Rathdrum building permits

Building department

Address

8047 W Main Street #2, Rathdrum, ID 83858

Phone

(208) 687-7242 (Building Department)

Email

Not published as a single department-wide address on the Building Department page; individual staff emails are published as cloudflare-obfuscated mailto links on the Community Development staff roster (e.g., Building Official Daron Neet, Building Inspectors James Corning and Cody Moree, Community Development Services Specialist Tesarah Froyd at (208) 687-7245)

Office hours

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (published on the Community Development contact block). Applications are submitted electronically through the BS&A Online portal (bsaonline.com/?uid=2897); the City's own checklists state no hard copy or emailed submittals are accepted.

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Rathdrum's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Rathdrum — 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.

• Idaho has a mandatory statewide baseline building code under the Idaho Building Code Act (Idaho Code Title 39, Chapter 41). The City of Rathdrum is an INCORPORATED CITY within Kootenai County with its own separate Building Department (part of the Community Development Department), entirely distinct from Kootenai County Community Development's Building Division, which administers only the unincorporated area of the county. Source: City of Rathdrum Building Department page, https://www.rathdrum.gov/pview.aspx?id=773&catid=0
• City of Rathdrum Current Adopted Codes and Design Criteria (Community Development Department handout): 2018 International Building Code (IBC), 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with 2012 Amendments for Residential, 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2017 Idaho State Plumbing Code, 2009 ANSI A117.1, 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC). Source: City of Rathdrum Current Adopted Codes and Design Criteria (PDF), https://www.rathdrum.gov/docview.aspx?docid=52398
• The City of Rathdrum's own Building Department page states, in its Title 9 excerpt: '9-1-1: The International Building Code, 2018 Edition... 9-1-3: The International Residential Code, 2018 edition' and directs applicants to 'See Title 9 in the Rathdrum City Code for more details.' The City's online code library (rathdrum.gov/apps/code) lists only a single 'Title 9 Building Regulations' — there is no separate electrical or plumbing title in the City Code. Source: City of Rathdrum Building Department page, https://www.rathdrum.gov/pview.aspx?id=773&catid=0, and City Code index, https://www.rathdrum.gov/apps/code/default.aspx
• Electrical and plumbing permitting and inspection within Rathdrum city limits are NOT issued by the City — none of the City's own published permit checklists (Residential Single Family, Residential Addition/Alteration, Commercial New Structure, Commercial Addition/Alteration, etc.) list an electrical or plumbing permit checklist or application, only 'Building Permit Application' and, where applicable, a separate 'Mechanical Permit' submittal. This matches the State of Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) statewide default for jurisdictions that do not self-administer these trades. Source: City of Rathdrum Building Department page (list of all checklists and applications), https://www.rathdrum.gov/pview.aspx?id=773&catid=0; State of Idaho DOPL, https://dopl.idaho.gov/
• Mechanical/HVAC permits ARE issued directly by the City of Rathdrum Building Department (not the State) using the City's own Residential Mechanical Permit Application and worksheet, governed by the locally-adopted 2018 IMC and 2018 IFGC. Source: City of Rathdrum Residential Mechanical Permit Application (PDF, Revision 5-7-2026), https://www.rathdrum.gov/docview.aspx?docid=54308
• Building permit applications and construction documents are submitted electronically through the BS&A Online portal (bsaonline.com/?uid=2897); the City's own checklists state plainly that no hard copy or emailed submittals are accepted. Source: City of Rathdrum Residential Single Family Permit Checklist, https://www.rathdrum.gov/docview.aspx?docid=52132
• As of 6/23/2026, the City requires an Owner/Lessee Consent for Required Permit Inspections form on all new Building and Residential Mechanical Permit applications, citing Idaho's Property Rights Protection Act as the basis for requiring owner/lessee consent before City inspectors may enter private property not open to the public. Source: City of Rathdrum Building Department page notice and Residential Mechanical Permit Application (Owner/Lessee Consent form), https://www.rathdrum.gov/docview.aspx?docid=54308

Permit types & fees

• Residential Single Family Building Permit (New Construction)

  Required for any residential structure over 200 square feet in Rathdrum's R1, R2S, R3, and MR zones, including new single-family homes. Reviewed against the City's locally-adopted 2018 IRC and 2018 IECC (with 2012 residential amendments) plus City Design Criteria. Applications and construction documents are submitted electronically through the BS&A Online portal; the City does not accept hard-copy or emailed submittals.

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• Residential Addition or Alteration Permit

  Required for any additions or alterations to a residential structure in Rathdrum, such as adding living space, siding, roofing, windows, or demolition work. Reviewed against the locally-adopted 2018 IRC.

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• Residential Mechanical / HVAC Permit

  Required for furnaces, gas appliances, heat pumps/AC, gas piping, ventilation, and related equipment in Rathdrum. Mechanical/HVAC permits ARE issued directly by the City of Rathdrum Building Department using its own Residential Mechanical Permit Application and itemized worksheet, governed by the locally-adopted 2018 IMC and 2018 IFGC.

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• Electrical Permit (State-Issued — Idaho DOPL, not the City)

  Electrical permits within Rathdrum city limits are NOT issued by the City of Rathdrum. None of the City's published Building Department checklists or applications include an electrical permit; only Building and Mechanical permits are offered through the City's BS&A portal. Electrical work is administered under the statewide Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) framework.

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• Plumbing Permit (State-Issued — Idaho DOPL, not the City)

  Plumbing and gas-piping permits within Rathdrum city limits are NOT issued by the City of Rathdrum. None of the City's published Building Department checklists or applications include a plumbing permit; only Building and Mechanical permits are offered through the City's BS&A portal. Plumbing work is administered under the statewide Idaho DOPL framework.

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• Solar PV Permit (City Building Permit + State-Issued Electrical)

  Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems within Rathdrum city limits. The structural/roof-mounting scope requires a City of Rathdrum Building Permit (the City's normal building-permit process, since no dedicated solar line item is published in its Master Fee Schedule). The electrical-connection scope is NOT issued by the City — like all electrical work in Rathdrum, it is permitted directly by the State of Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), since Rathdrum offers Building and Mechanical permits through its own portal but does not offer electrical permits at all.

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• Demolition Permit

  Required for demolition of an existing structure within Rathdrum city limits. The City charges a single flat demolition permit fee per its Building Fees schedule, with no split between residential and commercial rates.

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• EV Charging Station Permit (State-Issued Electrical Permit)

  Required for installation of a Level 2 (or higher) electric vehicle charging station/EVSE within the City of Rathdrum. Rathdrum has no local electrical-permitting program: the electrical-connection scope is permitted directly by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), the same statewide mechanism this file's solar-pv-permit entry documents. No separate City building permit is required for a standalone EVSE install unless it triggers a service/panel upgrade or a new structure, in which case the City's Master Fee Schedule building-permit process applies to that scope.

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