Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Remodel/Addition, Modular Building) in Minidoka County (Building Authority for Unincorporated County and the Cities of Acequia, Minidoka, Paul, and Rupert), Idaho

Minidoka County (Building Authority for Unincorporated County and the Cities of Acequia, Minidoka, Paul, and Rupert) requires a commercial building permit (new construction, remodel/addition, modular building) for: Complete Commercial Building Packet application, with 'New Construction', 'Remodel/Addition', or 'Modular Building' checked as applicable, per page 7 of the packet; Two (2) sets of plans submitted to the Building Department, minimum size 24"x36", to scale — larger than the 11"x17" minimum required for residential permits; One (1) set of plans submitted separately to the applicable Fire Jurisdiction for review and approval, required for all commercial and multi-family structures; Code Analysis per the form accompanying the application; Site Plan showing location/dimensions of new and existing structures relative to property lines, easements, and other structures; parking lot design with dimensioned space/aisle layout and accessible parking; accessible route of travel from parking to building entrance connecting to the public right-of-way; Foundation Plan including required structural steel reinforcing and special inspection criteria; Floor Plan including exit schemes, exterior wall openings, door swings, use designation, exit signage, fire extinguisher locations, and high-pile storage areas; Elevations (North, South, East, West); Building Sections and Details (wall sections, fire-rated assemblies, stairways, floor/ceiling assemblies, suspended-ceiling and veneer/brick details); Room and Finish Schedules, plus window/door schedules with type, size, safety glazing, and hardware; Structural Plans (roof/floor framing, header and beam schedules, strap locations, shear wall schedule, lintel schedule, and other structural information required by the Building Official); Conservation Elements: insulation R-values, glazing U-factors and SHGC values, rough opening sizes, air sealing notes; Floodplain/Elevation certificate for all projects within the county's designated flood plain areas; Mechanical Plans (equipment schedule, duct insulation values, control schematic, load calculations, fire-rated penetration/damper info) and Service Water Heating System details (piping R-values, circulation loop control, heat trap requirements); Erosion/Sediment Control Plans — two (2) sets of plans AND two (2) narratives, required for ALL parcels of land regardless of project size; Metal building drawings/calculations and concrete drawings, stamped and signed by a licensed Idaho engineer, required for all pre-fabricated metal/steel buildings; Structural engineering design for the foundation of modular buildings, stamped/signed by a licensed Idaho engineer, unless the building is classified and issued as 'temporary' (e.g., a temporary construction trailer); Civil Site Plan (for projects with site/civil scope): standard scale 1:10 to 1:60, sheet size not less than 24"x36", legal description and vicinity map, right-of-way/easement/utility/drainage info, fire department access (20 ft wide, 70,000 lb load capacity, reaching within 150 ft of any exterior wall), fire hydrant/fire line locations, storm drainage design, utility services (water/sewer/irrigation/grease interceptor), landscaping, and parking layout; Health District approval letter required BEFORE permit issuance for any building where food is prepared, via separate submittal to South Central Public Health District; MSDS sheets required for each chemical stored or processed, for proposed occupancies involving chemical storage/processing; Legal description of the property required to accompany New Construction permit applications; Change of Occupancy Worksheet required if the project involves an existing building undergoing a change of occupancy, or if an existing building was demolished and a new building is being built in its place; Separate permits required for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Minidoka County Building Department (Community Development / Building and Zoning) at 208-436-7183 before starting work.

The county's Commercial Building Packet publishes two different estimates: 10-15 business days per the Plan Review Submittal Checklist, and 'not expected to exceed 3-4 weeks' per the Commercial/Multi-Family Building Permit Guide page in the same packet. Both are explicitly described as estimates that can change based on plan completeness, project size, and workload.

You'll need: Commercial Building Packet Application. Depending on your project, Minidoka County (Building Authority for Unincorporated County and the Cities of Acequia, Minidoka, Paul, and Rupert) may also ask for: Change of Occupancy Worksheet; Health District Approval Letter; Metal Building / Concrete Drawings and Structural Calculations. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Minidoka County (Building Authority for Unincorporated County and the Cities of Acequia, Minidoka, Paul, and Rupert) requires 2 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit (new construction, remodel/addition, modular building), in order: Special/Structural Inspections, Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Minidoka County Building Department (Community Development / Building and Zoning) (208-436-7183).

Apply through Minidoka County Building Department (Community Development / Building and Zoning) at 715 G Street, PO Box 368, Rupert, ID 83350. Phone: 208-436-7183, email: Building@minidokacounty.id.gov. Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, per minidoka.id.us/179/Building-and-Zoning. Building Official/Zoning Administrator: Rick Nay (also serves as City of Paul and City of Rupert zoning contact); Building Inspector: Taylor Podunovich; Plan Review/Permit Technician: Patricia Olmos-Navarrete; Administrative Assistant: Jocelyne Zavala. General Building Department line 208-436-7180 is also published on several county pages alongside the department's direct 208-436-7183 number; fax 208-436-1580..

Minidoka County (Building Authority for Unincorporated County and the Cities of Acequia, Minidoka, Paul, and Rupert), Idaho has adopted: 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) — per the Minidoka County Building Department's own Residential Building Packet and Manufactured Home Packet (minidoka.id.us/DocumentCenter/View/1727/Residential-Application-Packet), both headed 'CURRENT CODES: 2018 International Residential Code (IRC)' as of the packet's current publication.; 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — per the county's Adopted Building Codes page (minidoka.id.us/371/Building-Codes), effective January 1, 2021.; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — per the county's Adopted Building Codes page, effective January 1, 2021.; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — per the county's Adopted Building Codes page, effective January 1, 2021.; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — per the county's Adopted Building Codes page, effective January 1, 2021.; NOTE: The county's Adopted Building Codes page does not list adopted editions for the IPC (plumbing), IFGC (fuel gas), or NEC (electrical) because plumbing and electrical permitting/inspection in Minidoka County is performed by the State of Idaho Division of Building Safety (DOPL), not the county, per the county's own Other Permitting page (minidoka.id.us/373/Other-Permitting) and the Residential Building Packet ('Idaho DOPL Electrical/Plumbing Permits - (800) 955-3044, https://dopl.idaho.gov'). No county-published edition number for those trades was found; omitted rather than assumed.; UPDATE 2026-08-02: the county's Commercial Building Packet (minidoka.id.us/DocumentCenter/View/1257/Commercial-Application-Packet, read directly while researching commercial-building-permit) lists the International Fire Code (IFC) and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) among its adopted codes -- neither appears on the Adopted Building Codes page checked for this file's earlier research, and IFGC directly contradicts the prior note above stating no IFGC edition was found published. No specific edition year is given for either in the packet, so this is flagged as a new finding rather than resolved into a numbered edition.; NOTE: The Adopted Building Codes page (effective date January 1, 2021) and the current Residential/Manufactured Home Packets (which post only the IRC edition explicitly, with no listed effective date) were both checked as of 2026-07-04; no newer code-adoption ordinance or later effective date was found published on minidoka.id.us. No county-specific local amendments to the IBC/IRC text itself (e.g., snow-load or seismic amendments beyond the standard Climate and Geographic Design Criteria table reproduced in the packets) were found published separately from that table.. Local amendments apply — see the Minidoka County (Building Authority for Unincorporated County and the Cities of Acequia, Minidoka, Paul, and Rupert) overview page for the full list.

No. The same Commercial Building Packet application used for new commercial construction is used for remodels/additions — the applicant checks 'Remodel/Addition' instead of 'New Construction' on the same form. See the commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entry for TI-specific details.