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Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions, Remodels & Tenant Improvement) — Melba, Idaho · Requirements sheet
Reviewed 2026-08-26 · Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10RvjjFs-PqILQPKNqZz5hqrsBToKI8qN/view
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Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions, Remodels & Tenant Improvement) in Melba, Idaho
Required for new commercial construction, commercial additions or remodels, and tenant improvements to existing commercial space within Melba city limits. The City has no distinctly-named Commercial Building Permit or Tenant Improvement application: the same one-page Building Permit Application used for residential work carries dedicated 'New Commercial' and 'Commercial Addition or Remodel' checkboxes alongside its residential ones, with a single Permit Fee, Plan Review Fee, Water Hook Up Fee, and Sewer Hook Up Fee block that applies no matter which box is checked. Commercial plans are reviewed under the 2018 International Building Code, the statewide edition Idaho Code §39-4116 requires Melba to enforce, per DOPL's 2025 Updated Idaho Adopted Codes notice; the City's own §9-2-1(A) binds its Building Department generically to 'the provisions of the International Building Code and State laws pertaining to buildings' without naming an edition. As with residential work, the City contracts with outside planning, engineering, and building inspection professionals to review and inspect the work, and the Exhibit A valuation fee schedule referenced in §9-2-1(B) is not published online.
Reviewed 2026-08-26 · Source
When you need this permit
- Building permit required before starting construction, per Melba City Code §9-2-1(A); new commercial construction, commercial additions/remodels, and tenant improvements to existing commercial space use this same permit and application, selected via the 'New Commercial' or 'Commercial Addition or Remodel' checkbox rather than a separate commercial form
- Two (2) plot plans drawn to scale showing proposed work
- Two (2) complete sets of plans and specifications (one set is returned to applicant)
- A copy of the full legal description (recorded) or Subdivision, Lot & Block of property
- Contractor Registration Number required on the application Contractor
- Zoning classification must be identified on the application; Melba City Code Title 10 (Zoning Regulations) includes a Commercial And Industrial Zones chapter (C-1 Commercial Zone, C-2 Service Commercial Zone, M-1 Light Industrial Zone) but no Design Review or Site Plan Review chapter
- Plans for commercial work are reviewed under the 2018 International Building Code — Melba City Code §9-2-1(A) binds the Building Department to 'the provisions of the International Building Code and State laws pertaining to buildings,' and Idaho Code §39-4116 requires local building-permit-issuing jurisdictions to enforce the edition currently adopted by the Idaho Building Code Board, which DOPL's 2025 Updated Idaho Adopted Codes notice identifies as the 2018 IBC
- The City contracts with outside planning, engineering, and building inspection professionals to review and inspect development within City limits, per the City's own Planning & Zoning page; the permit's legal authority and fee collection remain with the City, not with the contracted professionals or Canyon County
- Mechanical permits are required separately through the City of Melba; commercial mechanical work uses its own Commercial Mechanical Permit Application, billed at 2% of the commercial bid price with a $60.00 minimum fee (see the mechanical permit)
- Per Idaho Code §39-4117, the City must notify an applicant within 20 business days of receipt if a commercial building permit application is incomplete, versus 10 business days for a residential application; this is a statewide completeness-determination requirement, not a City of Melba policy, and it does not describe how long full plan review itself takes
Required documents
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Fee schedule
Building Permit Fee
Melba City Code §9-2-1(B): 'the building permit fee schedule is on file with the City as exhibit A and made a part hereof' (Ord. Show full citationHide
