Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Spirit Lake, Idaho

Spirit Lake requires a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit for: City of Spirit Lake Building Permit required for the structural/roof-mount or ground-mount component, reviewed under the City's general valuation-based fee schedule (Resolution No. 2024-06-11, Attachment 5) — no solar-specific fee line exists; State of Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit required separately for the PV system's electrical installation — purchased online at dbs.idaho.gov (redirects to dopl.idaho.gov); electrical work is NOT permitted by the City at all; Solar/Renewable Energy box must be checked on the DOPL Electrical Permit Worksheet, with total system cost entered as the Job Value Amount; Grid-Connected Renewable Energy systems require a plan-check permit number from DOPL FIRST (1-800-955-3044) before the installation permit can be purchased; Plan Check Deposit due at plan submittal for the City building permit ($150.00 for single-family residential). If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Spirit Lake — Building & Permits at (208) 623-2131 before starting work.

In Spirit Lake, the published City Plan Check Deposit — Residential (single-family) is: $150.00. Additional published fees: City General Building Permit Fee — Based on project valuation, determined via the City's building valuation chart (per Building Safety Journal, July 2008 edition); City Residential Plan Review — 65% of the building permit fee; State of Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit — Solar/Renewable Energy (up to $10,000 system cost) — (Total cost of electrical system x 0.02) + $60; State of Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit — Solar/Renewable Energy ($10,001-$100,000 system cost) — ((Total cost of electrical system - $10,000) x 0.01) + $260; State of Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit — Solar/Renewable Energy (over $100,001 system cost) — ((Total cost of electrical system - $100,000) x 0.005) + $1,160. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Spirit Lake does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Spirit Lake — Building & Permits at (208) 623-2131 for current turnaround.

You'll need: City of Spirit Lake Building Permit Application; DOPL Homeowner or Contractor Electrical Permit Application and Worksheet. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Spirit Lake requires 2 inspection(s) for a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit, in order: City Building Inspection, DOPL Electrical Rough-In/Final. Schedule each through City of Spirit Lake — Building & Permits ((208) 623-2131).

Apply through City of Spirit Lake — Building & Permits at 6042 W. Maine St. (PO Box 309), Spirit Lake, ID 83869. Phone: (208) 623-2131. Office hours: Monday–Thursday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM (no lunch hour). Official information: https://www.spiritlakeid.gov/buildingandpermits.

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

No. Electrical work in Spirit Lake is not permitted by the City at all — it is 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. The City still issues its own Building Permit for the structural/roof-mount or ground-mount component of a solar project.