Solar PV Permit (City Building Permit + State-Issued Electrical) in Rathdrum, Idaho

Rathdrum requires a solar pv permit (city building permit + state-issued electrical) for: Structural/roof-mounting scope: submit a City of Rathdrum Building Permit Application via the BS&A Online portal (bsaonline.com/?uid=2897), with professionally stamped Building Plans, Structural Calculations, and Structural Plans as required for any structure over 200 sq ft or any roof-load-bearing modification; Electrical-connection scope: apply directly through Idaho DOPL (dopl.idaho.gov or (208) 334-3233) — not through the City's BS&A portal, since no electrical checklist or application exists among Rathdrum's published Building Department forms; Electrical work must be performed by an Idaho-licensed electrical contractor whose electrician holds (or is supervised by someone holding) the Solar Photovoltaic limited electrical license category (NABCEP certification or equivalent required), per IDAPA 24.39.10.153.09; Grid-tied renewable energy systems require a mandatory DOPL electrical plan review before the installation permit can be purchased; Signed Owner/Lessee Consent for Required Permit Inspections form required on the City Building Permit application as of 6/23/2026, per the Idaho Property Rights Protection Act. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Rathdrum Community Development Department, Building Division at (208) 687-7242 (Building Department) before starting work.

In Rathdrum, the published City of Rathdrum Building Permit Fee (structural/roof-mounting scope) is: Estimated Contract Price x 0.008099. Additional published fees: Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit — 'Other Installation' fee schedule (applies to solar/renewable energy since no dedicated PV fee line is published) — Wiring cost up to $10,000: $60 plus 2% of total wiring cost; $10,000-$100,000: $260 plus 1% of the amount over $10,000; over $100,000: $1,160 plus 0.5% of the amount over $100,000; DOPL Electrical Plan Review (required for grid-tied renewable energy systems before permit purchase) — $65 minimum for one hour or less, plus $65 per additional hour. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Rathdrum does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Rathdrum Community Development Department, Building Division at (208) 687-7242 (Building Department) for current turnaround.

You'll need: City of Rathdrum Building Permit Application (structural/roof-mounting scope); Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit Application (Alternative Energy / Solar PV). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Rathdrum requires 3 inspection(s) for a solar pv permit (city building permit + state-issued electrical), in order: Electrical Rough-In (DOPL-inspected), Electrical Final (DOPL-inspected), Building Final (City-inspected). Schedule each through City of Rathdrum Community Development Department, Building Division ((208) 687-7242 (Building Department)).

Apply through City of Rathdrum Community Development Department, Building Division at 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.. Official information: https://www.rathdrum.gov/pview.aspx?id=773&catid=0.

Rathdrum, Idaho has adopted: 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. Local amendments apply — see the Rathdrum overview page for the full list.

No. Like all electrical work in Rathdrum, the electrical connection scope of a solar PV system is issued directly by the State of Idaho DOPL, not the City — electrical permits are not offered through Rathdrum's BS&A Online portal at all. The structural/roof-mounting scope does go through the City's standard Building Permit process.