Outside the three cities, building permits in Payette County are issued by the County’s Building Safety office, which now issues mechanical permits as well. Applications are accepted in hard copy only at the Planning and Zoning / Building Safety counter in Payette, review takes at least 2 weeks, and every building permit, even for an accessory building with no bathroom, must have a septic permit. Under the fee schedule in force since October 1, 2024, a project valued at $300,000 pays a $3,077.68 permit fee.
When does Payette County require a permit?
The County building application lists the project types it expects, and separate applications cover the rest.
Building permit application
- New single-family dwelling
- Shop or garage
- Addition, remodel or repair
- Storage building or pole barn
- Porch, patio or pool
- Carport
- Solar
Separate applications
- Commercial building permit
- Manufactured or modular home permit
- Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) permit
- Mechanical permit, for new, remodel and replacement HVAC work, gas lines, propane tanks and solid fuel appliances
- AG siting permit, for an exempt agricultural building
An agricultural building qualifies for the siting permit only on a parcel larger than 5 acres and only if it houses farm implements, hay, grain, poultry, livestock or horticultural products. It cannot be a dwelling, a place where farm products are processed or packaged, storage for non-farm implements or a place used by the public, and dairy barns and milking parlors are not exempt. Putting an exempt building to a non-exempt use means applying for a building permit as if it had never been built.
Who issues Payette County building permits?
Building Safety shares an office with Planning and Zoning at 1130 3rd Ave. N. in Payette. The County’s application names Tony Young as Building Official. Staff are unavailable on Wednesdays from June 10, 2026, while they work on long-range projects.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Payette County Building Safety (Building Department) |
| Address | 1130 3rd Ave. N., Room 107, Payette, ID 83661 |
| Phone | 208-642-6018 |
| pandz@payettecounty.org; building and solar applications are not accepted by email | |
| Hours | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Building Official | Tony Young, 208-870-1022 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| City | Who issues the permit |
|---|---|
| Fruitland | City of Fruitland Building Department, 208-452-4946, with its own application, fee schedule, submittal checklists and mechanical permit application. |
| New Plymouth | City of New Plymouth, which issues building and mechanical permits at City Hall and contracts with the City of Fruitland Building Department for inspections (208-452-4946; calls before 3:00 p.m. are scheduled for the next day). |
| Payette | City of Payette Building Department, part of Planning and Community Development, 208-642-6024. |
Fruitland and New Plymouth both tell applicants that plumbing and electrical permits come from the State of Idaho, and each has its own mechanical permit. For the City of Payette, the State’s permit map lists electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits as state permits.
In April 2026 the County redrew the areas of city impact around Fruitland, New Plymouth and Payette (Ordinances 2026-01, 2026-02 and 2026-03). The ordinances change the boundaries only; a parcel in an area of impact is still outside the city limits, so its building permit is a County one.
County applications and how they are filed
Payette County does not take building applications online. Each one is delivered in hard copy to the Planning and Zoning / Building Safety office, and the County states that emailed building permit and solar applications will not be accepted. The forms are downloaded from the Building Safety page:
- Building Permit Application, three pages with the required documents and a site plan example.
- Commercial Bldg Permit application.
- Manufactured Home / Modular Permit Application (2025 edition).
- ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) Permit Application (2025 edition).
- AG Siting Permit Application.
- Mechanical Permit Application.
- Example Site Plan and the Building Permit Fee Schedule.
The building application is signed by the owner or the owner’s authorized agent and asks for the contractor’s Idaho registration number and expiry date, the parcel number, the septic and driveway permit numbers, the project value in labor and materials, and the impact fee district where one applies.
Payette County permit fees
The Building Permit Fee Schedule was adopted by Resolution 24-21 and took effect October 1, 2024. The fee is read from total valuation, which the application defines as labor and materials.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Total valuation or item | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $500 | $150.00 |
| $501 to $2,000 | $150.00 for the first $500, plus $3.05 per additional $100 or fraction |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $200.00 for the first $2,000, plus $14.00 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $771.74 for the first $25,000, plus $10.10 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $1,268.78 for the first $50,000, plus $7.00 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $1,957.68 for the first $100,000, plus $5.60 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,233.75 for the first $500,000, plus $4.75 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $1,000,001 and up | $5,608.75 for the first $1,000,000, plus $3.65 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Re-inspection, or an inspection with no listed fee | $150 per hour |
| Inspection outside normal business hours | $150 per hour, 2 hour minimum |
| Additional plan review after changes or revisions | $100 per hour, half-hour minimum |
| Outside consultants for plan checking or inspection | Actual cost, including administration and overhead |
| County Engineer review deposit, commercial projects | $1,500 |
| AG siting permit | $150 |
| Building or starting construction without a permit | Civil penalty equal to twice the permit fee, paid before the permit is issued (County Code 7-1-1) |
For example, a project valued at $300,000 pays $1,957.68 plus 200 × $5.60, or $3,077.68. Mechanical fees and any district impact fee are added, and all fees must be paid before the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
The County announced a change of procedure: building and mechanical permits are now both issued through the Payette County Building Department. The mechanical application covers heating, ventilation and air conditioning, gas lines, propane tanks and fireplaces or other solid fuel appliances, and the Building Official or a designee inspects the work.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| New single-family dwelling up to 1,500 sq ft | $300 |
| 1,501 to 2,500 sq ft | $340 |
| 2,501 to 3,500 sq ft | $360 |
| 3,501 sq ft and above | $380 |
| New duplex | $600 |
| New building with 3 or more units | $300 per building plus $150 per unit |
| Existing residence, manufactured home or detached shop | $150 plus $25 per unit of HVAC equipment, capped at the new-home fee for that floor area |
| Gas line, interior or exterior | $150 per line |
| Propane tank | $150 |
| Fireplace or solid fuel burning appliance | $150 per inspection (rough-in and final) |
| Plan check or technical service | $150 per hour |
Electrical and plumbing are outside the County’s program. Its code adopts the 2018 International Residential Code without the electrical and plumbing parts, and those permits are issued and inspected by the State of Idaho.
