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Solar PV Permit in Unincorporated Nez Perce County, Idaho

Nez Perce County has no dedicated solar or photovoltaic permit type or fee category. Its Building Permits page lists only Accessory Building, Blasting, Commercial Building, Manufactured Home, Mechanical, Single Family Residence, and Siting (Agricultural) permits, and the Residential Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective 10-1-2017) has no “solar” line item. A rooftop or ground-mounted PV installation is most likely processed as an Accessory Building Permit covering the structural and mounting work, using the schedule's per-square-foot categories and its own fallback rule that “the contract amount shall be used where it exceeds this table”. Electrical interconnection is expected to go through the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), the statewide pattern for Idaho counties that have not separately adopted the NEC, but the county does not confirm this on its own site — settle the permit path with the Building Department before you order equipment.

Reviewed 2026-07-20 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No distinct solar permit exists; a PV installation is expected to be processed as a standard Accessory Building Permit (structural/mounting/racking work) or, for larger new-construction projects, folded into the applicable Building Permit category
  • Because no per-square-foot solar rate is published, the fee schedule's own stated fallback applies: 'the contract amount shall be used where it exceeds this table' — i.e., actual contract cost governs where the structure doesn't match a listed category
  • Electrical interconnection — arrays, inverters and point of connection — is expected to require a separate Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit, since Nez Perce County's own Building Permits page lists no county Electrical Permit type. That follows the statewide DOPL pattern, but it is not confirmed on the county's own site, so verify before relying on it.
  • Apply through Nez Perce County Planning and Building Department (Courthouse, 3rd Floor, 1230 Main Street, Lewiston) using the general Accessory Building Permit / Building Permit application

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Accessory Building Permit (used for solar mounting/structural work, no dedicated solar rate)
Nez Perce County Residential Building Permit Fee Schedule, effective 10-1-2017 — no 'solar' line item exists among the published categories (Fixed Living Space $112.65/sq ft, Interior Finish &… Show full citationNez Perce County Residential Building Permit Fee Schedule, effective 10-1-2017 — no 'solar' line item exists among the published categories (Fixed Living Space $112.65/sq ft, Interior Finish & Remodel $56.33/sq ft, Garages $44.63/sq ft, Decks/Carports/Patio Covers $13.80/sq ft, Pole Buildings $14.06/sq ft, Manufactured Home Foundation/Slab $18.59/sq ft).
No listed per-sq-ft category for solar; the fee schedule's stated fallback is 'the contract amount shall be used where it exceeds this table'
DOPL Electrical Permit — 'Other Installations' fee schedule (interconnection, expected but not independently confirmed for Nez Perce County specifically)Rules of the Idaho Electrical Board, IDAPA 24.39.10 — the statewide mechanism. Nez Perce County's own site does not explicitly confirm this, but it lists no county Electrical Permit type of its own.
Wiring cost up to $10,000: $60 + 2%; $10,001-$100,000: $260 + 1% of excess; plus a $65/hr (1-hr minimum) plan review fee for grid-tied systems

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Solar PV Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Nez Perce County?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Inspection

