Unincorporated Bonneville County building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Unincorporated Bonneville County, Idaho.
Last verified 2026-08-02 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 357 Constitution Way, Idaho Falls, ID 83402 (mailing: 605 N Capital Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402)
- Phone
- 208-524-7920
- Office hours
- Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (excluding holidays)
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Unincorporated Bonneville County — 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), including ADA/Federal Fair Housing Act accessibility equivalency rules promulgated by the State Building Code Board — adopted via Bonneville County Code § 150.01(A)(1)
- 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), Parts I-VI and IX — § 150.01(A)(2)
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — § 150.01(A)(3)
- 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — § 150.01(A)(4)
- 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — § 150.01(A)(5)
- 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), including State Fire Marshal amendments and Appendices B, C, D, E, and F — § 150.01(A)(6)
- 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — § 150.01(A)(7)
- 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — § 150.01(A)(8)
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — § 150.01(A)(9)
- 2017 Idaho State Plumbing Code — § 150.01(A)(10)
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition)
Required for new single-family dwellings, additions, and structural alterations in unincorporated Bonneville County, governed by the 2018 IRC/IBC and related codes adopted under Bonneville County Code § 150.01. The Planning, Zoning, and Building Department (Planning and Zoning Director Naysha Foster) administers plan review and inspections. As of January 20, 2026, the county also administers electrical and plumbing permits/inspections for the same project in-house rather than routing them to the state. Applications and inspection scheduling are submitted through the county's online CityWorks PublicAccess permitting portal.
From$113Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mount solar photovoltaic systems in unincorporated Bonneville County. As of January 20, 2026, Bonneville County took over processing of electrical and plumbing permits (and inspections) within the county's jurisdiction — a function previously performed by the State of Idaho. This makes Bonneville County one of the few counties in this database that now self-administers BOTH the building/structural AND electrical portions of a solar installation, rather than routing electrical work to DOPL. No published fee schedule (for either the building or the new electrical permit function) or solar-specific fee line item could be located as of the last verification — a genuine, recently-created gap rather than an omission.
From$210.00EV Charger / EVSE Electrical Permit
Installation of an electric vehicle charging station (EVSE) in unincorporated Bonneville County requires an electrical permit. As of January 20, 2026, Bonneville County processes electrical permits and performs electrical inspections directly, in-house — the State of Idaho (previously via DOPL/Division of Building Safety) no longer provides this service here, an arrangement unique among the Idaho counties covered here, which otherwise route electrical permitting to DOPL. The county's current fee schedule, Resolution No. 25-19 (Instrument #1797567, recorded 09/23/2025, effective 10/1/2025), is published on the county's official Resolutions page (bonnevillecountyidaho.gov/page/resolutions) as a scanned PDF, separate from the 'Building Permit & Zoning Fees' content page. It lists an 'Electrical or Plumbing Inspection' fee of $105.00 and a 'Minimum Inspection Fee For All Codes' of $105.00, each subject to a 10% plan-review and 5% software surcharge. That resolution predates the January 20, 2026 electrical-permitting takeover, so the figures are quoted as the documented, currently-in-force fee schedule rather than confirmed as unchanged for the new electrical-permit function specifically — applicants should call ahead to confirm.
From$105.00Commercial Building Permit (New Construction / Tenant Improvement)
Required for new commercial construction and for alteration/tenant-improvement (TI) work in existing commercial buildings in unincorporated Bonneville County. Bonneville County Code § 150.01 does not create a legally distinct 'commercial' permit type or a separate TI permit — commercial and TI projects go through the same Building Permit process as residential projects (same Chapter 150, same CityWorks PublicAccess portal, same Planning, Zoning, and Building Department), governed by the 2018 IBC for new construction and the 2018 IEBC for alterations/additions to existing buildings. What IS confirmed as distinct from residential, from Bonneville County Resolution No. 25-19 (the county's live fee schedule, read directly as a PDF on 2026-08-02): (1) commercial projects are valued for fee purposes at the project's actual Contract Price, not via the county's per-square-foot residential valuation schedule, and (2) there is a separate, higher 'Commercial Fire Sprinkler Permits' fee ($420.00) distinct from the residential fire-sprinkler fee ($210.00). As of January 20, 2026, Bonneville County also processes electrical and plumbing permits and inspections in-house for commercial projects, the same as for residential.
From$113
Unincorporated Bonneville County's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Unincorporated Bonneville County yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.
Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Unincorporated Bonneville County lands. Privacy.
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 (2026-07)
- 66units
63 buildings · $15.3M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 1,285units
12 of 12 months reported · #7 in Idaho coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 817units
406 buildings · $129.1M valuation
- Full year 2025
- 1,219units
750 buildings · $228.7M valuation
County-wide figures: BPS reports county-wide totals; jurisdiction is the unincorporated remainder — county totals include incorporated cities (Idaho Falls, Ammon, Iona, Ucon, Swan Valley); county file row: 'Bonneville County' (16/019)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Idaho building activity
Tips & gotchas
- All applications and inspection scheduling go through the county's online CityWorks PublicAccess portal (app06.cityworksonline.com/CLIENT_BonnevilleCoID-Public/login). The county's own Building & Zoning Applications and Building Permit & Zoning Fees content pages carry no static fee schedule, but the actual fee schedule IS published — as Resolution No. 25-19 (recorded 09/23/2025, effective 10/1/2025) on the county's separate Resolutions page (bonnevillecountyidaho.gov/page/resolutions, a scanned PDF hosted via Dropbox) — found 2026-07-23. It sets a valuation-based building permit fee table plus flat fees for specific permit types (e.g., Solar $210.00, Electrical or Plumbing Inspection $105.00), each subject to a 10% plan-review fee and 5% software fee; still confirm current figures with the department given the January 2026 electrical/plumbing takeover.
- As of January 20, 2026, Bonneville County took over electrical and plumbing permitting and inspection from the State of Idaho — the only Idaho county to have done so. Call 208-524-7920 or email bonnevillebuilding@gmail.com with trade-specific questions.
- Projects permitted before January 20, 2026 keep state inspection for electrical/plumbing through completion; only new applications after that date go through the county for those trades.
- Agricultural buildings are exempt from the Building Codes (not from zoning) — exemption requires both the IBC § 202 definition AND County Assessor confirmation of active agricultural use under Idaho Code § 63-604.
- Work begun before permit issuance triggers a double permit fee per county policy.
- Planning, Zoning, and Building's physical office moved to 357 Constitution Way, Idaho Falls, ID (as of November 25, 2025); mailing address is 605 N Capital Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402.
- Bonneville County Code Chapter 150 (Building Regulations) is a short, three-section chapter (§ 150.01 Codes Adopted, § 150.02 Safety Assessments of Buildings and Structures, § 150.99 Penalty) — administrative and fee detail lives in the county's fee resolutions and the CityWorks portal rather than in the code itself.