Melba City Code §9-2-1(B): 'the building permit fee schedule is on file with the City as exhibit A and made a part hereof' (Ord. 147, 1-19-1994; amd. Ord. 258, 7-9-2018). The Building Permit Application's Office Use fee block (Permit Fee / Plan Review Fee / Water Hook Up Fee / Sewer Hook Up Fee / Total Fee) is a single shared block used regardless of which project-type box is checked. No separate commercial valuation table appears in the City's Historical Documents library, on Municode or AmLegal, or in archived captures of cityofmelba.org. Contact City Hall at (208) 495-2722 for the current Exhibit A valuation table.Unpublished — the Building Permit Application leaves the "Permit Fee" line blank for hand-filling for every project type, including 'New Commercial' and 'Commercial Addition or Remodel,' and Melba City Code §9-2-1(B) states the fee schedule is on file with the City as Exhibit A
Plan Review Fee
Not found in any published source: the live ordinance text, the City's document library, and the available council-minutes archive contain no commercial plan-review fee or percentage. Show full citationHide
Not found in any published source: the live ordinance text, the City's document library, and the available council-minutes archive contain no commercial plan-review fee or percentage. No separate or higher commercial plan-review charge (of the kind some neighboring Idaho cities publish) appears on Melba's application form or in its City Code; same unpublished Exhibit A document as the Building Permit Fee above.Unpublished — same as the Building Permit Fee; the 'Plan Review Fee' line on the Building Permit Application is blank for every project type, including 'New Commercial' and 'Commercial Addition or Remodel'
Water Hookup FeePublished directly on the City of Melba Building Permit Application form (fixed amount, not valuation-based); the same fee line applies regardless of which project-type box is checked, including 'New Commercial' and 'Commercial Addition or Remodel.'
$1,800.00
Sewer Hookup FeePublished directly on the City of Melba Building Permit Application form (fixed amount, not valuation-based); the same fee line applies regardless of which project-type box is checked, including 'New Commercial' and 'Commercial Addition or Remodel.'
$4,500.00
Review timeline
Plan review
Not published — contact the department
Inspection process
- 1
Footings
Before concrete pour
- 2
Floor Framing
- 3
Shear 1 – Nailing
- 4
Shear 2 – House Wrap, Windows, and Flashing
- 5
Framing
- 6
Insulation
- 7
Final
See the full Melba inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →
Tips
- Melba has no distinctly-named Commercial Building Permit or Tenant Improvement permit — new commercial construction, commercial additions/remodels, and interior tenant improvements to existing commercial space are all filed on the same one-page Building Permit Application used for residential work, checking 'New Commercial' or 'Commercial Addition or Remodel' instead of the residential boxes.
- The Permit Fee and Plan Review Fee lines are blank on the form for every project type — call City Hall at (208) 495-2722 for the current Exhibit A valuation table before budgeting a commercial project.
- Commercial work is reviewed under the 2018 IBC via Idaho Code §39-4116's statewide adoption requirement; Melba's own codified text does not itemize the edition by number, so confirm any local amendments directly with the Building Department.
- No City of Melba fire-department plan-review fee or fire-district requirement was found published for commercial construction, unlike some neighboring Idaho cities that require a separate fire-district comment letter or charge an independent fire plan-review fee. Melba City Code Title 5 (Public Safety) includes a chapter titled 'Fire Prevention And Protection,' but its full text is not retrievable through the code library; confirm any fire-review requirement directly with the Building Department.
- Mechanical permits for commercial work are billed separately at 2% of the bid price ($60.00 minimum) through the City's own Commercial Mechanical Permit Application — see the mechanical permit.
- Idaho Code §39-4117 gives the City 20 business days (versus 10 for residential) to tell you a commercial application is incomplete — a completeness-review deadline only, not a promise of how long full plan review will take, which Melba does not publish.