    Mounting/structural work inspected per the approved accessory building permit

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

Tips

  • Nez Perce County has no dedicated solar permit or fee — expect to be routed through the general Accessory Building Permit process, with the fee schedule's contract-amount fallback applying since no per-square-foot solar category is published.
  • Call Building Services (208-799-3197) directly before applying to confirm exactly which permit category (Accessory Building, Mechanical, or Building Permit) the department will use for your specific installation, since the published permit-type list does not name solar explicitly.
  • Budget for a separate Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit for the interconnection wiring, following the same statewide pattern as other Idaho counties, even though this was not independently confirmed on Nez Perce County's own site.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Nez Perce County requires a solar pv permit for: No distinct solar permit exists; a PV installation is expected to be processed as a standard Accessory Building Permit (structural/mounting/racking work) or, for larger new-construction projects, folded into the applicable Building Permit category; Because no per-square-foot solar rate is published, the fee schedule's own stated fallback applies: 'the contract amount shall be used where it exceeds this table' — i.e., actual contract cost governs where the structure doesn't match a listed category; Electrical interconnection — arrays, inverters and point of connection — is expected to require a separate Idaho DOPL Electrical Permit, since Nez Perce County's own Building Permits page lists no county Electrical Permit type. That follows the statewide DOPL pattern, but it is not confirmed on the county's own site, so verify before relying on it.; Apply through Nez Perce County Planning and Building Department (Courthouse, 3rd Floor, 1230 Main Street, Lewiston) using the general Accessory Building Permit / Building Permit application. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Nez Perce County Planning and Building Department at (208) 799-3089 (main); Building Services (208) 799-3197; Building Official Kile Allen (208) 799-3035 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Nez Perce County, the published Accessory Building Permit (used for solar mounting/structural work, no dedicated solar rate) is: No listed per-sq-ft category for solar; the fee schedule's stated fallback is 'the contract amount shall be used where it exceeds this table'. Additional published fees: DOPL Electrical Permit — 'Other Installations' fee schedule (interconnection, expected but not independently confirmed for Nez Perce County specifically) — Wiring cost up to $10,000: $60 + 2%; $10,001-$100,000: $260 + 1% of excess; plus a $65/hr (1-hr minimum) plan review fee for grid-tied systems. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Unincorporated Nez Perce County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Nez Perce County Planning and Building Department at (208) 799-3089 (main); Building Services (208) 799-3197; Building Official Kile Allen (208) 799-3035 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Accessory Building Permit Application (or applicable Building Permit application). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Nez Perce County requires 1 inspection(s) for a solar pv permit, in order: Final Inspection. Schedule each through Nez Perce County Planning and Building Department ((208) 799-3089 (main); Building Services (208) 799-3197; Building Official Kile Allen (208) 799-3035).

Apply through Nez Perce County Planning and Building Department at Courthouse, 3rd Floor, 1230 Main Street, Lewiston, ID 83501 (P.O. Box 896, Lewiston, ID 83501). Phone: (208) 799-3089 (main); Building Services (208) 799-3197; Building Official Kile Allen (208) 799-3035, email: chelsem@co.nezperce.id.us (Planner); kilea@co.nezperce.id.us (Building Official); TiffanyS@co.nezperce.id.us (Senior Customer Service Specialist). Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Friday, 7:00 AM to Noon. Fax: 888-757-7326. Staff: Chelse Maughan (Planner), Kile Allen (Building Official), Tiffany Simmet (Senior Customer Service Specialist).. Official information: https://www.co.nezperce.id.us/Departments/Planning-and-Building.

Unincorporated Nez Perce County, Idaho has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC), per Nez Perce County Planning and Building Department's Building Permits page — the county enforces the 2018 IBC as its building code standard.; Nez Perce County's Land Development Code (zoning/subdivision provisions) is separately codified and available via Municode (library.municode.com/id/nez_perce_county); the Building Permits page itself does not separately enumerate IRC/IECC/IMC/IPC/NEC edition years beyond the IBC citation, unlike the City of Lewiston's dedicated Current Codes page, which lists each adopted code individually.. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Nez Perce County overview page for the full list.

No. The county's Building Permits page lists only Accessory Building, Blasting, Commercial Building, Manufactured Home, Mechanical, Single Family Residence, and Siting (Agricultural) permit types — no dedicated 'Solar' category exists, and the Residential Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective 10-1-2017) has no solar line item. A PV installation is expected to be processed as an Accessory Building Permit. Source: Nez Perce County Building Permits page.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-20.

Fee schedules

Applications & forms

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 Nez Perce County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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Other permits in Unincorporated Nez Perce County

Single Family Residence Building PermitManufactured Home PermitAccessory Building Permit / Agricultural Siting PermitEV Charger / EVSE PermitCommercial Building Permit

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