Preston building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Preston, Idaho.
Last verified 2026-07-04 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 70 West Oneida, Preston, ID 83263
- Phone
- (208) 852-1817
- curtf@prestonid.us
- Office hours
- Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, per prestonidaho.net main contact info. Building Inspector: Curt Fuller (208-540-0417, curtf@prestonid.us). Permit Administrator: Shawn Oliverson (208-852-1817, shawno@prestonid.us), per the city's Building Department page and Employee Directory. Note: the city's Employee Directory lists Shawn Oliverson's title as 'Director of City Planning and Land Use' rather than 'Permit Administrator' — both titles appear on different city-published pages and are reported here without resolving the discrepancy. No separate 'City Engineer' position appears in the Employee Directory despite being referenced in the Building Permit Application Instructions document; Public Works Director is Scott Montgomery.
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Preston's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Preston — 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.
- NOTE: Preston's own Building Permit Application Instructions document (city letterhead PDF) and Building Department webpage do not state specific numbered code editions (e.g. '2021 IBC') anywhere in their text. Idaho's state building-code framework (per the neighboring, already-verified Franklin County file) has cities and counties adopt by reference whatever edition the Idaho Building Code Board has currently approved statewide, tracking automatically as the state updates its adoption. This file does not fabricate a specific edition year for Preston; the Idaho Division of Building Safety / Idaho Building Code Board (dopl.idaho.gov/bld, or BCRE-PERMITS@DOPL.IDAHO.GOV, (208) 334-3233) should be contacted directly, or Preston's full codified municipal code (hosted at preston.municipalcodeonline.com, which returned only an ordinance-management interface rather than readable chapter text via automated fetch during this research) should be reviewed directly, to confirm the exact in-force edition as of any given date.
- Preston's Building Permit Application Instructions confirm plan review by the city Building Inspector against 'current building code specifications,' without naming a specific code family or year in the document text itself.
Permit types & fees
Solar PV Permit (State-Issued Electrical + City Building Permit)
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems within Preston city limits. Idaho does not allow cities to administer their own electrical permitting: the electrical-connection scope of a solar install is permitted directly by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL, formerly the Division of Building Safety / Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses), while the structural/roof-mounting scope requires a City of Preston Building Permit using the same process and fee structure as other construction on file for this jurisdiction.
Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Additions / Accessory Buildings)
Required for new residential construction, additions, and accessory buildings within Preston city limits, per the City of Preston's Building Permit Application Instructions. Building Permit itself is set by the city inspector based on valuation; a separate flat Building Permit Application Fee also applies per Resolution #178.
EV Charging Station Permit (State-Issued Electrical Permit)
Required for installation of a Level 2 (or higher) electric vehicle charging station/EVSE within Preston city limits. As with solar PV, Idaho does not allow the City of Preston to administer its own electrical permitting: the electrical-connection scope (new circuit, panel/service work, and the charger's hardwired or receptacle connection) is permitted directly by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), not the City. No separate City building permit is required for a standalone EVSE install unless it triggers a service/panel upgrade or new structure (e.g. a carport), in which case the City's standard Building Permit process applies to that scope.
Tips & gotchas
- CONFIRMED (directly verified this session, not inferred): the City of Preston operates its own separate Building Department with its own named Building Inspector (Curt Fuller, curtf@prestonid.us, 208-540-0417), distinct from Franklin County's Building Inspector (Randy Henrie, randallh@fcidaho.us). This is confirmed independently by (a) the City's own Building Permit Application Instructions PDF (city letterhead, requiring a Preston City Business License, a Cut Permit, and City Engineer/Public Works involvement — all city-only apparatus), (b) the city's Building Department webpage listing Curt Fuller as Building Inspector and Shawn Oliverson as Permit Administrator/Director of City Planning and Land Use, and (c) the city's own Employee Directory, which places Curt Fuller under 'Building & Planning Department' alongside Code Enforcement (Jed Fellows) and lists a full separate Public Works Department (Director Scott Montgomery) with no standalone 'City Engineer' title.
- Franklin County's own Building Department office (561 West Oneida) is physically located within the town of Preston, one block from Preston City Hall (70 West Oneida) — a likely source of the original (incorrect) assumption that the county served Preston directly. They are two distinct departments with two distinct Building Inspectors and two distinct fee schedules.
- Preston's Building Permit Application Instructions require a Land Survey or stamped plat map, a deed traced back to 06/06/1974 (for new home construction), a detailed Site Plan, complete Building Plans, and — if a city street must be cut — a separate Cut/Encroachment Permit with a licensed contractor and mandatory 2-business-day advance notice to Public Works before any water/sewer connection.
- A current Preston City Business License ($50.00 flat per Resolution #178) is required for any contractor or non-owner performing work under a Preston building permit — printed in bold in the city's own instructions, with no equivalent requirement in Franklin County's own unincorporated-county process.
- Preston's own published documents (Building Permit Application Instructions and Resolution #178 fee schedule) do not state a specific adopted building-code edition year (e.g. '2021 IBC'), nor a numeric permit-review turnaround time. Both are left unpublished/null in this file rather than assumed from Idaho's statewide code adoption or from Franklin County's own county-level review figures, since Preston's process is legally and administratively distinct.
- Preston's building permit becomes null and void if work is not commenced within 120 days, or is suspended/abandoned for 120 days after commencement, per the city's own Building Permit Application Instructions — a different figure from Franklin County's own conflicting 180-day/6-month figures for the unincorporated county remainder.
- The Building Permit itself is priced by the city inspector based on project valuation (no flat percentage published), while a separate, flat, non-refundable Building Permit Application Fee applies per Resolution #178: $150.00 (single/multi-family dwelling), $50.00 (additions), or $25.00 (accessory building).