Hailey building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Hailey, Idaho.
Last verified 2026-07-07 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 115 S Main Street, Hailey, ID 83333
- Phone
- (208) 788-9815
- Office hours
- Mon–Thu 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Fri 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (closed weekends and holidays)
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Hailey's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Hailey — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
Idaho adopts a statewide baseline building code set under the Idaho Building Code Act (Idaho Code Title 39, Chapter 41) and IDAPA rules administered by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). Effective January 1, 2021, the statewide baseline includes the 2018 International Building Code (IBC), 2020 Idaho Residential Code (based on the 2018 IRC Parts I–III and IX with Idaho amendments), 2020 Idaho Energy Conservation Code (based on the 2018 IECC with Idaho amendments), 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), and 2018 International Fire Code (IFC). The National Electrical Code is adopted separately by the Idaho Electrical Board (IDAPA 24.39.10), not bundled with the building code: Idaho enforces the 2023 NEC, effective July 1, 2024 (the state used the 2017 NEC with amendments before that and skipped the 2020 edition). Local jurisdictions must enforce the state baseline and may adopt amendments only where those amendments are at least as stringent as the state-adopted editions; local amendments may not be less restrictive. Enforcement is local — each city or county issues permits and performs inspections. Always confirm the current adopted edition and any local amendments with your specific jurisdiction before submitting plans.
- 2018 International Building Code (IBC), as amended by the Idaho Building Code Board, including new Appendix O (Radon Control Methods)
- 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), Parts I–III and IX, as amended by the Idaho Building Code Board, including Appendix F (Radon Control Methods), Appendix Q (Tiny Houses), and Appendix T (Solar Ready Provisions — Detached One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Townhouses)
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), as amended by the Idaho Building Code Board
- 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC)
- 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), as amended by the Idaho Building Code Board
- Idaho State Plumbing Code (ISPC), as adopted and amended by the Idaho Plumbing Board — required plumbing fixture counts per IBC Table 2902.1
- National Electrical Code (NEC), latest edition approved by the Idaho Electrical Board — administered and inspected by the State of Idaho, not the City of Hailey
Permit types & fees
Building Permit (New Construction, Additions, Remodels)
Required for erecting, constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, improving, removing, converting, or demolishing any part of a building in Hailey, including new single-family and multi-family residential construction, commercial construction, and residential remodels. Painting, residing, and replacing floor coverings are exempt; window replacement requires a permit.
Fence Permit
Required for all fences in Hailey, reviewed and approved through Community Development's planning and zoning staff. Height limited to 4 feet in the required front yard setback and 6 feet in required side/rear yard setbacks; corner lots have additional sight-triangle restrictions.
Re-Roof Permit
Required for roof replacement or re-roofing in Hailey, classified as a repair/remodel under the building code. Small patch jobs do not require a permit. Fee is valuation-based on the same Table 1-A schedule as new construction.
Demolition Permit
Required for moving a structure from one site to another, or destruction/demolition of a structure for disposal, in Hailey. Structures built wholly or in part before 1941 are treated as "historic structures" and trigger an additional 120-day review process before a demolition permit can be issued.
Alternative Energy System Permit (Solar/Renewable)
Required for alternative energy system installations (e.g., rooftop solar) in Hailey. Uses a flat application fee model rather than valuation-based fees, established to base charges on actual staff time rather than system value.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mount solar photovoltaic systems within Hailey city limits. The City's own permit is officially named the 'Alternative Energy Permit' (see the sibling alternative-energy-permit entry in this dataset for the full record) and covers the structural/mounting review; it uses a flat application-fee model rather than valuation-based fees, established by Hailey Ordinance No. 1119 specifically to base charges on actual staff time rather than system value. A separate State of Idaho DOPL electrical permit is required for the wiring/interconnection scope.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
Hailey has no dedicated EV charger or EVSE permit and no distinct fee line item for electric vehicle charging equipment. Unlike solar/renewable-energy installations (which trigger the City's flat-fee 'Alternative Energy Permit'), an EV charger is not a power-generation or energy-storage system, so it does not require a City structural/mounting permit. The wiring/circuit work is billed as a standard electrical installation under the State of Idaho DOPL Contractor (or Homeowner) Electrical Permit, using the general 'Other Installations including Commercial/Industrial/Solar/Renewable Energy' valuation-based fee formula (the same formula used for solar, just without the Solar/Renewable Energy checkbox).
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- 25units
21 buildings · $14.8M valuation
1 of 12 months reported; Census estimates include imputation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Idaho building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Hailey does NOT issue its own electrical or plumbing trade permits — those are handled directly by the State of Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). Schedule DOPL inspections at 1-208-332-4700 or edopl.idaho.gov/OnlineServices. The City's own Municipal Fee Schedule (FY2026) has no separate electrical/plumbing/mechanical permit fee line items, confirming these trades are state-permitted, not city-permitted.
- Idaho Code 39-4117 (effective 2025) sets a statutory 10-business-day (residential) / 20-business-day (commercial) window for the City to determine whether a submitted building permit application is complete — this is a completeness-review clock, not a guarantee of full plan approval within that window. Hailey has not published a separate full review-to-approval SLA of its own (unlike some larger Idaho cities).
- Ground snow load in Hailey is 120 PSF (site-specific CS basis) — significantly higher than many lower-elevation Idaho jurisdictions — with a 100 PSF minimum flat-roof/balcony/deck snow load regardless of occupancy or size.
- Seismic Design Category D1 applies in Hailey — detached one- and two-family structures require an engineered lateral force-resisting system designed by the Engineer of Record, incorporating 35% of the flat roof uniform design snow load into effective seismic weight.
- Frost line depth is 24 inches minimum, and ice barrier underlayment is REQUIRED (extending 24 inches inside the exterior wall line) — stricter than many other Idaho cities where ice barriers are optional.
- IECC Climate Zone 16 (the most extreme energy code climate zone in Idaho) applies citywide, superseding the IRC's default table.
- Permits are valid for 548 days from issuance; up to four 180-day extensions are allowed ($170 fee each); a permit becomes null and void if inspections are not completed within any 180-day window.
- Fees stack: Building Permit Fee (Table 1-A) + 67% Plan Check Fee + 34% of that for Planning Review + (where applicable) 44% of Plan Check for Hailey Fire Dept review + Development Impact Fee + (for new SFD/ADU/townhome) $1,288 Clean Energy Deposit.
- Buildings within 5 feet of a property line require 4-hour firewall materials (2-hour permitted with an approved monitored sprinkler system) — this rule applies citywide except in General Residential and Limited Residential zones 1 and 2.
- Demolishing any structure built wholly or partly before 1941 triggers a mandatory 120-day historic-structure review by Planning, Fire, and the Arts and Historic Preservation Commission before the demolition permit can issue.
- Cedar shake and other wood-based roof coverings are prohibited citywide, and any roof alteration/repair affecting 50% or more of the roof surface must bring the ENTIRE roof into compliance with current code.