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Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions & Remodels) in Unincorporated Madison County, Idaho

Required for new commercial construction, additions, and remodels of commercial buildings in unincorporated Madison County. The Building Department's only published building permit application states on its first page that it is used for detached one- and two-family dwellings and associated accessory structures, and the Department's Document Center lists no separate commercial application, fee schedule, or review-timeline document. Commercial construction is nonetheless legally regulated: the County has adopted the 2018 International Building Code (Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 1-1) and separately lists a 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (Commercial) alongside its residential counterpart among its adopted codes. Planning & Zoning Department staff describe their role as enforcing current residential and commercial building codes. A commercial applicant needs to contact the Building Department directly (208-359-6262) to scope the application, plans, and fee for a specific project.

Reviewed 2026-08-25 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Building permit required before erecting, constructing, altering, or repairing any type of building in unincorporated Madison County, per Madison County Code Chapter 103, Sec. 103-54 (Building Permit Required), which does not carve out commercial construction from that requirement
  • Reviewed under the 2018 International Building Code as adopted by Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 1-1 (reflected in IDAPA 24.39.30) rather than the 2018 International Residential Code that governs the County's one- and two-family dwelling permit
  • The Building Department separately lists a 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (Commercial) alongside a 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (Residential) among its adopted codes, indicating a distinct commercial energy-compliance track, though no commercial-specific compliance form is published
  • The 2018 International Fire Code, adopted with amendments by the Idaho State Fire Marshal (IDAPA 18.08.01) per Madison County Code Chapter 103, Sec. 7-1, governs commercial occupancies; no county-published document describes a distinct fire-district plan-review step or fee for a standard commercial building permit
  • Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work is handled through the City of Rexburg Building Department under a county-city inspection contract (Idaho Code 54-1001) -- the same arrangement documented for the County's residential building permit -- not issued by Madison County or by the State of Idaho directly
  • No dedicated commercial building permit application, commercial fee schedule, or commercial review-timeline document is published by the Building Department; its only general building permit application states it is used for detached one- and two-family dwellings and associated accessory structures, and its Document Center attachments (the Building Permit Application, plus Inspection Checklists for Solar, Flood Plain, and Building Permit) contain nothing scoped to commercial work
  • Idaho Code 39-4117 gives a local government twenty (20) business days -- versus ten (10) for a residential application -- to determine whether a submitted commercial building permit application is complete; this is a statewide completeness-determination deadline, not a review-to-issuance timeline
  • Contact the Building Department (208-359-6262, ddecker@co.madison.id.us) directly to determine the application, plans, and fee required for a specific commercial project

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Commercial Building Permit Fee
The Permit Fee Estimates (Building) document, effective January 2025, states its method without restricting it to any occupancy type: "Permit fees are calculated using ICC Building Valuation Data… Show full citationThe Permit Fee Estimates (Building) document, effective January 2025, states its method without restricting it to any occupancy type: "Permit fees are calculated using ICC Building Valuation Data with a fixed 10% plan review. Final fees are determined by Madison County staff at the time of permit issuance." It names only manufactured homes, solar, and "other specific permits" as needing a separate estimate from the Building Department -- commercial construction is not listed as an exception. Madison County Code Chapter 103, Sec. 103-54 requires a building permit for "any type of building," and Sec. 103-55(C) ties permit fees to "the current Madison County Fee Schedule" without a residential carve-out. Commissioner meeting minutes for April 22, 2024 record a public hearing and unanimous vote approving a "Planning & Zoning and Building Departments Fee Update," described in department-wide terms rather than as a residential-only update, and lining up with the January 2025 effective date on the fee-estimate document. On that basis, the ICC-valuation-plus-10%-plan-review method is recorded as the County's general Building Department fee basis, applicable to a commercial building permit. The published square-footage brackets only run up to 6,501 sq ft, and no ICC Building Valuation Data edition, occupancy group, or construction type is disclosed for the underlying dollar figures, so those specific bracket totals should not be read as a verified commercial number -- a commercial applicant should get a project-specific estimate from the Building Department (208-359-6262).
ICC Building Valuation Data, plus a fixed 10% plan review
Plan Review Fee
The Permit Fee Estimates (Building) document folds a fixed 10% plan review into the same square-footage total described in the Commercial Building Permit Fee line above, stated without an occupancy restriction. Show full citationThe Permit Fee Estimates (Building) document folds a fixed 10% plan review into the same square-footage total described in the Commercial Building Permit Fee line above, stated without an occupancy restriction. No separate commercial plan-review percentage or line item is published; the 10% figure is the same one Madison County Code Chapter 103, Sec. 103-55(C) ties to "the current Madison County Fee Schedule" for any building permit.
10% of the permit fee (fixed)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions & Remodels) permit actually take in Unincorporated Madison County?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Footing/Foundation

    Per the Building Department's general Building Permit Inspection Checklist; the County publishes no commercial-specific inspection checklist, so footing/foundation work is verified against approved plans before concealment the same way it is for the residential building permit.

  2. 2

    Framing

    Structural framing, sheathing, and rough-in trades verified before insulation or wall cover, per the same general checklist.

  3. 3

    Final

    Final inspection against approved plans; permit number and site address must be posted and visible from the roadway. Any fire-marshal or fire-district sign-off tied to a project's occupancy classification is coordinated separately and is not itemized in the County's general inspection checklist.

