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Residential Building Permit (New Construction) — Mountain Home, Idaho · Requirements sheet
Reviewed 2026-07-04 · Source: https://www.mountain-home.us/177/Building-Services
PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency. Requirements change and vary by project — confirm current details with the building department before you submit.
Residential Building Permit (New Construction) in Mountain Home, Idaho
Required for new single-family residential construction within Mountain Home city limits, administered by the City's Building Services Department against the City-adopted 2018-cycle ICC codes (2018 IBC/IRC/IECC per the City's own Section 5-1-1 automatic-rollforward provision) plus the local 2-foot frost depth requirement.
Reviewed 2026-07-04 · Source
When you need this permit
- Building permit required for new single-family residential construction within Mountain Home city limits
- Plans reviewed against the City-adopted ICC codes (2018 IBC/IRC/IECC, per Mountain Home City Code 5-1-1 and the Building Services Department's own confirmation of the 2018-cycle adoption effective December 31, 2020)
- Foundation footings must be at least two feet (2') below finish grade or natural ground surface, per City Code 5-1-6 (Frost Depth)
- Contractor registration number required, per City Code 5-1-11 Contractor
- Agricultural buildings are exempt from the adopted building codes but remain subject to zoning placement requirements
- Apply via the OpenGov/ViewPoint Cloud portal (mountainhomeid.viewpointcloud.com) — 'Building Department-Applications and Permits' category
Required documents
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Fee schedule
Building Permit Fee — Exhibit A valuation table, 2007 edition
Source: 'Exhibit A — Building Permit Table for 2007,' a City of Mountain Home document archived at… Show full citationHide
Source: 'Exhibit A — Building Permit Table for 2007,' a City of Mountain Home document archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20070422051817/http://www.mountain-home.us:80/Building/BUILDING%20PERMIT%20TABLE%20FOR%202007%20EXHIBIT%20A%20_2_.pdf — the only copy of Exhibit A found to have been published online by the City. The table is titled for the building permit generally and is keyed to valuation rather than to occupancy, and City Code 5-1-4 adopts it for all building permit and inspection fee costs, so it governs residential work as well; what 5-1-4 varies by structure type is the valuation methodology fed into it, not the table. The City's own archived resolution indexes for 2011 through 2019 name no resolution amending the table, and 5-1-4 lets Council amend it by resolution at any time, so these figures may not equal the amount currently charged — call Building Services at 208-580-2091 to confirm.$24.00 at a $500 valuation, rising through the schedule to $994.00 at $100,000; from $100,000 to $500,000, $994.00 for the first $100,000 plus $5.60 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof; from $500,000 to $1,000,000, $3,234.00 for the first $500,000 plus $4.75 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof; above $1,000,000, $5,609.00 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3.15 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof
Value of Construction (fee-calculation method)City Code 5-1-4.B
The Building Valuation Data table figure from the current edition of the International Conference of Building Officials' "Building Standards" publication, or the applicant's estimated cost of construction, whichever is greater
Fixed FeesCity Code 5-1-4.C — the resolution itself was not found published online
Not published online; set by separate City Council resolution to reflect, as closely as possible, the City's actual hourly costs
Review timeline
Plan review
Not published — contact the department
Inspection process
- 1
Footing/Foundation
Prior to concrete pour; verify footing depth meets the City's 2-foot frost depth requirement (City Code 5-1-6)
- 2
Framing
Structural framing per approved plans
- 3
Final / Certificate of Occupancy
Final building inspection; electrical, plumbing, and mechanical trade inspections are conducted under the separate state DOPL permitting/inspection process rather than by the City
See the full Mountain Home inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →
Tips
- Same-day inspection requests must be called in before 9:00 a.m. (208-580-2091); requests made after 9:00 a.m. are scheduled for the next day — this same-day cutoff is stated directly on the City's own Building Services page.
- Mountain Home's frost depth requirement (2 feet) is shallower than some neighboring Idaho jurisdictions (e.g., Chubbuck's 36 inches / 3 feet) — do not assume a uniform frost depth across southern Idaho cities.
- The City does not publish Exhibit A, the dollar-amount fee table City Code 5-1-4 adopts, on its current website; a 2007-dated copy survives in a Wayback Machine snapshot of a since-removed City page and is carried in the fee lines above. Confirm current amounts with Building Services at 208-580-2091.
- This same Building Permit Application (form/portal category) is also the correct filing path for new COMMERCIAL construction and for commercial tenant-improvement (TI)/remodel work — Mountain Home has no separate commercial-building-permit or TI-permit product or application. See the confirmed-absence note in the top-level tipsAndGotchas for full sourcing.
Frequently asked questions
Mountain Home requires a residential building permit (new construction) for: Building permit required for new single-family residential construction within Mountain Home city limits; Plans reviewed against the City-adopted ICC codes (2018 IBC/IRC/IECC, per Mountain Home City Code 5-1-1 and the Building Services Department's own confirmation of the 2018-cycle adoption effective December 31, 2020); Foundation footings must be at least two feet (2') below finish grade or natural ground surface, per City Code 5-1-6 (Frost Depth); Contractor registration number required, per City Code 5-1-11; Agricultural buildings are exempt from the adopted building codes but remain subject to zoning placement requirements; Apply via the OpenGov/ViewPoint Cloud portal (mountainhomeid.viewpointcloud.com) — 'Building Department-Applications and Permits' category. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Mountain Home Building Services Department (Building Services and Code Enforcement Services) at 208-580-2091 (fax 208-587-2171) before starting work.
