Salmon building permits

Building department

Address

200 Fulton St, Suite 204, Salmon, ID 83467

Phone

(208) 756-2815 ext. 1704

Email

bldpt@lemhicountyidaho.org

Office hours

Mon–Fri (hours not published online; confirm with department)

Website

Official site

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Salmon — 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.

• Currently adopted International Residential Code (IRC) — building permit fee valuation table keyed to IRC Appendix L (per Lemhi County Fee Schedule, Exhibit A, eff. 10/28/2024)
• Currently adopted International Building Code (IBC) family of codes, adopted by reference under Salmon City Code Chapter 151 (Building Regulations; Construction), § 151.01 'Adoption of codes by reference'
• State-regulated trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC/mechanical) are permitted directly through Idaho DOPL, not the local building department

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit (New Construction)

  Required for new single-family residential construction within Salmon city limits. Salmon has its own codified building-permit requirement (City Code Chapter 151), but permit intake, plan review, and inspection are performed jointly with Lemhi County through the shared Lemhi County and City Building Department using a City-specific application form.

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• Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions & Remodels)

  Required for new commercial construction, commercial additions, and commercial remodels or tenant build-outs within Salmon city limits. The City of Salmon's own City Code Chapter 151 creates the local building-permit requirement and adopts the applicable construction codes by reference, but Chapter 151 also lets the City Council designate who administers that code (§ 151.02), and the City has designated the joint Lemhi County and City Building Department for intake, plan review, and inspection of both city and county permits. Both the City of Salmon Building Permit Application (rev. 10/9/2025) and the Lemhi County Building Permit Application (rev. 12/11/2025) tell the applicant to make checks payable to Lemhi County, and both packets are priced from the single Lemhi County Fee Schedule, Exhibit A (eff. 10/28/2024) — the same table used for residential permits. That fee schedule states its own basis as "Appendix L of the International Residential Code" for every building permit it prices, with no separate IBC-based commercial valuation method and no separate commercial plan-review percentage. In short: City Code Chapter 151 is the legal authority that requires this permit and adopts the codes it must meet, and the Lemhi County and City Building Department — billing from the County's fee schedule — is who actually processes it and what it costs, for city and county work alike.

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• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit

  Required for installing a rooftop or ground-mount photovoltaic system within Salmon city limits. Electrical work is NOT reviewed by the Lemhi County and City Building Department — it is a separate State of Idaho permit issued by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL, formerly branded Division of Building Safety/DBS), which publishes a dedicated Solar/Renewable Energy fee formula. Any structural/roof-mount building-permit component is reviewed locally under the Lemhi County Fee Schedule's general valuation-based Building Permit table (no separate solar line item published there).

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• EV Charger / EVSE Permit

  Required for installing an electric vehicle charging station (Level 2 or DC fast charger) within Salmon city limits. As with solar, electrical work is NOT reviewed by the Lemhi County and City Building Department — it is a separate State of Idaho permit issued by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL, formerly Division of Building Safety). DOPL's Electrical Permit Worksheet has no dedicated EV-charger/EVSE fee line; a dedicated EV charger circuit is billed under the same 'Other Installations including Solar/Renewable Energy' cost-based tier used for the solar-pv-permit entry, since that category is DOPL's general bucket for installation types not separately itemized elsewhere on the worksheet (new dedicated branch circuits, feeders, sub-panels, etc.).

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