See the full Unincorporated Madison County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Madison County has no dedicated commercial building permit application, fee schedule, or review-timeline document -- its only general building permit application states it is for detached one- and two-family dwellings. Call the Building Department (208-359-6262) before starting a commercial project to confirm what to submit and what it will cost.
  • Commercial construction is reviewed under the 2018 IBC rather than the 2018 IRC that governs the residential permit, and the County separately lists a commercial-specific 2018 IECC track -- ask the Building Department which energy-compliance path applies to your project.
  • Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permits for a commercial project in unincorporated Madison County still go through the City of Rexburg Building Department under the same county-city inspection contract used for residential work, not through Madison County directly.
  • Idaho Code 39-4117 gives the County twenty (20) business days to tell a commercial applicant whether their application is complete, versus ten (10) business days for a residential applicant. That clock is about completeness, not how long full plan review itself takes, and the County publishes no plan-review turnaround figure for either scope.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Madison County requires a commercial building permit (new construction, additions & remodels) for: Building permit required before erecting, constructing, altering, or repairing any type of building in unincorporated Madison County, per Madison County Code Chapter 103, Sec. 103-54 (Building Permit Required), which does not carve out commercial construction from that requirement; Reviewed under the 2018 International Building Code as adopted by Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 1-1 (reflected in IDAPA 24.39.30) rather than the 2018 International Residential Code that governs the County's one- and two-family dwelling permit; The Building Department separately lists a 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (Commercial) alongside a 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (Residential) among its adopted codes, indicating a distinct commercial energy-compliance track, though no commercial-specific compliance form is published; The 2018 International Fire Code, adopted with amendments by the Idaho State Fire Marshal (IDAPA 18.08.01) per Madison County Code Chapter 103, Sec. 7-1, governs commercial occupancies; no county-published document describes a distinct fire-district plan-review step or fee for a standard commercial building permit; Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work is handled through the City of Rexburg Building Department under a county-city inspection contract (Idaho Code 54-1001) -- the same arrangement documented for the County's residential building permit -- not issued by Madison County or by the State of Idaho directly; No dedicated commercial building permit application, commercial fee schedule, or commercial review-timeline document is published by the Building Department; its only general building permit application states it is used for detached one- and two-family dwellings and associated accessory structures, and its Document Center attachments (the Building Permit Application, plus Inspection Checklists for Solar, Flood Plain, and Building Permit) contain nothing scoped to commercial work; Idaho Code 39-4117 gives a local government twenty (20) business days -- versus ten (10) for a residential application -- to determine whether a submitted commercial building permit application is complete; this is a statewide completeness-determination deadline, not a review-to-issuance timeline; Contact the Building Department (208-359-6262, ddecker@co.madison.id.us) directly to determine the application, plans, and fee required for a specific commercial project. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Madison County Building Department at 208-359-6262 before starting work.

No commercial-specific fee schedule or dollar table is published. The Building Department's square-footage fee-estimate table (effective January 2025) states its ICC-Building-Valuation-Data-plus-10%-plan-review method without restricting it to any occupancy type, and Madison County Code Chapter 103 ties permit fees to the County's fee schedule for any building permit, not residential alone -- so the method applies to a commercial building permit as well. The published brackets only run up to 6,501 sq ft and no commercial-specific valuation figures are disclosed, so contact the Building Department at 208-359-6262 for a project-specific quote.

No review-to-issuance timeline for commercial construction is published by the County. Idaho Code 39-4117 requires the County to tell a commercial applicant within twenty (20) business days whether their application is complete, versus ten (10) business days for residential -- a statewide completeness-determination deadline, not a measure of how long the review itself takes.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (Fillable v2, 2026-01-22); Construction Plans. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Madison County requires 3 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit (new construction, additions & remodels), in order: Footing/Foundation, Framing, Final. Schedule each through Madison County Building Department (208-359-6262).

Apply through Madison County Building Department at 134 E Main St., Ste. 206, Rexburg, ID 83440. Phone: 208-359-6262, email: ddecker@co.madison.id.us. Office hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Madison County government offices; closed all federal holidays) — hours confirmed on the co-located Planning & Zoning Dept page (134 E Main St. Ste. 208); Building Department page itself does not publish separate hours. Official information: https://www.madisoncountyid.gov/departments/building_department/index.php.

Unincorporated Madison County, Idaho has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted via Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 1-1, as reflected in IDAPA 24.39.30; 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) — adopted via Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 2-1; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — adopted via Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 3-1; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — adopted via Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 4-1, with local amendments to insulation/fenestration tables (Sec. 4-2); Climate Zone 6B; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — adopted via Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 5-1; 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — adopted via Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 6-1; 2018 International Fire Code (IFC) — adopted via Madison County Code Chapter 103, Article II, Sec. 7-1, as adopted by the Idaho State Fire Marshal (IDAPA 18.08.01); 2017 National Electrical Code — regulated solely by the State of Idaho per Idaho Code Title 54, Chapters 10 and 26 (county has deleted electrical provisions from its IRC per Sec. 2-2(B)); 2017 Idaho Plumbing Code — regulated solely by the State of Idaho per Idaho Code Title 54; 2013 NFPA 72 Fire Alarm & Signaling Code — referenced on Building Department resource list. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Madison County overview page for the full list.

The Building Department publishes no application, fee schedule, or review timeline specific to commercial construction. Its only general building permit application states it is used for detached one- and two-family dwellings and associated accessory structures, following the 2018 IRC. The County has adopted the 2018 IBC, which governs commercial construction, and Planning & Zoning staff describe their role as enforcing current residential and commercial building codes, but a commercial project has no dedicated intake document. Contact the Building Department directly at 208-359-6262.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-25.

Fee schedules

Checklists & handouts

Online permit portal

Codes & ordinances

Department & other records

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Unincorporated Madison County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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