Spirit Lake building permits

Building department

Address

6042 W. Maine St. (PO Box 309), Spirit Lake, ID 83869

Phone

(208) 623-2131

Email

Office hours

Monday–Thursday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM (no lunch hour)

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Spirit Lake's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Spirit Lake — 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). Spirit Lake is an INCORPORATED CITY within Kootenai County and administers its own building program, entirely distinct from Kootenai County Community Development's Building Division (which administers only the unincorporated area of the county). Kootenai County's own adopted-codes documentation explicitly lists Spirit Lake among the incorporated cities in the county with their own building departments and codes. Source: Kootenai County Code Title 7, Chapter 1, Section 7.1.103 (Applicability), https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/kootenaicountyid/latest/kootenaicounty_id/0-0-0-2406
• City of Spirit Lake City Code, Title 8 (Building Regulations), Chapter 1 (Building Codes), Section 8-1-1 'Building Codes Adopted': the City Council has adopted the 2018 International Building Code (IBC) and the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), each as prepared by the International Code Council and as adopted by the State of Idaho through the Idaho Building Code Board. Source: Spirit Lake City Code § 8-1-1, https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/spiritlakeid/latest/spiritlake_id/0-0-0-1349 (section text confirmed via indexed search excerpt of the amlegal-hosted code; the amlegal viewer itself is a JavaScript single-page app that does not expose section body text to non-browser fetches — this is a known access limitation of the amlegal platform, not a Spirit Lake-specific gap)
• Spirit Lake issues its own Building Permits and Mechanical Permits directly (confirmed via the City's own Building & Permits page and its iworq citizen permit portal, which lists 'Building Permit Application,' 'Mechanical Permit Application,' 'Community Development, Planning and Zoning, or Land Use' permit, and 'Right of Way/Encroachment Application' as the four permit types the City itself processes). Source: City of Spirit Lake Building & Permits page, https://www.spiritlakeid.gov/buildingandpermits; City of Spirit Lake iworq Citizen Portal, https://spiritlake_permit.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/spiritlake_permit
• Electrical and plumbing permitting and inspection within Spirit Lake city limits are administered by the STATE of Idaho, not the City: the City's own Building & Permits page and citizen portal list only Building, Mechanical, Land Use/Planning & Zoning, and Right-of-Way/Encroachment permits — no electrical or plumbing permit option is offered by the City. This is confirmed independently by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) Building Codes, Rules & Enforcement Inspector List, which lists a dedicated rotating inspector roster for 'SPIRIT LAKE, 83869, KOOTENAI' across Electrical, HVAC, and Plumbing categories — the same statewide DOPL structure documented for unincorporated Kootenai County and for neighboring Hayden and Rathdrum. Electrical work is governed statewide by the Idaho Electrical Contractors Act / Idaho Electrical Board rules (Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 10; IDAPA 24.39) and plumbing by the Idaho Plumbing Contractors Act / Idaho State Plumbing Code (Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26), both administered by DOPL, Boise, (208) 334-3233. NOTE: HVAC/mechanical also appears on the DOPL statewide inspector roster, but Spirit Lake is confirmed to issue its own Mechanical Permits directly (own portal application type, own fee schedule) rather than deferring to DOPL for that trade — mirroring the pattern documented for Kootenai County's unincorporated area and for Hayden, where mechanical is city/county-issued even though electrical and plumbing are not. Sources: City of Spirit Lake Building & Permits page and iworq portal (above); DOPL Building Codes, Rules & Enforcement Inspector List with Schedule, https://dopl.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/BCRE-Inspector-list-with-schedule080725.pdf
• All Spirit Lake fees (Building Permit Fees, Attachment 5; Mechanical Permit Fees, Attachment 6) were adopted and consolidated by Resolution No. 2024-06-11 (City of Spirit Lake Fee Schedule), effective June 11, 2024, amending prior Resolution No. 2023-02-14. Source: Resolution No. 2024-06-11, https://spiritlakeid.gov/api/blob/viewBlob?rf=t&i=kEmYQZlyIUVgVIzNaUloELheLumtqCFBZPObn5tbvAF1/LqmSoNPWgcyS6pAVdXo

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit (New Construction)

  Required for new single-family dwellings, duplexes, and townhouses in Spirit Lake, reviewed against the City's locally-adopted 2018 IBC and 2018 IRC (City Code Title 8, Chapter 1, § 8-1-1). Applications are submitted through the City's iworq Citizen Portal.

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• Mechanical / HVAC Permit

  Required for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and related mechanical installations in Spirit Lake. Issued directly by the City (not DOPL) through the iworq Citizen Portal.

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• Electrical Permit (State-Administered)

  Electrical work in Spirit Lake is NOT permitted by the City. Electrical permitting and inspection is administered statewide by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), which maintains a dedicated rotating inspector roster for Spirit Lake (zip 83869).

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• Plumbing Permit (State-Administered)

  Plumbing work in Spirit Lake is NOT permitted by the City. Plumbing permitting and inspection is administered statewide by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), which maintains a dedicated rotating inspector roster for Spirit Lake (zip 83869).

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• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit

  Required for installing a rooftop or ground-mount photovoltaic system within Spirit Lake city limits. TWO separate permits apply: a City of Spirit Lake Building Permit for the structural/roof-mount work (valuation-based, no dedicated solar line item) and a State of Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit for the PV electrical installation, since electrical work in Spirit Lake is NOT permitted by the City at all — it is administered statewide by DOPL, which maintains a dedicated rotating inspector roster for the Spirit Lake zip code (83869).

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• Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Permit

  Installing a residential or commercial EV charging station (EVSE) in Spirit Lake requires an electrical permit. Since electrical work is NOT permitted by the City of Spirit Lake at all, EV charger installations are administered statewide by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), which maintains a dedicated rotating inspector roster for the Spirit Lake zip code (83869). DOPL's own electrical permit worksheet has no dedicated EV-charging-station fee line; EV charger installations fall under its general 'Other Installations' fee formula, which by its own terms applies to 'any and all electrical installations not specifically mentioned elsewhere' on the fee worksheet.

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