Frequently asked questions
Melba requires a commercial building permit (new construction, additions, remodels & tenant improvement) for: Building permit required before starting construction, per Melba City Code §9-2-1(A); new commercial construction, commercial additions/remodels, and tenant improvements to existing commercial space use this same permit and application, selected via the 'New Commercial' or 'Commercial Addition or Remodel' checkbox rather than a separate commercial form; Two (2) plot plans drawn to scale showing proposed work; Two (2) complete sets of plans and specifications (one set is returned to applicant); A copy of the full legal description (recorded) or Subdivision, Lot & Block of property; Contractor Registration Number required on the application; Zoning classification must be identified on the application; Melba City Code Title 10 (Zoning Regulations) includes a Commercial And Industrial Zones chapter (C-1 Commercial Zone, C-2 Service Commercial Zone, M-1 Light Industrial Zone) but no Design Review or Site Plan Review chapter; Plans for commercial work are reviewed under the 2018 International Building Code — Melba City Code §9-2-1(A) binds the Building Department to 'the provisions of the International Building Code and State laws pertaining to buildings,' and Idaho Code §39-4116 requires local building-permit-issuing jurisdictions to enforce the edition currently adopted by the Idaho Building Code Board, which DOPL's 2025 Updated Idaho Adopted Codes notice identifies as the 2018 IBC; The City contracts with outside planning, engineering, and building inspection professionals to review and inspect development within City limits, per the City's own Planning & Zoning page; the permit's legal authority and fee collection remain with the City, not with the contracted professionals or Canyon County; Mechanical permits are required separately through the City of Melba; commercial mechanical work uses its own Commercial Mechanical Permit Application, billed at 2% of the commercial bid price with a $60.00 minimum fee (see the mechanical permit); Per Idaho Code §39-4117, the City must notify an applicant within 20 business days of receipt if a commercial building permit application is incomplete, versus 10 business days for a residential application; this is a statewide completeness-determination requirement, not a City of Melba policy, and it does not describe how long full plan review itself takes. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Melba — Building Department (Development Services) at (208) 495-2722 before starting work.
The Permit Fee and Plan Review Fee lines are blank on the City's Building Permit Application for every project type, including 'New Commercial' and 'Commercial Addition or Remodel' — the fee schedule (Exhibit A to Melba City Code §9-2-1(B)) is on file with the City but not published online. Water and sewer hookup fees are published and fixed at $1,800.00 and $4,500.00 regardless of project type. Contact Melba City Hall at (208) 495-2722 for current pricing.
Melba does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Melba — Building Department (Development Services) at (208) 495-2722 for current turnaround.
You'll need: Melba Building Permit Application; Plot Plans (2 copies, drawn to scale); Construction Plans and Specifications (2 complete sets); Legal Description or Subdivision/Lot/Block Documentation. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.
Apply through City of Melba — Building Department (Development Services) at 401 Carrie Rex Ave, PO Box 209, Melba, ID 83641. Phone: (208) 495-2722, email: cityclerk@cityofmelba.org. Office hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 12:00 Noon and 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Official information: https://cityofmelba.org/planning-zoning/.
The 2018 International Building Code. Idaho Code §39-4116 requires local jurisdictions to enforce the edition currently adopted by the Idaho Building Code Board, identified as the 2018 IBC in DOPL's 2025 Updated Idaho Adopted Codes notice, and Melba City Code §9-2-1(A) binds the Building Department to 'the provisions of the International Building Code and State laws pertaining to buildings.'
No. New commercial construction, commercial additions/remodels, and tenant improvements to existing commercial space are filed on the same Building Permit Application used for residential work, checking 'New Commercial' or 'Commercial Addition or Remodel' instead. Melba City Code Title 9 (Building Regulations) contains only a Building Codes chapter and a General Building Regulations chapter, with no commercial-specific chapter, and Title 10 (Zoning Regulations) has no Design Review or Site Plan Review chapter.
Yes. The City of Melba contracts with outside planning, engineering, and building inspection professionals to support development within City limits, per the City's own Planning & Zoning page. This is separate from, and not routed through, Canyon County's Development Services Department, which handles only unincorporated Canyon County land.
Sources & verification
Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-26.
Fee schedules
Applications & forms
Codes & ordinances
Department & other records
Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Melba building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.
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