Harrison building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Harrison, Idaho.
Last verified 2026-08-02 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 100 N Frederick Ave, P.O. Box 73, Harrison, ID 83833
- Phone
- (208) 689-3212
- Office hours
- Monday–Thursday 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM; Friday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (per City Hall Staff page); City's homepage hours widget separately lists Fri as closed — confirm same-day with City Hall at (208) 689-3212 before a Friday visit
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Harrison — 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.
- International Existing Building Code, 2018 edition, with Idaho amendments — adopted as Harrison's official building code per City Code 8-1-2(A)(1). Source: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/harrisonid/latest/harrison_id/0-0-0-1633
- International Building Code (IBC), 2018 edition, with Idaho amendments, collectively named the 'Building Code 2018 of Idaho' as adopted/amended by the Idaho Building Code Board — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1)
- International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), 2018 edition, with amendments, collectively named the Idaho Energy Conservation Code (2020 edition) — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1)
- International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2018 edition, as adopted/amended by the Idaho Building Code Board — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1)
- International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2018 edition, as adopted/amended by the Idaho Building Code Board — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1)
- International Residential Code (IRC), 2018 edition (Parts I, II, III, and IX), with Idaho amendments, collectively named the Idaho Residential Code (2020 edition) — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1)
- National Electrical Code (NEC), 2017 edition, as adopted/amended by the State of Idaho / Idaho Building Code Board — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1). Note: electrical PERMITTING and INSPECTION in Harrison is administered by Idaho DOPL (state), not the city — see census.note
- Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1997 edition — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1)
- Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), 2017 edition, as adopted/amended by the State of Idaho / Idaho Building Code Board — City Code 8-1-2(A)(1). Note: plumbing PERMITTING and INSPECTION in Harrison is administered by Idaho DOPL (state), not the city — see census.note
Successive versions of the above codes as adopted by the Idaho Building Code Board become effective January 1 of the year following adoption (City Code 8-1-2(A)(2)). Show full textShow less
Successive versions of the above codes as adopted by the Idaho Building Code Board become effective January 1 of the year following adoption (City Code 8-1-2(A)(2)). Source: Ord. 453 (2-4-2014); Harrison's own Building Permit application form lists the current applicable codes as: 2018 IBC, 2018 IRC (parts I, II, III, IX), 2020 Idaho Energy Conservation Code, 2018 International Existing Building Code, and 2009 ANSI A117.1 (Accessibility)
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family and two-family residential construction within Harrison city limits, reviewed against the 2018 IBC/IRC (Idaho Residential Code 2020) and 2020 Idaho Energy Conservation Code as adopted by City Code Title 8, Chapter 1, plus Harrison's local roof-load and frost-depth amendments. Applications are submitted at City Hall and reviewed by the Building Official.
See fee scheduleCommercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions & Remodels)
Required for new commercial construction, commercial additions, and commercial remodels/tenant-improvement work within Harrison city limits. Harrison has no dedicated commercial application, review track, or fee schedule: City Code 8-1-3(A) requires a building permit for every structure erected, enlarged, altered, or converted in use, and City Code 9-13-2(A) applies the same requirement to 'any person or business.' Commercial work is submitted on the same one-page City of Harrison Application for Building Permit used for residential and agricultural projects, checking 'Commercial,' 'Industrial,' or 'Church' under Type of Building and/or 'Remodel Existing,' and is reviewed against the 2018 IBC ('Building Code 2018 of Idaho') together with the 2018 International Existing Building Code and 2020 Idaho Energy Conservation Code, all adopted with Idaho amendments under City Code 8-1-2(A)(1). Plan review is performed by the city's own Building Official under Harrison's building-permit program (City Code 9-13-1) rather than through a neighboring city or Kootenai County.
See fee scheduleSolar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mount solar photovoltaic systems within Harrison city limits. Requires a City Building Permit (structural/racking, valuation-based per 1997 UBC Table 1-A as adopted by City Code 8-1-4) plus a State of Idaho electrical permit (wiring/interconnection) issued by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) -- Harrison has no electrical-permit program of its own. The state's Contractor Electrical Permit Worksheet has a dedicated checkbox and valuation-based fee formula for 'Solar, Renewable Energy, power generation, power production, or energy storage systems.'
See fee scheduleEV Charger / EVSE Permit
Harrison 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 require both a City structural Building Permit and a State electrical permit), a standard EV charger is not a power-generation or energy-storage system and involves no structural/racking work, so it does not trigger the City Building Permit. The wiring/circuit work is billed as a standard electrical installation under the State of Idaho DOPL Contractor (or Homeowner) Electrical Permit, since Harrison has no electrical-permit program of its own -- 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).
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Harrison's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Harrison 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 Harrison 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)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- No data reported
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
- Harrison is an independently operating jurisdiction, not a satellite of Kootenai County or a neighboring city: it runs its own building department, its own Building Official (Brad Ziel), and its own fee ordinance (City Code 8-1-4).
- Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits/inspections in Harrison are administered by the State of Idaho (DOPL), not the city — this is stated directly on Harrison's own Building Permit application form.
- Harrison's minimum roof design load (50-60 psf depending on pitch) and 24-inch frost depth are local amendments to the adopted IBC/IRC — confirm your plans meet these before submitting.
- A recorded survey with visible property pins is a hard prerequisite for permit issuance (City Code 8-1-3(B)(6)) — this can be a longer lead-time item than the permit review itself for a ~270-person town with limited local surveying capacity.
- 24-hour notice is required for inspections per the city's own application form.
- Harrison has no separately published annual budget or performance-measures document; its financial disclosures take the form of independently Audited Financial Statements (FY2021-FY2024) posted on the city's Finances page — these do not contain permit-turnaround metrics.
- Agricultural buildings on parcels the Kootenai County Assessor classifies as 'actively devoted to agriculture' are exempt from the building code but still require a Site Permit from Harrison's Building Department.
- Harrison has no distinct commercial building permit or commercial tenant-improvement (TI) permit -- City Code 8-1-3/8-1-4/9-13-2, the City's own Building Permit application form (a single form for all occupancy and project types, with 'Commercial' and 'Remodel Existing' checkboxes), and the City's official FY 25/26 Fee Schedule PDF (Table 2) all describe one track. All commercial new-construction and TI/remodel work uses the same generic Building Permit process and 1997 UBC Table 1-A valuation-based fee formula as residential permits -- there is no separate commercial application, review track, or fee schedule. A business locating in Harrison also needs a separate City Business License (City Code 2-1-1, $45.00/year per the FY 25/26 Fee Schedule), which is a licensing requirement distinct from the building permit and not a substitute for it.