Commercial Tenant Improvement (TI) Permit in Meridian, Idaho

Meridian requires a commercial tenant improvement (ti) permit for: Apply online through the Citizen Access Portal at citizenportal.meridiancity.org; upload plans through Project Dox (eplanreview.meridiancity.org); Submit the Commercial Tenant Improvement Submittal Checklist and Standards with the application; Architectural Plans stamped and signed by an Idaho registered design professional, including a complete code analysis; Structural Drawings, stamped, signed, and dated by an Idaho licensed professional, if the scope involves structural work; Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing Design and Compliance drawings stamped by an Idaho licensed professional — the City's TI checklist specifically flags that design is required for automotive facilities, nail salons, healthcare/medical, woodworking, education, restaurant, and industrial/hazardous occupancies; Certificate of Value form and Plumbing Summary form completed in full; Project Narrative with detailed, full scope of work; Structural Calculations, stamped, signed, and dated by an Idaho licensed professional, if applicable; Energy Compliance report, signed and including all pages; Statement of Special Inspections required only if the project requires special inspections; Contact Ada County Highway District (ACHD) at (208) 387-6100 early, since ACHD review/approval may be required separately; Food service, storage, handling, or manufacturing tenants must have plans reviewed and stamped "Approved" by Central District Health Department (CDHD) at (208) 327-5211 prior to City submittal; All drawing sheets: PDF, landscape orientation, drawn to scale, submitted as individual named sheets, print-ready with space reserved in the upper left corner for City approval stamps; All non-drawing documents must be submitted as searchable PDF files. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Meridian Community Development — Building Services at (208) 887-2211 before starting work.

The base Building Permit Fee is valuation-based: $50 plus $5.50 per $1,000 of project value, confirmed from the City's own Tenant Improvement Fee Calculation Worksheet. On top of that, a Building plan review fee (65% of the building permit fee) and a Fire Code plan review fee (30% of the building permit fee) apply, plus a $50-$150 application fee (tiered at $20,000 project value) and, if applicable, fire sprinkler/alarm plan review and pretreatment plan review/inspection fees ($58.89 + $117.79, listed specifically for Tenant Improvement projects). Use the City's Tenant Improvement Fee Calculation Worksheet or the Fee Schedule Web Portal at apps.meridiancity.org/CITYFEEWEB/ for a project-specific estimate.

Meridian's published plan-review target for a commercial tenant improvement (ti) permit is 40–60 business days.

You'll need: Commercial Tenant Improvement Submittal Checklist and Standards; Architectural Plans; Certificate of Value Form; Plumbing Summary Form; Energy Compliance Documentation. Depending on your project, Meridian may also ask for: Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing Design and Compliance; Structural Drawings and Calculations; Statement of Special Inspections. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Meridian requires 4 inspection(s) for a commercial tenant improvement (ti) permit, in order: Framing / Structural (if applicable), Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm (if applicable), MEP Rough-In, Final. Schedule each through Meridian Community Development — Building Services ((208) 887-2211).

Apply through Meridian Community Development — Building Services at 33 E. Broadway Avenue, Suite 102, Meridian, ID 83642. Phone: (208) 887-2211, email: building@meridiancity.org. Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Official information: https://meridiancity.org/community-development/building/.

Meridian, Idaho has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — with local amendments; effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Fire Code (IFC) — with local amendments; effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) — with local amendments; effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — with local amendments; effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — with local amendments; effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Fuel & Gas Code (IFGC) — with local amendments; effective January 1, 2021; 2017 Idaho State Plumbing Code (ISPC, based on the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code) — effective January 1, 2021; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — adopted via Idaho HB337 (IC 54-1001), effective July 1, 2023. Local amendments apply — see the Meridian overview page for the full list.

A Commercial Building Permit (C-NEW, C-SHELL, C-ADD, etc.) covers new construction, additions, and shell buildings. A Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit (C-TI) covers alterations or improvements to the interior and/or exterior of an existing building — for example, building out a new tenant's space inside an existing shell. Both use the same $50 base + $5.50/$1,000 valuation-based fee formula and the same 65%/30% Building/Fire plan review percentages, but the TI fee worksheet does not include Police/Fire/Parks impact fees, since a TI typically does not add building square footage.