The State’s online permit map, last updated on September 29, 2026, routes HVAC permits for unincorporated Payette County to the state system. The County’s notice of the changed procedure and its own mechanical application are the local statement, so apply to the County Building Department (208-642-6018) for mechanical work on county land.
Application documents and outside approvals
New dwellings and accessory structures are filed with two sets of plans and specifications. Commercial plans are drawn to scale on sheets of at least 24 x 36 inches with no mark-ups.
Rather not deal with the Payette County building department?
Get a free quote →Plans
- Site plan at a scale of not less than 1/20, following the County’s example and detailed list
- Footing and foundation plan with rebar placement, ventilation and elevations
- Floor plan with building dimensions, window and door sizes and smoke detectors
- Wall section from foundation to roof covering, including insulation
- Front, back and side elevations
- Legal description, easements and proof of ownership (deed)
Approvals and contacts
- Septic permit: Southwest District Health, Payette office 208-642-9321 or Caldwell office 208-455-5300
- Driveway or culvert permit: Payette County Road & Bridge, 208-278-3402
- Highway District No. 1: 208-278-3041
- Access from a state highway: Idaho Transportation Department District 3, 208-334-8341
- Irrigation district approval: Black Canyon 208-459-4141, all other districts 208-642-9424
- Assessor: one digital set of plans, with the receiving office’s initials on page 1 of the application
- Floodplain development permit and Elevation Certificate, where the site is in the floodplain
Additions, remodels and repairs need the site plan plus a detailed list of materials and a drawing of how the work will be built. The site plan must show every existing structure with its size, the septic tank, drain field and well, setbacks under the zoning, and the driveway length, width and turnaround if it is longer than 150 feet.
How to apply for a Payette County permit: 6 steps
Apply to Southwest District Health first; every county building permit must have one, even for a building with no plumbing.
Road & Bridge, the highway district or the Idaho Transportation Department, and the irrigation district serving the parcel.
Have the Assessor’s office initial page 1 of the application.
Take the application, two plan sets and the supporting documents to Room 107 on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday.
Review takes at least 2 weeks. A permit not picked up within 180 days of approval becomes void.
Use the inspection request site named on the application, 208Inspection.com, for each required inspection.
Inspections and permit completion
The County lists the inspections a building needs, in order: footing, foundation or stem wall, under floor, shear wall, framing, air seal, insulation and final. The framing inspection is done together with the mechanical rough-in, and the final with the mechanical final. The application directs inspection requests to 208Inspection.com.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →- A permit becomes void if it is not picked up within 180 days of approval, if construction has not started within 180 days of issuance, or if 180 days pass after the last inspection.
- A re-inspection is billed at $150 an hour.
- Excavators must call 811 at least 2 and no more than 10 business days before digging.
- Any digging in the public right-of-way needs a separate approval from Road & Bridge or the Idaho Transportation Department.
Local Payette County details
Design criteria: Seismic Zone C, 115 mph wind, 30 psf ground snow load and a 24 inch frost depth.
Rebar in every footing: County Code 7-1-4 adds its own rule for non-engineered concrete. Footings and foundations each need two continuous horizontal #4 bars, lapped 12 inches and tied, and the foundation needs a vertical #4 bar every 6 feet tied to the horizontal steel.
Substandard roads: under County Code 7-1-2 a dead-end road that does not meet county standards can serve no more than four dwellings or commercial structures, and a private driveway no more than two dwellings. Further permits wait until the road is brought up to standard and accepted by the County.
Utilities: outside city limits a utility or contractor may not connect telephone, gas, electricity, water or sewage service to a new building until it has a copy of the zoning certificate.
Covenants: a county permit does not waive restrictive covenants.
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 Payette 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
- Idaho DOPL building FAQ
- Payette County Planning and Zoning
- Payette County Building Safety: applications, fee schedule and required inspections
- Payette County forms
- Payette County Code
- City of Fruitland Building Department
- City of New Plymouth Building Department
- City of Payette Building and Planning & Zoning
Payette County building permit FAQs
How much is a building permit in Payette County?
The fee comes from the valuation table adopted by Resolution 24-21. A $300,000 project pays $3,077.68, and the smallest permit is $150.
Can I email my application?
No. Building permit and solar applications must be handed in on paper at the office in Payette.
How long does review take?
At least 2 weeks.
Do I need a septic permit for a shop with no bathroom?
Yes. The County requires a septic permit from Southwest District Health with every building permit, including accessory buildings without bathrooms.
Who issues mechanical permits?
The Payette County Building Department. A new house up to 1,500 square feet pays $300.
Who issues electrical and plumbing permits?
The State of Idaho.
When is the office open?
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Staff are unavailable on Wednesdays.
Who permits construction in Fruitland, New Plymouth and Payette?
Each city issues its own building permits. New Plymouth’s inspections are carried out by the City of Fruitland Building Department.
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More Idaho permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Payette County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.