A permit lapses if no inspection is requested and performed within 180 days of issuance, or within 180 days of the last inspection. The Building Official may grant up to 3 extensions of 180 days each.
- Renewing an expired permit costs 50% of the original fee (minimum $100) if it expired within the last 5 years, and the full fee after that.
- Moving into a home before a temporary or regular Certificate of Occupancy costs $200 plus the temporary certificate fees that would have been paid.
- A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is valid for 180 days and can be extended twice.
- Inspections outside business hours are $75 an hour with a two-hour minimum.
Local Latah County details
Living on site while building: once a residential permit is issued, the owner can apply for temporary living quarters on the property for 6 months at a time, up to 2 years ($50 for the permit and each extension). Otherwise one RV may be used on your own land for no more than 6 months in any 12.
Shops with living space: the County allows a residence inside a shop if that portion is permitted as a dwelling and meets zoning, so say so when applying for the shop permit and show it on the plans.
Containers and carports: an unmodified metal roll-off container up to 8 by 40 feet is $100, and a metal open-sided carport kit that meets the snow load (10 foot walls, up to 400 square feet) is $75.
Enforcement: the Building Official can record a certificate of non-compliance against a property with the County Auditor and can withhold new permits on a parcel with an open violation.
Appeals: a Building Official decision can be appealed in writing within 15 days, with a $500 fee, to a three-member Board of Appeals.
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 Latah County permitting resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →- Idaho DOPL trade permits
- Idaho DOPL building codes
- Latah County contact directory
- Latah County Code 9-1-14, planning review of building permits
- Latah County Code 7-1-3, amendments to the adopted building codes
- Latah County Planning and Building Department
- Idaho DOPL building FAQ
- Latah County online building permit portal
- City of Potlatch building permit process
Latah County building permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Latah County?
The Latah County Planning and Building Department for unincorporated land and the Moscow area of city impact. Moscow has its own Building Safety Division, and in the smaller cities you apply at city hall, with the County doing the review and inspections for most of them.
How much is a building permit in Latah County?
It follows Table 1-A of the county fee schedule. Under the schedule the County posts, a $300,000 project pays $2,393.75 for the permit and $1,555.94 for plan review. The Commissioners amended the schedule by Resolution 2026-07 in August 2026 and the new figures are not posted yet.
Do I need a permit for a shed or an agricultural building?
Exempt sheds and agricultural buildings skip the building permit but need a zoning placement permit first: $25 for a non-agricultural exempt building and $300 for an agricultural one.
Does the County issue electrical and plumbing permits?
No. Those are state permits. The County issues the building permit and a $75 mechanical permit.
Where is the Planning and Building office?
In the Annex Building at 200 S. Almon Street, Suite 102, Moscow, open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The phone number is 208-883-7220.
Who issues septic permits?
Public Health – Idaho North Central District. The County wants a copy of the approved septic permit with the building application.
Can I live in an RV on my land?
For up to 6 months in any 12-month period, or under a temporary living quarters permit while a permitted house is being built.
Simplify Latah 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 Latah County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Latah County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Idaho permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Latah County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.