In Mountain Home, the published Building Permit Fee — Exhibit A valuation table, 2007 edition is: $24.00 at a $500 valuation, rising through the schedule to $994.00 at $100,000; from $100,000 to $500,000, $994.00 for the first $100,000 plus $5.60 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof; from $500,000 to $1,000,000, $3,234.00 for the first $500,000 plus $4.75 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof; above $1,000,000, $5,609.00 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3.15 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof. Additional published fees: Value of Construction (fee-calculation method) — The Building Valuation Data table figure from the current edition of the International Conference of Building Officials' "Building Standards" publication, or the applicant's estimated cost of construction, whichever is greater; Fixed Fees — Not published online; set by separate City Council resolution to reflect, as closely as possible, the City's actual hourly costs. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.
Mountain Home does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Mountain Home Building Services Department (Building Services and Code Enforcement Services) at 208-580-2091 (fax 208-587-2171) for current turnaround.
You'll need: Building Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.
Mountain Home requires 3 inspection(s) for a residential building permit (new construction), in order: Footing/Foundation, Framing, Final / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through City of Mountain Home Building Services Department (Building Services and Code Enforcement Services) (208-580-2091 (fax 208-587-2171)).
Applications are submitted through the City's OpenGov/ViewPoint Cloud online permit portal at mountainhomeid.viewpointcloud.com, under 'Building Department-Applications and Permits.'
Mountain Home, Idaho has adopted: Idaho Building Code Act (Idaho Code Title 39, Chapter 41) makes building code standards a matter of statewide concern; local governments that issue building permits and perform code enforcement must adopt the International Building Code and Idaho Residential Code (Parts I-III and IX) and the Idaho Energy Conservation Code as amended by the Idaho Building Code Board through negotiated rulemaking. Source: Idaho Legislature, Idaho Code Title 39 Chapter 41 (39-4116), https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title39/t39ch41/.; City of Mountain Home Code of Ordinances, Title 5, Chapter 1 ('Building Code'), Section 5-1-1 ('Adoption Of Building Codes'): the City adopts building codes published by the International Code Council, effective January 1, 2014, with current ICC editions becoming the City's building codes effective January 1 immediately following the edition's publication and adoption by the State of Idaho or the Idaho Building Code Board. As codified, this adopts the International Building Code (excluding the incorporated electrical, mechanical, fuel gas, plumbing, fire, and property maintenance codes, other than specifically referenced subjects) together with the incorporated International Residential Code, Parts I, II, III, IV and IX, and the International Energy Conservation Code. Agricultural buildings are exempt from the adopted building codes but remain subject to zoning placement requirements. Source: Mountain Home City Code 5-1-1, 'Adoption Of Building Codes' (codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/mountainhomeid/latest/mountainhome_id/0-0-0-1143).; The City of Mountain Home's own Building Services department page states the City 'formally adopted the 2018 updates to the building codes,' effective for all permits drawn from the Building Department as of December 31, 2020 — i.e., the current enforced edition set is the 2018-cycle ICC codes (2018 IBC / 2018 IRC / 2018 IECC), consistent with the codified Section 5-1-1 mechanism under which the City's adopted edition automatically rolls forward to match the edition currently adopted by the State of Idaho / Idaho Building Code Board. Source: City of Mountain Home Building Services page (https://www.mountain-home.us/177/Building-Services).; Idaho's statewide energy code is the 2018 IECC with Idaho amendments, effective January 1, 2021, and it applies to commercial and residential building projects alike — there is no separate commercial edition. Mountain Home enforces the state-adopted IECC edition via the automatic-rollforward mechanism in its own Section 5-1-1. Source: Idaho Energy Code (idahoenergycode.com/current-energy-code) and UpCodes Idaho Energy Conservation Code (2020 Edition) viewer (up.codes/viewer/idaho/iecc-2018).; Mountain Home's own Building Services page states the department 'enforces current ICC Building and Fire Codes, plus state-regulated provisions for plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems' — meaning the City does NOT self-administer electrical, plumbing, or mechanical trade permits; those trades are regulated and permitted through the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) Building Safety Program (formerly Division of Building Safety), not through a City of Mountain Home trade-permit process. This is confirmed independently via web-indexed language stating 'The City of Mountain Home does not regulate these codes and is instead regulated by the State of Idaho's Division of Building Safety Department' for the electrical/plumbing/mechanical trades. This is the opposite pattern from Chubbuck and Twin Falls (which self-administer all trades) and differs from Rexburg (which self-administers M/E/P) — confirming Idaho cities vary and this record does not assume either pattern. Source: City of Mountain Home Building Services page (mountain-home.us/177/Building-Services); Idaho DOPL Plan Review and Permits page (https://dopl.idaho.gov/bld/bld-plan-review-and-permits/).; No City of Mountain Home source was found citing specific adopted editions of the National Electrical Code (NEC), Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), International Mechanical Code (IMC), or International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) as distinct city-enforced code editions — consistent with the City not self-administering those trades; Idaho's statewide DOPL-administered editions govern those trades directly rather than through a City of Mountain Home code-adoption ordinance. Left unspecified rather than invented — contact DOPL (208-334-3233) or the Building Services Department for the current statewide-adopted trade code editions.. Local amendments apply — see the Mountain Home overview page for the full list.
Two feet (2') below finish grade or the natural ground surface, per City Code 5-1-6 — all foundation footings must meet this minimum depth.
Sources & verification
Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-04.
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 Mountain Home building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.
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